Bridal Fair 2021

WEDNESDAY, January 20, 2021

www.kamloopsthisweek.com

Join us on Facebook and Instagram all through the month of January.

Door Prizes | Advice | Local Vendors | Workshops

kamloopsbridalfair.ca

B1

B2

WEDNESDAY, January 20, 2021

Participating Bridal Vendors • Aglow Weddings • Avenue Media House • Baskin Creative Studios • Belles & Bowes • Common Sound • Delta Hotels by Mariott Kamloops • DiVine Tours • Doctor Love & Hemp City • Flowers from Sarah’s Garden • GypsySoulMedia • Lac Le Jeune Wilderness Resort • Melody Devitt Photography • Photography by Sarah Underwood • Privato Winery • Quaaout Lodge • Sandman Signature Kamloops • Sheer Florals • Sun Life Financial – Stuart Caird • Sun Peaks Grand • Sweet Spot Cupcakes • Tony’s DJ • TRU Conference Centre • TRU Residence • Wingate by Wyndham

— 2021 KAMLOOPS BRIDAL FAIR —

www.kamloopsthisweek.com

Recycle Your Wedding Dress

T

here are many expenses associated with a wedding.

From renting the hall to catering to ensuring the bride and groom are dressed to the nines, it doesn’t come cheap.

But there are ways to take some pressure off your finances without skimping on any of those must-have features.

Recycled wedding dresses at the Ruby Room are one such way.

The Ruby Room, downtown at 265 Victoria St., is a clothing store offering new and recycled outfits and accessories that began to feature wedding dresses about two years ago.

“We originally started in grad dresses about six years ago,” store owner Shannon Ramunno said. “We had so many people asking about wedding dresses because they’re expensive to buy.”

The price of a wedding dress can easily run into the thousands of dollars, but the ones available at the Ruby Room are substantially less.

Ramunno said most are in the $500 to $700 range, but noted there can be dresses available for as little as $150 or $199, depending on what is in stock at the time.

While inventory can turn over quite rapidly, Ramunno said the store usually has about 80 wedding dresses available at any given moment. There is also a large selection of bridesmaid dresses, as well as options for the mother of the bride.

Without such a recycling program, most wedding dresses would be worn once and end up spending years in the closet before ultimately making their way to the landfill.

“Sometimes you only wear them for a couple of hours,” Ramunno said.

The program at the Ruby Room allows people to bring in their freshly cleaned wedding and bridesmaid dresses, no older than five years, which are displayed on racks in a special room on a consignment basis.

When they are purchased by a customer, the previous owner takes 50 per cent of the sale price.

Ramunno said she has seen dresses come back through her business multiple times.

Make Your Own History at

St. Andrews on the Square Just Do It! Love Can’t Wait!

ELOPEMENT PACKAGE FEBRUARY 13 TO APRIL 30

LARGE SELECTION OF NEW & GENTLY USED WEDDING DRESSES & ACCESSORIES AT GREAT PRICES GLAM & VINTAGE | GRAD FORMAL & BRIDESMAID

the ruby room the ruby room the ruby room n n n n n

Commissioner Dinner for 2 Choice of 3 Hotels Photographer Flowers

159 Seymour St. Call 250.377.4232 for more info

standrewsonthesquare@shaw.ca 265 Victoria St., Kamloops, BC standrewssquare.com View samples at rubyroom.ca

new & recycled fashionnew & recycled fashion

new & recycled fashion

265 Victoria Kamloops, BC 265 St., Victoria St., Kamloops, BC View samples at rubyroom.ca therubyroom.live

250.828.7829

250.828.7829 therubyroom1@gmail.com therubyroom1@gmail.com View samples at rubyroom.ca 250.828.7829 therubyroom1@gmail.com

— 2021 KAMLOOPS BRIDAL FAIR —

www.kamloopsthisweek.com

WEDNESDAY, January 20, 2021

LOVE ISN’T CANCELLED

S

ince the moment he got down on his knee and placed that rock on your finger you’ve been full of excitement.

