Close to 1,000 visitors say 'I do' to Bridal Expo

The Osage Centre was a one-stop shop for all things related to weddings on Sunday afternoon.

Future brides and grooms attending the Withers Broadcasting annual expo received information on photographers, salon, spa and dental services, dress and suit vendors and travel agents.

Miranda Hillis and her fiancZe, Lance Banken, both of Cape Girardeau, went to the expo hoping to find a disc jockey to book for their Sept. 9 wedding reception. Most of the couple's wedding arrangements have been finalized.

"We've already got the photographer, all the dresses and we're getting married at a church in Dexter," Hillis said. "I don't know if we would have found a deejay without coming here."

Hillis' two friends, Haley Jennings of Cape Girardeau and Meghan Gallen of St. Louis, went to the expo for fun -- and to get some ideas for their future weddings.

"I've been wanting to get married for three years now," Jennings said.

"And I'm still looking for Mr. Right," Gallen said.

Close to 1,000 people attended the expo throughout the afternoon. Attendees were also treated to a two-hour fashion show, which featured wedding dresses, tuxedoes, bridesmaid and prom dresses.

Bride-to-be Sharron Hooker, 22, watched the fashion show with her mother, Lisa Hooker, and future mother-in-law, Vickie Hawkins. Hooker will walk down the aisle with Jeff Hawkins on May 27.

"We've got most everything planned out," Hooker said. "There are just a few last-minute details left."

The Cape Girardeau women were impressed with many of the unique booths at the expo, including chocolate fountains and spa packages.

"We were thinking about getting the couple massages to help them relax before the big day," Lisa Hooker said. "It's been fun to help her plan everything out."

For her daughter's wedding, which will be held at Jackson Church of the Nazarene, Lisa Hooker said doves will be released as the couple walks out of the church.

"It seems like there is so much more to choose from when planning a wedding today," Lisa Hooker said. "There are so many more options and it's harder to make decisions about what you want."

That is what K. Nathan and Linda Mays believe about planning weddings today. The Sikeston, Mo., couple has been married for seven years.

"There are a lot of choices for young brides," said Linda Mays, who attended the expo because her children were in the fashion show.

Charlotte Porterfield and her daughter, Danielle, were at the expo to look for Danielle's prom dress. The Dongola High School junior's prom is on May 13 and she said finding the perfect dress is more important than finding a date.

"At the end of the prom, you get to keep the dress but your date goes away," Danielle said.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

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