The free expo goes down this weekend.
The question is popped, the ring is on, stars are in your eyes…but now what? With so many tasks to take care of and details to arrange, planning a wedding can seem overwhelming.
Enter, the wedding expo. Wedding and bridal expos are the perfect way for couples to get a taste-test of what is available to them and the suppliers that they can tap into locally, plus there’s something special about making personal connections with those playing a part in your big day and the get-in-my-face cake samples!
But don’t take our word for it: the Geelong Wedding Guide is hosting their annual wedding expo this weekend and it promises to be one of the events of the year. Even if you’re not getting hitched, there’s a whole lot of fun to be had – and there’s no harm in familiarising yourself with what you may like for the future.
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Created by boss babe Dani Fontana of Geelong Wedding Guide and Boutique Event Co, this year’s expo is taking over the Barwon Valley Activity Centre this Saturday, June 26.
A brand built on celebrating local love, the Geelong Wedding Guide is both a directory to local suppliers as well as a hub for future couples to search for inspiration and wedding tips and tricks. Combining both these things, the Geelong Wedding Guide’s wedding expo gets the wedding inspo flowing for local brides and grooms as to what’s available in their backyard, as well as the chance to sample foods and cakes, shop for gowns, and win amazing prizes.
“Geelong Wedding Guide started when we realised there wasn’t anything specific to the Geelong region online for weddings,” Dani previously told Forte. “There are a few Victorian-wide blogs, however, nothing really targeted Geelong, especially the real weddings of Geelong (not just your insta-worthy weddings).
“We found that the existing expos were lacking something, we weren’t really sure what exactly but we wanted to make it an expo that brides and grooms actually wanted to come to and stay. When I was getting married we went to one, paid $15 each to enter and left about 10 minutes after arriving because nothing took our fancy.”
Combating that, Dani has created a wedding expo that you never want to leave. Here, they’re all about celebrating the community and making it a fun and stress-free environment for couples to meet suppliers and get a heap of killer inspo for their big days.
First there’s the amazing list of local vendors. You’ll find amazing venues like Batesford Hotel, Rocklea Farm, Scotchmans Hill, and Woolbrook Homestead; celebrants including Jessie Belle Celebrant, Kahani Marriage Celebrant, and Geelong Celebrant Collective; wedding gowns from Foreverness Bridal Boutique and Lainie Brookman Couture Dressmaker; and there will be an outdoor area with some kick-ass displays you’ll want to feature at your wedding.
There will also be a bunch of food vendors, grazing table experts, bakers and cake makers including the likes of Baking Bliss, Taco Truck Melb, Boxed and Boards, Spoke Ice Cream, Kiss Kakes, and SouthAmerica Coffee Co, alongside a bunch of stylists, florists, photographers, videographers and more, all conveniently located in one location.
You’ll even come across vendors you completely forgot you would even need when planning your perfect wedding day including The Collective Hub who takes care of bra fittings, personal trainers from Team McLean Fitness Club, Ballroom Baby who provides dance lessons, and even a Wedding Day Pet Chauffeur with The Wedding Sitter.
And you can even bring along the kids. The team from Geelong Lawn Game Hire will be there with their entire range of Lawn Games that you can get the little ones to test out ahead of the big day.
You’ll also find interactive sessions from 11:25am hosted by the wonderful Jessie Belle Celebrant, alongside a host of interactive displays, live performances and bites and coffee to purchase on the day.
If all that wasn’t enough, there’s also more than $12,000 worth in prizes to be won. From 11:30am, head over to the Geelong Wedding Guide Spin for your chance to win – with every person who spins guaranteed to win something. Prizes include $1000 towards your wedding at Rocklea Farm and Corner Paddock, a voucher from Reflection Photo Booths, a voucher and complimentary bra fitting from The Collective Hub, a cope of GT Bride, a Timber Platter Board from Geelong Timber Creations, a $200 voucher from Bridal House, a voucher from Baking Bliss Geelong and a $1800 four-hour package from Still Muse Photography, just to name a few. There’s even a case of delicious wine and wine barrel up for grabs from Scotchmans Hill.
Oh and there’s free ice cream and goodie bags! The team at The Hippie Whippy are giving away 50 complimentary ice creams while the Geelong Wedding Guide team have prepared 50 goodie bags with copies of GT Bride and Ivory Haus Wedding Planners. First in, best dressed, so set your alarms.
Best of all, there’s no entry fee! Weddings are expensive enough and the beautiful people at Geelong Wedding Guide don’t believe they should be adding to your costs. Bless.
So who can come?
“Absolutely everyone,” Dani says. “Even non-wedding related attendees. If you’re an event planner or are the token person to organise events for your workplace, you’re bound to find heaps of vendors that can assist you in pulling together an amazing event.”
The Geelong Wedding Guide Wedding Expo will be held at Barwon Valley Activity Centre on Saturday, June 26, 11am – 3pm. Entry is free. More info available here.
