This Weekend: Strolling Bridal Show

Future brides, we hope you don’t have any plans on Sunday.

Because this Sunday, you’ll need to be at the Old Town Winchester Strolling Bridal Show.

We know, this month has been unusually busy thus far, because you’ve most likely been attending your friends’ nuptials. So this Sunday, we’re asking that you take a little time for your own wedding planning, and grab your groom, mother, or maid of honor, and head downtown.

So what is a strolling bridal show? It’s totally different than your typical hotel-conference room bridal show: it’s held throughout the entire downtown district, with vendors on the walking mall as well as in various businesses. Start with registering for the event at Kimberly’s on Braddock Street, where you’ll get a great goodie bag, an event map, and a passport. From there, you can head to whichever vendors, businesses, and locations that you are interested in – and everyone is represented, over 40 vendors from photographers, DJ’s and bands, hotels and churches, florists, bakers, a violinist, and the Shenandoah Carriage Company will be offering complimentary rides up and down the pedestrian mall.

“Since there are so many vendors and it is primarily an outdoor event, this year we are also lucky enough to have a tent sponsor- Grand Rental Station, so about 22 of our vendors will have tables set up under tents along the mall,” said organizer Elisa Scott of Bluebells, a florist in Old Town Winchester.

Remember to get your passport stamped, because you’ll be able to enter an incredible raffle drawing – prizes include $500 off of a Long Branch Plantation wedding package, an $800 gift certificate for a wedding dress at Bella Bridal, a three-tiered wedding cake, a free bridal bouquet from Bluebells, four free private dance lessons for two with Winchester Ballroom, a bachelorette party for up to nine girls at KerriLane Photo Studio, and more. So it’s definitely worth remembering that passport!

Also new this year is a bridal fashion show, which will be held at the George Washington Hotel at 3:30 p.m.. That’s where you’ll also be handing in your stamped passport for a chance to win prizes.

Part of the goal of this event is to bring more awareness to downtown’s wedding professional businesses, but also to help market Winchester as a wedding destination – to locals and visitors alike.

“Winchester is the perfect place  to have  a wedding,” said Elisa.

“It is such a versatile place that has both the ameninties of a city as well as the charm of a small town.”

In addition to businesses like restaurants who can cater or serve as a rehearsal dinner site, and of course the Old Town’s beautiful historic churches, there are many benefits to considering Old Town when planning your wedding.

“We are close enough to Dulles airport to be convenient for brides who will have a lot of out-of-town guests. I’ve also found that most of the local businesses are very reasonably priced, and one can have a really nice wedding here at a much more affordable price, than trying to have a similar wedding in Washington D.C.,  and we’re only 70 miles away,” said Elisa.

And this event isn’t just for the already-engaged; Elisa says that anyone thinking about getting married in the next year or two should attend.

The Old Town Winchester Strolling Bridal Show will be held rain or shine, in Old Town Winchester. Register at Kimberly’s between 11:30 and 12:30 (135 North Braddock Street) to receive show information including a vendor listing and map and passport. The event begins at noon and runs until 4 p.m. This is a free event.

Story and photos by Jenny Brockwell