It was a bridal affair at Rippavilla
Spring and summer not only mean baseball season and frequent visits to the pool, but also that wedding season is approaching, and for many couples, now is the time to plan.
Rippavilla Plantation hosted its annual bridal fair Sunday afternoon, with more than 25 vendors from around the Mid-State area participating. Rippavilla’s history, the antebellum mansion and Southern scenery are why it is one of the region’s most popular locations for weddings, anniversary celebrations, graduations and more.
“We are usually booked solid between April and November,” Rippavilla’s wedding and event coordinator, Rebecca Sowell, said. “It’s about to crank up.”
Planning a wedding can be one of the most complicated and stressful things two people will plan. Knowing there are companies and individuals who can tackle every wedding need, from hairstyle, food and guest accommodation takes the stress off what is supposed to be one of the best and memorable days of two peoples’ lives.
One area where professional expertise can save you money, while making the best out of the wedding experience is the honeymoon. Alanna Johnson, owner and travel counselor of Spring Hill’s Private Escape Travel (Alanna.Johnson@AvoyaNetwork.com), was at Sunday’s event for the first time. She said there are several ways to save while venturing overseas a lot of people might not know about.
“Sometimes nobody thinks about it and are like, ‘Oh my gosh, what about the honeymoon?’” Johnson said. “You can do Iceland really cheap, and have it be a really long trip.”
Finding a good person for alterations is also very important. Wanda Wade of A Woman’s Touch, located at 5326 Main St. in Spring Hill, described alterations as a “lost art of sorts,” but is a skill that has started to generate more interest.
“A lot of the time, women look for someone to do alterations and they can’t find anybody,” Wade said. “I’ve got a list of people right now who want to learn to sew, but if I had a big enough place I would teach women how to sew, and there are even some men who want to learn as well.”
Some wedding planners can even offer more than organizing the ceremony and prep work. As the wife of a real estate agent, Sarah Richardson also helps couples looking to purchase their first home. Her company, Dream Maker (www.dreammakerweddings.net), is based in Lewisburg, but she has clients in Maury, Rutherford and Williamson counties.
“Buying a house can be a really stressful step too, and I’ve done four this year already,” Richardson said. “We flip houses and build new homes. I haven’t put that on my website yet, but it is funny how much it is happening lately.”
Sunday’s bridal fair was sponsored by DJ’s Party Rentals, who offers wedding services including tents, tables, chairs, linens and catering needs. Store manager Sandy Carpenter said the annual bridal fair always brings a big turnout of soon-to-be brides, and DJ’s has been a company to frequently assist Rippavilla weddings at the historic site.
“We work really closely with Rippavilla [for their weddings],” Carpenter said. “This event is huge and I’m hoping it was a big hit this year.”
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