Visions in white: Enchanting Bridal Show prepares for post-COVID wedding season
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 6 months AGO
Amy Kovaleva models a bridal gown at the Enchanting Bridal Show. The gowns are from Cocomelody via Enchanting Gowns Bridal Boutique in Moses Lake.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald
Kellsi Foster prepares Amy Kovaleva’s makeup for the fashion show at the Enchanting Bridal Show Saturday.
Attendees browse the offerings at the Enchanting Bridal Show at the Grant County Fairgrounds Saturday.
From left: John Lopez, Gary Candela, Jose Chavez and Isaiah Patero wait their turn to show off formal wear in the fashion show at the Enchanting Bridal Show Saturday.
Megan Washburn shows off a Cocomelody bridal gown at the Enchanting Bridal Show Saturday at the Grant County Fairgrounds.
Megan Washburn, left, and Elizabeth Maden take their turns on the runway at the Enchanting Bridal Show fashion show Saturday.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | March 2, 2022 1:00 AM
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:
Enchanting Gowns Bridal Boutique
Honey Cakes
the SPA Experience
Forever Flawless Permanent Cosmetics
Paparazzi
Bees Photobooth
Color Street Nails
Grandma’s Sunshine Crafts and Creations
Mary Kay – Beelievers
Simply Just Little
Rockstarr Entertainment
Aloette Beauty Consultant
Door to Door
Erich Sonnabend – real estate
Pure Romance by Amy Jo
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.