Innovative Bridal Show Starts Three Event Run

National Wedding Etiquette & Stationery Expert Marjorie Maxfield Says Letter Writing Is Back


FAIRFAX, VA – September 11, 2009 – The Washington Bridal Showcase, one of the largest and most influential bridal show circuits in the nation, starts its fall run in the Washington area on Sunday, September 13 at the Dulles Expo Center, followed by shows on Sunday, September 20th at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD and Sunday, October 4, at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel. These shows are sponsored in part by WeddingWire.com.

“Bridal Shows are great resources for engaged couples planning their wedding and the Washington Bridal Showcase is no exception,” says Sonny Ganguly, Chief Marketing Officer of WeddingWire, which is headquartered in Bethesda, MD. “Washington DC has emerged as an innovator when it comes to the bridal community. Together with producers of shows like Washington Bridal Showcase, we’ve been able to raise the bar in how wedding planning is done both locally and nationally.”

Brides-to-be will be on a mission to find the wedding professionals best suited for their wedding day. With spectacular runway fashion shows and aisle after aisle of exhibits from the area’s most trusted wedding professionals, couples will find everything they need to make their wedding day extraordinary without the hassle of driving from place to place.

The event producer, Marc McIntosh, has handpicked the best and highest quality services in the DC area to appear at the shows, and has integrated the best ideas from bridal shows around the country to bring unique features to the event that have not been seen in DC before. In all, over 400 wedding professionals typically attend the shows, and over 2,000 brides are expected to attend with a total public attendance of over 5,000.

“Our goal has always been to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to weddings and celebrations,” says Marc McIntosh, one of the country’s top wedding marketing experts and Executive Producer of the Washington Bridal Showcase. “We take a fresh approach to every aspect of wedding planning based on the needs of today’s couples by adding new categories and laying out the show in ways that challenge a more traditional approach.”

For the October 4th show in Bethesda, McIntosh has invited Houston-based author and national wedding etiquette and stationery expert Marjorie Maxfield (“The Write Stuff: A Modern Guide To Personal Stationery & Weddings”, MMM Signature Press) to present special workshops on the personal writing that is so much a part of the wedding process. McIntosh says that the personal note and letter is a very hot trend now.

“Even in this age of email, Facebook, Twitter and text messages – maybe I should say especially in this era, the personal writing you need to do starting with the engagement process straight through the thank you notes after the wedding is a very important part of the process,” says Maxfield, whose book came out in June of this year. Maxfield argues that writing is now very “in”, and if approached in the right spirit, is a richly rewarding part of the experience that should not be taken lightly. “If you want your words to linger a while longer, write it down on a fine piece of stationery or a personalized note or card,” says Maxfield. “The current trend today has to do with people having a sense of the importance of the special time that is the wedding, and realizing that the nature of electronic communication is fleeting and impersonal.”

McIntosh also participates in economic impact and trend studies in relation to the bridal industry, and frequently does presentations to industry groups about the impact of the current recession and where the industry is going. He is available to talk to the DC media all month to address these trends and provide outlines of the most current research with regard to spending patterns, and the role of the internet in revolutionizing wedding planning.

“Our partnership with WeddingWire is one of the innovations we bring to this show and numerous other bridal shows across the country,” says McIntosh. “WeddingWire is truly the best online resource available to brides today.”

WeddingWire is proud to be a sponsor of this fresh and innovative bridal show in one of the country’s largest bridal markets. As the nation’s leading wedding technology company, WeddingWire was developed to offer engaged couples the opportunity to stay organized and in control of their wedding planning. The partnership with the Washington Bridal Showcase offers yet another outlet for couples to save time and money in their quest for the perfect wedding.

Whether the bride is just starting the planning process, finishing up the details or anywhere in between, she will find exactly what she is looking for at the Houston Wedding Showcase. Tickets are $8 if purchased in advance through their web site http://bridalshowcase.com. Tickets are available at the door for $10.

About Marc McIntosh Showcase Productions
Marc McIntosh is president of Showcase Productions, producer of the mid-Atlantic region’s largest bridal shows, including shows in Baltimore, Maryland, Richmond, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Marc is a graduate of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and has resided in the Washington area for 30 years. Marc has served on the board of directors of Bridal Show Producers International, the trade association for the bridal show industry. In 2003, Marc received the prestigious B.S.P.I Director’s Cup, the most coveted award in the bridal show industry.

Marc is an active member, and former board member of the Washington chapters of the National Association of Catering Executives and the Association of Wedding Professionals. Marc is also a member of the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and the Richmond Bridal Association.

In addition to producing bridal shows, Marc is also a professional speaker, specializing in sales training for bridal show exhibitors. Marc has shared the keys of marketing to brides thousands of wedding professionals at training seminars conducted throughout the U.S. and Canada.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, was designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding venues to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools at www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.weddingwire.com.

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