Breaking

The Expo was the culmination of a weekend of full of activities, including a meet-and-greet with a celebrity chef, a seminar on how to become a destination wedding planner and more.

But, Sunday’s Expo took the (wedding) cake.

Vendor Nana Mary Lewis of African Kraal Fashions shows off her creations

Forty-plus vendors, two fashion shows, 11 registered brides-to-be, entertainment, door prizes, a DJ and more were a part of the inaugural event that sought to put St. Croix on the map as a go-to Caribbean wedding destination.

“The idea of the whole event is, basically, to promote St. Croix, the Virgin Islands, as the wedding destination of the Caribbean, and hopefully, maybe the world,” said Denise Bennerson, PhD, event visionary and chairperson.

The longtime St. Croix businesswoman and wedding photographer also said the Expo sought to bring together businesses that could have a stake in the lucrative wedding industry.

“The idea is also to introduce other businesses to the wedding industry,” she explained, adding, “I’m a wedding photographer, I know what people buy, I know what they spend money on, I give referrals, as well,” Bennerson said.

“My idea is,” she continued, “why aren’t you here; why don’t you make yourself available? So, a lot of them [vendors] here are coming out for the first time to introduce themselves to the wedding industry.”

Bennerson went on to say the inspiration to create the weekend-long event came to her last January. At that time she had “put out some feelers,” but began seriously planning in March 2014 after receiving a phone call from someone interested in vending. From then, things quickly took off.

“I had to tell vendors, ‘No, I can’t take anymore’,” she said of the support she received. “I had eleven brides that actually registered and received a goody bag, and other brides tried to sign up and I couldn’t take them in because we could only do so much.”

African-print fabrics displayed at Wedding Expo

Bennerson also pointed out the event served to help some vendors get comfortable with putting their talents on center stage.

“The one girl, that did the balloons, she lost her job, and now she has found another opportunity to express herself and show people what she can do for them,” she explained. “We had a large display [of balloons], and I would have never known she could do that if I had not seen that myself.”

Jason Gardner, founder of JG Management modeling agency, was also on hand with 11 models–nine females and two males–to help make the event a success.

“It was wonderful, we had a great time,” Gardner said. “I hope that she continues with this because I think that it’s a great idea and a great event for St. Croix, especially with tourism. We definitely look forward to being a part of it next year, if she continues.”

Gardner’s models, along with those of Cyndee Frontal’s Cyndee’s Models in the Isle, donned fashions from local designers and boutiques, including Jane’s Bridal, Sakuri Bridal, Yemaya’s Color Improvisations, African Kraal Fashions, and Eagle’s Fashion.

Lisa Lucien, owner of Je T’aime Decor, an event-decorating business, received recognition for constructing the Best Decorated Booth at the Expo.

“The name of my company is Je T’aime Decor, it’s French, it means, ‘I love you.’ So, I wanted to do something that would bring about the theme [of my business],” explained the 22-year-old entrepreneur.

She continued, “Love, you think roses, red. So, I did a red-and-white theme with roses and that was mostly how I was inspired, by the name of my business.”

When asked what it felt like to win, Lucien expressed surprise.

“I am a part of the committee for the Wedding Expo, but I did not know we were being judged,” she said.”So, it was a random person that did [the judging] and they chose our booth. It was really exciting. Since I just started, it was motivational.”

Best Decorated Booth – Je T’aime Decor by Lisa Lucien

Lucien, who is a UVI senior majoring in Hospitality and Tourism Management started her venture in November from her home. She said the Expo was the official launch of her business.

Besides weddings, Lucien says she decorates for baby showers, corporate events, bridal showers and any gathering that may require her talent. At Sunday’s Expo, she shared booth space with local baker Kalim, of Cakes by Kalim.

Other students from UVI’s Hospitality and Tourism program, as well as Central High School’s culinary arts program also participated in the Expo.

Vendors lined the upper level of the mall, selling goods that ranged from handmade jewelry to hot sauce, and services like cake-baking and decorating.

One such vendor was Nana Mary Lewis, owner of African Kraal Fashions. The Ghana native has been living on St. Croix for more than 20 years and items from her store were showcased in the Expo’s fashion shows. She also displayed a variety of African-print fabrics, formal wedding garments, jewelry and other items.

“This was wonderful,” she said of the Expo. “It was a good experience, a different exposure.”

Lewis said the wedding industry is one that lends itself well to the marketing of her fashions.

“I do market wedding clothes,” she said. “Because I am also a dancer, I do choreograph dances for weddings, when they want the African wedding.”

She said she received a fair amount of traffic at her booth, mostly from brides and grooms to-be who were interested in having African-themed weddings.

While she was very pleased with the turnout at the Expo — calling it a success for many reasons, one of which had to do with a Boston-based business owner attending the seminar and expressing that the information she received there gave her insight on how to move forward with her business — Bennerson said the verdict is still out on if she would host an Expo next year.

“Right now, I have to sit down with myself and sit down with the committee, and see what are the possibilities,” she laughed. “Everything has a logistical way of happening and also you have to see what happened with this [first one] over a period of time.”

She also pointed out the necessity of securing the right amount of sponsorship to host another event, adding of this year’s sponsors, “I love my sponsors dearly.”

About 25 people attended a seminar on Saturday that focused on how to become a successful destination wedding planner hosted by TLC star, Sandy Malone. Chef Dana Herbert, winner of TLC’s Cake Boss: Next Great Baker, showcased a cake at the Expo he made with the help of students at the Ed. Complex’s CTEC.

Feature Image: JG Management model.