Jennifer and I had a great time last week checking out Brooklyn Based’s Wedding Crashers Bridal Event in Brooklyn. The event took place at The Bell House, a very hip music and event venue located in a very hip part of Brooklyn near the Gowanus Canal.

This bridal event was a unique experience and - as someone who has attended quite a few bridal shows in my career - that uniqueness was quite welcome. First of all, the space had great flow. Presentations were conducted in one side of the space, while the main room featured individual vendor tables arranged around a central lounge area set with cocktail and high-top tables. Each vendor had plenty of room to display their wares or information, and even when it got crowded it was never really, well, crowded.

Secondly, the whole thing was conducted almost as if it were an actual event. Heights Chateau, a lovely Brooklyn wine and spirits shop, provided every guest a glass for never-ending proseco as soon as they walked in. The lounge tables were topped with arrangements created by a local floral vendor. The featured caterers set up their tasting tables as real buffets with plates, napkins, and [plastic] serve ware. Best of all? The venue’s stage allowed for performances by musicians and singers demonstrating their talents for potential reception bookings.

All of the vendors were great, but a handful really stood out. One was the lovely Bryn, a talented calligrapher and the creative force behind Paperfinger. Her exquisite penmanship is beautiful on invitations and other stationery.

Melangerie, a Brooklyn-based design shop, was a real treat. They create custom designs, paperie, and gifts for weddings and other special events. We were head-over-heels for their totally personalized color-coded seating chart, shown below in green. Each rectangle contains guests’ names, and the color indicates their relationship to the couple (i.e., friend from home, relative, friend from college, etc.) The final result is a graphic and vibrant keepsake.

The bakery Nine Cakes created the most delightful display of the bunch, and of course they had me at hello - and samples of red velvet cupcakes. Owner/baker Betsy was one of the sweetest people there, which seemed very appropriate.

Finally, I have to mention Sesame Letterpress, one of my favorite vendors of all time. We spent quite a bit of time admiring the Sesame sample books, and Breck (one half of the married couple that owns the business) told us that floral and faunal design motifs - pigs, cows, vines, trees, and birds - are still very popular. This was her (utterly charming) business card:

I then spent several minutes gushing to Breck about how much I love their koi coasters. Guess what was included in the gift bag?

All in all, we had a great time and met a number of terrific local vendors.  It was a good reminder that bridal shows and events can occasionally surprise even a seasoned event planner.