Very early in 2016, I made plans to travel to the United States of America on a business trip. However, I wanted to achieve more out of the trip. To make that happen, I had to seek activities that were relevant to the brand and one of such was New York Bridal fashion Week (NYBFW). 
I have attended fashion weeks in Nigeria but never one that was strictly about bridals. This is what caught my attention and I was eager to have that experience. Somewhere at the back of my mind, I knew it would help me make a budget for my wedding dress and accessories when my big day came but much more, I hoped to create wedding contents for the site.
Interestingly, the week had 2 of its kind by different organisers. The first was by New York International Bridal Week and the other by The Knot. Both of them had curated a number of bridal designers to exhibit their collections for potential customers. At both events, they were more interested in bulk buyers but still gave individuals the opportunity to see what they had. What you could then do if you found something that was of great interest to you, you could reach out to them and if they couldn’t sell directly to you, they could direct you to a store that carried the item you desired.
I imagined how confusing it could be for a bride if she walked into such a place seeking to shop a gown or her bridal accessories. She would need some extra time, maybe days or weeks, processing all that she has seen before she can make a choice. Notwithstanding, I believe it is a much easier way to see most of what is available in that market at one time. Just like you have numerous designs and cut patterns to suit every bride, the prices also covers everyone’s pocket and budget. You could find a bridal gown for as low as $250 and yet at that same exhibition hall is one that cost over $5000. Speaking to the representative of one of the design houses, she explained that the quality of the fabric determines the cost of the gown as a dress could seem really simple to the eye but yet cost so much more than a dress that seems complex.
New York International Bridal Week had more designers than The Knot but the Knot had designers with much more expensive dresses and accessories. The Knot also had a lecture class which I attended. The speaker was the Site Director and she did give us a lot of statistics and facts about bridal shopping and how to manage your bridal online platforms as well as the best terminologies when creating wedding contents. We got to know what brides are looking at when they go online, the colours that people are going for and even how much people are spending for their wedding. 
I did have a lot of fun and I recommend every bride who can stop by the Bridal week this year, t do so. Here are some more pictures I captured from the event:
Designed by Maria Farbinni
This dress caught my attention because of the long train.
Party favors
Accessories
Do you know any other countries that have the Bridal Fashion week asides New York?
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