Retailers show off the basic necessities for weddings

A couple thousand Weber State University students crowd through the Shepherd Union Building on an average Wednesday, according to tradeshow specialist Mackenzie Olsen. Because of the large number of students who pass through on this day, the  Shepherd Union Events and Conference Services Office decided to hold the second annual Weddings 101 show Wednesday, March 3 in the Shepherd Union Building Atrium.
Nearly a dozen vendors showcased typical wedding essentials for future brides and grooms to consider.
“We wanted to call it Weddings 101 because, just as you learn the 101 basics with other curriculum on campus, this show brings the basics for wedding ideas,” Olsen said.
Wedding rings, photographs and bridal gown displays attracted many people who passed by, including  Brandon Nance, a sophomore majoring in English who stopped to look at the wedding rings on display.
“I was just walking through and the rings were shining,” he said, “and I like shiny things.”
Although getting married is not part of his immediate plans due to an upcoming two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nance said the event was interesting.
“It’s cool to look at all the stuff,” he said. “The wedding dresses are pretty, but I’m kind of at a distance for now. Otherwise this could be way cool and I could be more interested.”
Other displays offered catering services with food samples for the students, or home ownership information for first-time homebuyers.
Marty Qualls, a loan originator from West Point, offered advice to those seeking to purchase their first home.
“Students need to have fairly good credit,” he said. “Otherwise, no down payment is needed because the Utah Housing Finance Agency can finance 100 percent of the loan.”
With the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit coming to an end in April, Qualls shared his doubt in another extension of the government’s incentive.
“Now is a perfect time to buy a home if you’re a first-time homebuyer,” he said. “You usually get that one extension, but they normally don’t go twice.”
One student who said she found the show useful was Megan Weeks, a current zoology major whose upcoming wedding had her looking for wedding ideas.
“Right now I’m at the beginning stage, just looking for ideas,” she said. “I’m not the typical girl who knows what her wedding is going to be like since age five, so this is quite helpful.”
Both Weeks and her fiance are currently in school, so she was interested in a wedding celebration that fit within her budget.
“Our parents will be helping with the wedding, but we need to keep costs low,” she said. “I would like a simple wedding, nothing over the top.”
Olsen said she felt holding a wedding show in the middle of the week would allow students to more fully participate in an event of this type.
“Most shows are on during the weekends,” she said, “but we thought it would be nice to hold ours during the day, while the kids are around.”
Some students attending the event were unaware that the Shepherd Union Building frequently hosts wedding receptions, proms and quinceañeras.
“You can book a room for your wedding reception up to a year in advance,” Olsen said. “There are still a few weekends available, but right now we’re mostly booked all throughout the summer.”
For more information about scheduling a room for a wedding reception, contact the Shepherd Union Building’s Events and Conference Services Office at 801-626-8732.