The Shadow
Planning a wedding can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. With countless decisions to make and vendors to choose from, the search for the perfect wedding can be a dauntless task leaving one to wonder how Mary Fiore, the title character in “The Wedding Planner,” created those lavious, breathtaking weddings. In the world of fictional movies, it is perhaps much easier to plan and weave together the beautiful tapestry that becomes a wedding, but in reality, most of us know that the experience is much different.
But what if you could find everything you needed in one place? Can you imagine a haven where brides-to-be can immerse themselves in a world of wedding wonder, surrounded by top local vendors and experts? Such is the vision behind Alleghany County’s first-ever bridal show known as “The Wedding Market,” created by Leslie Young. “The Wedding Market” was designed to give local vendors an opportunity “to display their businesses and their crafts so that future brides, families or friends come in who are planning a wedding or a vow renewal, elopement, they have an idea of what people are in the area and where they can go,” said Young.
“The Wedding Market” actually started, according to Young, after her best friend, Maria Creasey —a local photographer— convinced her to have a bridal show so that she could be one of the vendors. Young loved the idea and, with the help of her friend, Leigh Woodward — whom Young referred to as the “envisionary” who “contoured her vision”— “The Wedding Market” was off and running with a scheduled event that would prove to be a massive success for the starter company. The rest, as they say, is history! Following their mid-April debut, Young received calls from Harrisonburg, West Virginia, and Tennessee, all requesting events.
What was initially meant to be a local business has expanded into a 3 state business. And, Young says, she hopes to cast an even wider net this time next year with potential states including the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and even dipping their toes into the Florida ocean.
The sole purpose of “The Wedding Market” is twofold. First, it is intended to assist local vendors, photographers, florists, etc. get their name out in the community so that potential consumers are aware of who they are and what they do. Second, it is meant to assist brides and/or wedding planners in the wedding planning process.
Young’s first event was held just a few months ago in April and since then, the founder of “The Wedding Market” says the business took off. Currently, “The Wedding Market” has several upcoming events with the next scheduled for September 15th at the Clifton Forge School of the Arts. Currently, Young is accepting vendors for the event. Their host DJ and emcee for all their events, Babygirl DJ Productions, is once again expected to emcee.
To contact Leslie Young and “The Wedding Market,” you can reach out to them via Instagram at the_wedding_market_events, on Facebook at “The Wedding Market,” or via email at info@theweddingmarketevents.
