Bridal show flush with offbeat vendors
Portable toilet service, weight-loss programs among atypical sellers
Orthodontist Heather Brown has rented a booth at the Houston Bridal Extravaganza for the past eight years, but this year she tried something different. She hauled two dental chairs from her office and invited brides to lie down for a digital mold, a threeminute test that tells Brown whether they have enough time to fix their teeth before their big day.
“This needs to be part of the wedding day checklist,” said Brown, who was juggling between the two dental chairs and talking to the brides-to-be, bridesmaids and mothers of the bride walking by who have thousands of dollars to spend on what the wedding industry calls one of the biggest days of one’s life. The average cost of a wedding is $33,000, not including the honeymoon, according to the wedding planning site The Knot.
The semiannual bridal show at George R. Brown Convention Center was packed with the usual vendors selling wedding dresses, cakes and photography services. But there were also dozens of exhibitors who, at first glance, might not look like they belong at a bridal show but have come to realize what restaurants and dressmakers have known for years: that weddings are a time when checkbooks are open and excited brides and their families are willing to rack up sizable debt.
This year’s bridal show featured plastic surgeons, weightloss programs and spa centers that promised to shave off as much as 1 pound of body fat in a day. And they dangled show specials for the brides if they needed another reason to splurge.
‘Touch of elegance’
Krista Ripper wasn’t planning to get her teeth straightened before she gets married in November. But after stopping by Brown’s booth and getting assured that her teeth — which shifted after she got her wisdom teeth — could be realigned in time, she was delighted.
“I’m surprised they can do it that quick,” she said, signing up for an appointment and taking advantage of a bridal show discount. Ripper, who sells industrial plastics, also has dental insurance, which will make it more affordable.
The most expensive part of a wedding is the venue, which runs about $15,000, according to The Knot. One way to cut the cost is to hold the festivities somewhere free and cater it yourself. But what about toilet facilities?
Fancy portable toilets are one of the latest services to hit the bridal show floor as more weddings are held in barns and other outdoor venues that may not have enough — or any — indoor plumbing.
Texas Outhouse bought a “luxury comfort station” three years ago, a trailer with eight restrooms with porcelain toilets, granite countertops and glass sinks. Now the company has 26 to rent, said major account representative John Griffin. Texas Outhouse can park the trailer on driveways, in the grass or just about anywhere because they require only a regular household electric outlet. And they don’t smell, according to company representatives.
Some brides have done double takes when they walk by, said Griffin, because they realize the fancy portable toilets would allow them to have their parties at a family ranch, at a park or someone’s home, cheaper alternatives than using a fancy restaurant or country club. For $2,000 — $1,500 if they take advantage of the show special — brides can rent the self-contained trailer for a weekend.
The upscale toilets are accounting for a bigger-than-ever share of the company’s business, barely breaking 10 percent last year to more than double that this year, said Craig Ray, who manages the restroom trailer fleet in Houston. Wedding are a huge untapped market for the toilets he describes as “a touch of elegance.”
Money in the pocket
Weddings are also a time when many people think of buying a home, and Eric Paulson figured he would take a chance setting up a booth at the bridal show. He’s in the mortgage loan business and his company, CMC Financial, launched a new financial product for couples that lets them crowdsource their down payment. Instead of buying a toaster or blender, he said, wedding guests can contribute to a couple’s down payment for their first home. All the money goes to the couple if they buy a house in one year, he said, but they have to use CMC Financial to obtain their mortgage loan.
But Paulson said he had trouble getting brides to stop and talk. Most have no idea what crowdsourcing is, he said. Next year, he said, he plans to put up a picture of a house so that the concept will be clearer.
While the show drew many unusual venders, most brides came in search of the more or less traditional. Monique Banks was on the hunt for a photo booth and found an attractive show special: $599 for the booth, all the props and handheld selfie sticks so guests can take their own photos.
Banks was surprised to see all the deals as she walked the floor with her mother and maid of honor. She is getting married in 2020 and figures she still has time to come to a couple more bridal shows to pick up even more bargains. She is still shopping for a location, caterer and wedding planner.
“You can’t come,” she said, “without money in your pocket.”