Texan Mosaic

by: TAYLOR ZARBANO/Staff Writer

Every girl dreams of her wedding.

She starts envisioning it from a very young age, dreaming of the man she will marry, the dress she will wear, and the ring she will receive. She dreams of the flowers she will hold, the music that will be played as she walks down the aisle, the color patterns in the room, and all the people sitting in anticipation waiting to hear the words, “I do.”

The difference between the dream of having a wedding and the reality of having a wedding is that you actually have to plan the wedding. Planning the wedding includes hundreds of small and large details that can be taxing on the bride-to-be.

Where will the wedding take place? What should the dress look like? How many people should be invited? Where does one get invitations, and what should they look like? Who is the best person to take the pictures that will be cherished for a lifetime? What food should be served at the reception? Which DJ is the best fit for a wedding? How can all of this be afforded? How should one begin planning a wedding?

Those questions, and many more, are all asked countless times in the mind of a bride. Suddenly, the wedding she has always dreamed of becomes less glamorous and less fun than she dreamed it would be as a child.

The Bridal Service Associates’ (BSA) annual Bridal Event helps bring back the glamour and give peace of mind to the bride, as well as her family and fiancé.

Every August, the BSA puts on the Bridal Event for brides from all over West Texas to see what is available to make a bride’s wedding day go smoothly and just as she has envisioned it. The BSA has put on the August Bridal Event for more than 19 years.

The event, which was held Aug. 30 at the Lubbock Civic Center, features vendors offering goods and services that are necessary to put on a wedding. The BSA vendors include: businesses that do dress alterations; cake decorating; catering; DJ services; florists; photo booths; photographers; invitations; jewelers; salons; realtors; rentals; travel agencies; wedding venues; and, of course, the much needed wedding planners.

The vendors participate in the BSA’s Wedding Event each August to promote their business, as well as to try their best to help the bride.

Many of the business owners said that their favorite part of this particular event is getting to meet the brides and simply just seeing their excitement.

Denise Thomas, from Wedding Solutions, said “talking with the brides” is her favorite part of the event. “Honestly, you meet so many people doing this,” she explained. “You make new friends, you hear the brides’ stories and why they are doing what they are doing. Every bride has a different story, sometimes happy, sad, or even because a family member has died.”

Another vendor who really enjoyed helping the brides was Kandice Mastler from Barque, where they sell and create personalized invitations.

“My favorite part of the event is getting to meet brides who are excited about their wedding and helping them find invitations that are their style,” says Mastler.

Tammy Maxx has been in the wedding business for a long time and has participated in the August Bridal Event for more than 15 years. Tammy entered the wedding business in 1989, when she would serve as a DJ for various weddings.

But just being a DJ for weddings was not enough for her. She has now been a wedding planner for 10 years, running her business, A Night to Remember, along with her DJ business, Music to the Maxx.

“My favorite part of being a wedding planner is honestly when the bride and groom exchange vows,” says Maxx. “It’s the most spiritual and intimate moment you can experience.”

Maxx says that she loves being a part of the August show every year. But at the same time, it can be really challenging, due to her job in the wedding industry. She will work until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. running Music to the Maxx at various weddings around West Texas. She says the hardest part of the August event is “looking fresh” for the brides the very next day.

The BSA’s event has helped out many brides with more than just making big decisions. Every bride who walks into the event gets to enter her name in a drawing for a prize of $2,500 that can be used at any of the vendors that were present at the event. Of course, every bit helps in making the bride’s dream come true.

Not only has the BSA’s event helped out the brides and their families, but also a charity. The BSA holds a meeting where different charities can be nominated. Then those charities nominated put together a presentation to show in front of the BSA members.

This year’s winning charity was Four Legged Friends. Four Legged Friends is a non-profit charity near Shallowater, which is a shelter to many rescued dogs. This was their second year in a row winning. Last year, they received $2,000. Of course, they don’t just get the money; they help out with the event as well. They do ticketing, hand out bridal goodie bags, and do traffic control.

Of course, with an event like this, a lot of hard work gets put in by several people. But this event could not have been pulled off if it weren’t for Rita Anderson, owner of Putting on the Ritz. Rita is the chair of the BSA. This event required a lot of time and effort. Anderson, with the help of many other BSA members, contacted vendors, scheduled a date, selected the location, and made several decisions that she would bring forth to the BSA committee.

This particular event will continue next August in 2016. Make sure to stop by and allow this show to be an aid in making the picture perfect wedding.