Bridal Africa, belle of the ball

The exhibiting designer who delivers the best interpretation of a ‘Red Carpet Showstopper' for a SA celebrity of their choice will win an international travel trip for two and can choose between London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong or Dubai.

Marnie Heim-Stafford, marketing manager of First Travel said, “Once the winner has made his or her decision, we will plan an exceptional trip which will suit preferences in terms of visiting a relevant industry show to facilitate valuable contacts, business deals or purchasing necessary fabrics.” The company is the official travel agent for 2010' and sponsor of the prize.

The prize for Bridal Africa Young Designer Award has been increased to a R10 000 cash prize.

Fashion show of signature designs

SA's top fashion designers who have contributed towards the local wedding industry will be honoured at Bridal Africa. Dee Reuvers, CEO of Bridal Africa, said, “These designers, who have rarely exhibited their garments to the public in recent years, will treat our visitors to a fashion show of their signature designs. The show will bring back glamour to the SA wedding industry and create a hugely exciting platform of choices for the bride and her groom.””

Showstoppers

Reuvers continued, “The show has a fresh approach to exhibiting and will include multiple competitions, décor concepts like ice sculptures, interactive displays and service providers launching new concepts.” The wedding photography competition theme is ‘A Moment in Time' and will consist of a gallery wall of framed entries for visitors to peruse.

Wedding cake competition

The wedding cake competition will feature a range of modern and traditional cake creations. Deon Swarts, owner of The Cake Genie, said, “It's about time that wedding cake makers were recognised for their specialisation, and by judges that we respect - Dilene Cranna who was Unilever's SA 2009 Chef of the Year and Wade van der Merwe who has undertaken two Olympics for Culinary Team South Africa. Visitors will also be able to compare us on skill, presentation, creativity and taste.””

Industry needs big event

Reuvers said taking all this and the added benefits into account, it made astute business sense to run the show as a big event, and not a bi-event or pavilion as before. “With this new positioning we can accommodate the huge amount of attention that our core competition, the Specialist Bridal Designer Award, and the various other draw cards will attract. We can now ensure our market segmentation is highly focused.”