Wedding Expo Philippines at the NBC Tent
By Vicky Veloso-Barrera

Couples planning their weddings have a special treat to look forward to in April - the Wedding Expo Philippines at the NBC Tent in Bonifacio, the largest and most comprehensive bridal fair of its kind in the country.

With over 150 participating suppliers, Wedding Expo Philippines is guaranteed to make hunting for that perfect cake, that special favor or that dream wedding gown as easy as taking a stroll. That's right, just take a walk through the bridal fair and you'll find that suppliers have been zoned, or organized according to category to enable you to see all your choices side by side. And speaking of choices, where else can you find suppliers that are established in their fields, up-and-coming, and even from out-of-town all in one place?

To make the fair even more attractive for soon-to-weds, every P1,000 worth of merchandise or services booked on site entitles couples to a raffle coupon, with a free honeymoon trip to Hong Kong as the grand prize. There will also be special offers and promos, discounts and add-ons exclusive to the fair. These specials will not be available anywhere else outside the Wedding Expo.

Last but not least, visitors to the fair get a free copy of Wedding Expo Philippines Magazine, a glossy guide for couples to be filled with fashion spreads, useful articles and creative ideas to help put together the perfect wedding. Editor-in-chief Vicky Veloso-Barrera promises a magazine to help couples realize the joys of getting married.

Wedding Expo Philippines is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Dodjie and Sharon Fabian. Sharon was also the organizing force behind Rockwell's Elegant Weddings last November 2001, and the two of them are busy with the upcoming Babies and Kids Fair at the Rockwell from March 16-17. No strangers to the bridal industry, they are also behind the wedding coordination outfit Themes and Motifs while Sharon Fabian is the owner of Paper Elegance, producer of fine wedding invitations. Wedding Expo Philippines puts together the best elements of wedding fairs that they have visited here and abroad.

Based on a survey they conducted at Elegant Weddings last November, Dodjie and Sharon learned that the top three items prospective grooms and brides look for are new trends, discounts and new suppliers. All of these will be in good supply at the Wedding Expo. Also, all exhibitors have been pre-screened to ensure that only legitimate suppliers can do business at the fair.

With the advent of efficient inter-island and international courier services, doing business long distance has never been easier. Suppliers from the Visayas and Mindanao has been invited to participate in the WedExpo to give soon-to-wed couples a wider variety of choices and the wedding suppliers from these regions a chance to take a crack at the Manila market.

Wedding Expo Philippines is marketed via the Internet at www.weddingexpophil.com in order to reach out to Pinoys all over the world. It is hoped that Pinoy expatriates looking for a comprehensive wedding fair will choose to come home in time for the annual Wedding Expo which is envisioned to happen every 1st weekend of March beginning 2003. Even soon-to-wed couples from neighboring countries can consider visiting the Wedding Expo Philippines to look for innovative ideas for their special day.

Helping to ensure the success of Wedding Expo Philippines is the popular wedding website WeddingsAtWork.com headed by John and Bennette Rana, who are the event consultants for the fair. Their huge data base of brides have also been a great help in determining what brides really need to ensure a successful, low stress wedding. Lending media support to the fair is the Philippine Daily Inquirer.