Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Moore and LeeAnn Widyn.
Friends and business partners, both officially and unofficially since 2006, this dynamic duo actually met at a bridal show while trying to get leads for their own personal businesses. Rather than collect leads that day they ended up collecting each other!
LeeAnn is a 46-year-old, mother of two (and a cat), and she has owned Widyn Photography for the better part of 18 years. Lisa is a 36-year-old, mother of 4 (and a dog), and she is a wedding planner of 14 years. They each have a very unusual side to their work history: LeeAnn being a former US Marine Intelligence Analyst and Lisa being a former cop. Can we say boss babes?
After working together as a part of the North Texas wedding industry for over a decade, they agreed that the region was in need of its own wedding hub. They spoke with the Denton Convention and Visitors Bureau who affirmed their idea, and they decided to give it a go.
They found the wedding community to be, not only supportive but ready to jump in and make the Denton Bridal Show something to talk about! The first show was held at TWU’s Hubbard Hall in January of 2015. It is no surprise that the event took off and, after much success and positive feedback, the duo decided to launch two shows a year, one in January and one in July.
This past year’s Summer Show was held at one of Denton’s trendiest new venues, Monroe Pearson owned by Walters Wedding Estates. Due to the anticipation of the opening of the new venue, the show sold out quickly and was a great success in the new space!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Because we have made a conscious choice to stay out of debt and gradually increase our capacity, I feel like we’ve had a relatively smooth road. We are passionate about keeping our show personal to each of the businesses and brides who attend. Wherever we can, we make changes based on the feedback we receive from our customers.
The biggest challenge we have had to face was the loss of our original venue due to Hubbard Hall’s remodel and renovation. We literally looked at every space large enough to accommodate the show, but we really struggled to find a space that was located in Denton County, was large enough, and wouldn’t cause us to have to drastically increase our prices.
We almost thought at one point that we might not be able to continue hosting the show, and that is when we reached out to Walters Wedding Estates about the Monroe Pearson, their newest North Texas Venue. It has been wonderful working with them, and we are so thankful that everything worked out!!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Denton Bridal Show story. Tell us more about the business.
Have you ever been to a large event and wondered how it got started or who may have been lying in their bed a year ago dreaming about making it happen?
If you have yet to attend the Denton Bridal Show or any Bridal Show for that matter, let me paint a picture for you. Twice a year, over 70 vendors, representing the North Texas wedding industry, come together in one intimate location with the intention of putting their best foot forward.
For a bride, it’s the closest you will come to stepping into a wedding wonderland- minus the potion, the shrinking, and the tiny little door. The entire event is truly magical, as vendors bring their finest displays in order to woo brides and entice budgets.
Wedding cake samples glide past you on platters, catering displays spill over fit for a king, and floral bouquets tip their hats to you as candelabras dazzle you from stunning table settings. The Denton Bridal Show co-creators are practically holding open the doors to the castle singing Beauty and the Beast’s classic theme song, “Be Our Guest!” Sounds amazing, right?
Several things set us apart from other shows/expos… our booths cost about half the price, and we offer staff to help vendors unload and tear down. We also allow brides to pre-register online to skip the long wait in line at the show. We have participated in multiple shows ourselves, and we really try to keep everything personal, intimate, and fun!!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t know if we’d call it luck, but we definitely feel like we’ve been blessed and have seen God’s hand leading us each step of the way.
The very first day we talked to the Denton Convention and Visitors Bureau about starting the show, they had just recently spoken with the head of Conference Services at TWU, who offered up their venue to host a Bridal Show if anyone ever came along who wanted to plan one in the Denton area.
We could not have asked for a bigger sign and confirmation that we should move forward.
Pricing:
- Premier Booth (16’ long x 8’ deep) – $1150 (6 available) – located in a prominent location and will also include one styled photo shoot with all premier vendors with blog and social media feature. Must be registered by Oct 5th to participate in styled shoot.
- Double Booth on Stage (22’ along the back of booth and 12’ along the front of booth with one angled edge and one straight edge. 10’ deep) – $1000 (2 available)
- Double End-cap Booth (16’ long x 8’ deep) – $1000 (4 available)
- Double Booth (16’ long x 8’ deep) – $950 – The area of two single booths to give you more space and visibility with brides.
- Single Corner (8’ long opening x 8’ deep) – $650 (5 available)
- Single Booth (8’ long x 8’ deep) – $450 (57 available) – Standard booth size.
- Single Booth in Balcony (10’ wide x 6’ deep) – $350 (4 available)
- Electricity $100
- Instagram/FB Story – $25 per post
- Instagram/FB Post & Story – $50 per post
- Featured Blog, with Instagram/FB Post and Story – $150 per blog
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dentonbridalshow.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dentonbridalshow
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dentonbridalshow
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
