ALTON – A bevy of brides-to-be attended Alton Square Mall’s first bridal show Saturday, gathering information to help in planning their weddings.
“I’m from around here and have often thought a bridal show would be nice. In fact, I brought that up when I interviewed for my position,” Sarah Bolyard said. Bolyard is the mall’s marketing coordinator and event planner. “We started working on this right after Christmas,” Bolyard said. She said she would “love to see 100 vendors next year.” About 25 vendors participated in the event and fashion show this year. Prospective brides were able to find information for all their wedding needs, from the invitations all the way to the honeymoon, from businesses specializing in photography, travel, flowers and more. One business sells more than one service. “We try to offer anything that will help the bride,” said Rachele Yarborough, sales associate at Savvi Formalwear in the mall. “We have a folder with information from about 15 vendors that we give when someone comes in to talk to us. We know how overwhelming it can be to plan a wedding, and lots of people don’t have a clue as to all the details involved,” Yarborough said. “We don’t recommend any vendor that we personally haven’t used or done business with.”
Natalie Ritter and Angel Gibson, both of Godfrey, were chatting with Yarborough about invitations and men’s formalwear.