MOSES LAKE — The snow wasn’t quite melted outside, but in the Commercial Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds Saturday, it was a bright spring day, perfect for a wedding.

Between 200 and 250 people were in attendance for the Enchanting Bridal Show, more than 100 of them brides-to-be, according to organizer Sandy Hanson. The prospective brides were given bags and buttons to identify them to the 28 vendors who came to offer cakes, hair styling, makeup, catering and a host of other necessities for the perfect wedding.

The show was the first of what Hanson, who owns Jamison’s Event Center and Enchanting Gowns Bridal Boutique, expects to be a tradition.

“We know there had been big expos in Moses Lake in years past, but it’s been a while,” she said. “We normally do our small one every spring, so we thought, ‘Let’s see if we can do a big one.’”

“We’ve been getting some great feedback,” said Dasha Hernandez, a student at Sage Academy of Massage and Bodyworks who was staffing the school’s booth. “It gets us a connection with the community.”

“We had JBH salon, out of Ephrata, and they’re the ones who did all of the models’ hair, and they just did amazing,” said Hanson. “And we had Kellsi Foster do the makeup. They were out there at their booths doing the hair and makeup during the expo so people could see, and then the girls would go up and do the fashion show.”

There were actually three fashion shows during the eight-hour expo, highlighting bridal gowns from Enchanting Gowns, as well as tuxedos for the gents, from Jim’s Formal Wear. Nine women took part in the fashion show, as well as five gentlemen.

“Some of them we had to pay,” said Hanson, “but with the girls, they just loved doing it. They’ve modeled for us before, some of them have, and they just love playing with the dresses.”

The fashion show was coordinated by Jamison’s sole employee, Samantha Candela, who married her husband Gary two years ago at the event center. Hanson and her daughter Ashley Meadows bought Jamison’s in May 2019, and opened Enchanting Gowns in November 2021.

Hanson said her plans for next year include shortening the hours a bit and doing just one, bigger, fashion show. Meanwhile, Jamison’s is already booking weddings much more quickly than in past years, in a thriving post-COVID-19 climate.

“In the wedding industry, everybody we’ve heard from is predicting this year will be one of the biggest years in like 30 years for weddings,” she said. “So we’re anticipating a very, very busy season.”

These businesses were represented at the Enchanting Bridal Show:

Jamison’s Event Center

Enchanting Gowns Bridal Boutique

Honey Cakes

Smulligan’s

Choice Health & Wellness

the SPA Experience

Forever Flawless Permanent Cosmetics

Blacky’s Smokin’ Sweet

Nosh

JBH Studio

Kellsi Foster

JBR Photography

Paparazzi

Bees Photobooth

Color Street Nails

Grandma’s Sunshine Crafts and Creations

First Cut Media

Sugar Mama

Mary Kay – Beelievers

Simply Just Little

Rockstarr Entertainment

Aloette Beauty Consultant

Blue Wings Events

Wine & Roses Artisan Soap

Door to Door

Erich Sonnabend – real estate

Pure Romance by Amy Jo