Union Block Bridal Fair brings brides, vendors from all over southeast Iowa

Erin Ross, of Ft. Madison, took a bite of a mini cupcake from Ruby's Cakes at the Union Block Bridal Fair in Mt. Pleasant on Sunday, Feb. 24.

The bride, who is getting married in October at Airport Road Winery in Mt. Pleasant, is working out the details of her big day such as what lodging and restaurants are available to her guests.

'Once I got my venue, it was nice to see what else Mt. Pleasant has to offer,” Erin said. 'Coming to the bridal fair helped me narrow things down and stay local.”

Hannah Ross, Erin's sister, said that seeing the colors of linens and napkins and sampling food all in the same place is easy and fun.

'It's a chance to see how friendly and helpful the business owners are,” Hannah said.

'All that in person is so much better,” Erin said. 'It's a really good networking opportunity.”

The bridal fair had vendors offering everything from venues to décor rental to catering and music, bringing brides from all over southeast Iowa to Mt. Pleasant.

Chari Ruby, with Ruby's Cakes, was handing out samples of their signature white chocolate raspberry cake and other unique flavors. They had red velvet and butter pecan cake balls and mini lemon raspberry and almond white cupcakes, to name a few.

Chari does face-to-face consultations with her clients to get their vision for their wedding day.

'I kind of find out if their theme is rustic or sparkly glamorous,” Chari said. 'There are so many different designs right now and it makes it really unique.”

Her husband Joe Ruby said the bridal fair is a great place to promote their product as a business that is run out of their home.

'It puts a face with a name,” Joe said.

Hannah Courtney, of New London, just started planning her June 2020 wedding. She got engaged only two weeks ago and set the date of the wedding just this past Friday, Feb. 22.

'I don't want to wait until the last minute. I want to get everything booked early,” Courtney said. 'I already know I'm not going to do a wedding march. It's not my thing. I want a more rustic, outdoor, unique feel.”

Courtney said while she was having a difficult time finding vendors in Southeast Iowa online, she was introduced to a lot of new vendors at the fair.

Heather Schoenewe, of Burlington, is planning her February 2020 wedding. She still is searching for a venue, and the bridal fair was the perfect opportunity to check out wedding-day necessities all in one location.

'It's overwhelming at first,” Schoenewe said. 'But I like looking at all the different things I can do.”

Schoenewe, who got engaged on a beach in Florida, wants to incorporate 'water elements” into her wedding. 'It's sentimental,” she said. 'Like linens that look like waves and there were pictures of cakes with a tie-dye effect that looked like ripples.”

Emily Wischmeier, of Sperry, is getting married this June at Barn on the Ridge in Burlington. While most of the wedding plans are finalized, Wischmeier wanted to make sure there wasn't anything she was forgetting.

'I just came to see if we were missing anything because I don't know what I'm doing,” Wischmeier said with a smile.

Swoon Event Rental Company in Mt. Pleasant was the premier sponsor of the bridal fair. Mikayla Mabeus, owner of Swoon Event Rental Company, said they are one of the only rental companies for wedding day décor, linens and vintage furniture.

Mabeus was displaying some of Swoon's bigger items on Sunday including their harvest table, love seat, buffet and specialty linens.

'For a new business, it's awesome meeting brides,” Mabeus said at their third bridal fair of the season. 'We're filling up in June, July and August and double-booked some weekends,” she said.

Central Park Coffee Company had six different baked goods to sample, turkey and cranberry pinwheels, Gouda mac and cheese and buffalo wontons.

'This is a good way to meet new people,” said owner Tina Hills. 'I don't have a set menu. If I do a catering event, they can give me a suggestion and I give them suggestions and we tailor the menu what they want.”

Savannah Heidbreder, with Kempker's True Value and Rental, was talking to brides about their rental services from tables to linens to everything in between.

'One bride was excited we have tents ‘just in case it rains' on her outdoor wedding,” Heidbreder said.

Mt. Pleasant Country Club was showing off their food options for brides who book with them as a venue.

Samuel Kohl, chef, said people want salty, sweet, light and petit meal options for receptions, and he had fruit tarts, egg rolls, baklava, bacon wrapped asparagus and breaded wrapped chicken for sampling.

Danielle Neaves was introducing a new wedding venue Small Grand Things that will open in West Point this fall. Pictures of the venue made it appear large and industrial with a minimalistic touch.

Neaves said they have already hit a few bridal fairs in eastern Iowa, but 'caught the bridal fair bug. 'We're meeting other vendors, brides and telling our story,” she said.

Neaves said a lot of brides in Lee County travel to Airport Road Vineyard and other places in southeast Iowa for their wedding. While those places are beautiful, she is hoping Small Grand Things can offer a closer venue option.

'Since we're brand-new, we have a lot of dates available in 2019 and 2020,” Neaves said. 'If you don't want to wait two years to get married, we're available.”