You’ve been scouring bridal magazines and Instagram for inspiration and passion has driven you to pin more ideas to your wedding Pinterest board than you even know how to execute.

That elated feeling inside is to be expected, as from a young age you have been dreaming of your wedding, and how you will perfectly execute it.

Then COVID happened. It has forced most people, not just couples planning their wedding, to adapt their way of thinking. With the ever-changing rules and regulations, it has become such an unpredictable time!

Wedding planning has been no exception to the unpredictabilities. Arranging social gatherings has proven to be frustrating at times as social distancing and restricted physical contact has become the new normal. Venues and vendors are constantly reforming their regulations, to abide with provincial health guidelines.

For most of you brides-to-be, these changes mean one of two things: you either have to compromise on the vision you had for your wedding or change your original date.

Being adaptable though, is the key to success and believe it or not, there are some big advantages to having a wedding during the pandemic.

The first advantage is small means inti-

mate. Having a reduced guest list, although initially difficult to narrow down, means you get to enjoy and spend time with each and every guest attending your wedding.

When there are 150+ attendees at your wedding, as nice as it is to have them all there, you never really get to connect with them all!

Zoom is also a great platform to consider, it allows more of your loved ones to be included in your special day from the comfort and safety of their homes. Consider sending your closest friends and family bottles of champagne the morning of your big day, this special gesture will allow them to pour a glass and virtually toast to your nuptials in unison with those attending your wedding.

After you are wed, once all the restrictions are lifted, throw a party with your nearest and dearest to commemorate your marriage. Trust me, everyone will still be equally excited to celebrate with you even if it is a year later.

Another bonus to having a smaller gathering is the cost of your big day will decrease significantly. Less people means less expenses, which is great because now you can have those extra perks at your wedding that previously wouldn’t fit within your budget.

Rearranging your budget allows for you to do things like hire a planner to take away all the stress of organizing your big day or hire a videographer or a second shooter to help better capture your love story. Maybe the saved funds can be used

B3

elsewhere; for instance your (future) honeymoon can now be longer as you use the saved money towards your ideal vacation.

There is one last perk to getting married during COVID: it is a perfect opportunity for an elopement, which can be both beautiful and intimate.

Elopements allow couples to focus solely on themselves, not worrying about guests and all the accompanying stress of wedding planning. Elopements also open up remote or even unconventional locations that aren’t always suitable for large crowds and allow for the wedding venue you choose to be personal for you.

If all that still hasn’t convinced to you to budge with your original vision, don’t be afraid to postpone until a later date! Just be sure to contact all your vendors immediately to discuss their cancelation and deferment policies. Be sure to rebook your favourite venues and vendors ASAP to ensure that they can still be a part of your wedding.

At the end of the day, remember, it’s not about the when or the where, or the glitz or the glam, it’s about making a vow to someone you love. So whether you’re adapting to COVID regulations by venue or date changes, cutting your guest list or turning your ceremony into a beautiful elopement, your day will be beautiful.

Love isn’t cancelled, and that’s what matters most!

–Brittany Bowes, owner of Bells and Bowes

skin

LOVE YOUR

Chemical Peels Dermaplaning HydraFacial MD Laser Hair Removal LED Light Therapy

Bridal Specials Available

Microneedling Photofacial Tattoo Removal Teeth Whitening Vascular Treatment

Email: kamloops@smootheffects.ca

Phone: 250-372-2261

#305 - 1801 Princeton Kamloops Hwy

www.smootheffects.ca

Gift Cards Available

B4

WEDNESDAY, January 20, 2021

— 2021 KAMLOOPS BRIDAL FAIR —

Photography credits: @Emilymayphotographer @thedustyrosecollective @White_Olive_Photography

www.kamloopsthisweek.com