Northern Arizona’s largest and longest-running bridal expo will take place Sunday, March 6 at a new location: the Event Center at the Sam Hill Warehouse and Hilton Garden Inn, Prescott Downtown.
By Hilary Dartt
While the Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo has long been known as Arizona’s friendliest wedding expo, it stands out for other reasons, too: it’s intimate and offers a mimosa bar as well as prizes galore, including raffle prizes every 30 minutes and a grand prize worth thousands of dollars. This year’s expo will take place Sunday, March 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free.
And, for the first time in more than a decade, the event boasts a new location: the Event Center at the Sam Hill Warehouse and Hilton Garden Inn, Prescott Downtown, at 232 N. Granite Street.
StarStruck Event Planning presents the Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo, which is co-hosted by the Sam Hill Warehouse and Moore Party Rentals.
Tahna Falk, owner and creative producer at StarStruck, said she was first drawn to the Sam Hill Warehouse because of its aesthetics. Built at the turn of the century, Tahna said, the event center features “original hardwood floors, original brick walls, and exposed wood beams.”
As always, Tahna said, this year’s expo will have a personal and intimate feel, a friendly atmosphere, and quality wedding vendors in every category a couple may need for their special day.
She’s not the only one who is excited about the expo: this year’s event sold out to wedding vendors for exhibiting booth spaces in September, she said. Normally, spots aren’t full for this event until end of January.
In a video on the Expo’s website, brides-to-be, their fiancés, and exhibitors shared what makes the Expo so great:
“We’re finding a lot of things that work with our venue,” said one bride, and her future husband added, “Everyone’s been really nice, and they can work together, which is nice.”
Another bride said she learned about vendors she didn’t know were in town, and another said she walked away knowing lots of vendors she wanted to use—she appreciated getting so much done in a single day.
“It’s mostly local, everyone has amazing food and amazing products, and they’re so kind,” said one bride. “I love being in this small town.”
Several engaged couples further said, “It’s a great time.”
One bride-to-be wrote in a testimonial, “Can I just say, this is hands down the best expo in all of Arizona. I have been to multiple bridal expos in Mesa, Phoenix, and Glendale … and the Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo was literally the best. Great vendors and excellent hosts. Thank you for helping me finalize my wedding plans.”
Exhibitors weighed in, too, saying they had “nonstop communication with brides, and lots of people interested.”
Several called the Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo “a great event,” and mentioned that they enjoyed the sense of community amongst vendors, who can work together to create a wonderful wedding.
“Yesterday’s expo was the best we’ve been involved in in over the last 20 years,” one exhibitor wrote in a testimonial from a previous year.
Each bride-to-be or couple who attends the Expo receives a swag bag, which features a bridal resource guide that Tahna said she’s proud to hand out. It includes a room-by-room map of the Expo, with space on each page for notes and articles from the experts on various wedding planning topics. The Bridal Resource Guide is designed for couples to use throughout the Expo and after, to plan their wedding.
Tahna recommends attendees wear comfortable shoes and plan to spend at least a couple of hours at the Expo, which will feature “every type of product and service brides want.”
Diamond Sponsors for this year’s Prescott Bridal Affaire Expo include Findlay Subaru Prescott and Greenway Catering by El Gato Azul; the Gold Sponsor is Strada Salon; and the Silver Sponsors are Blushing Cactus Photography, Sky City Productions, Arizona’s Finest Wedding Sites and Services, Prescott Woman Magazine, SignalsAZ, Lonesome Valley Newspaper, Magic 99.1 Radio, and the historic Hassayampa Inn.
Learn more at www.PrescottBridalAffaireExpo.com