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Click to go to 2009 Cape Fear Wedding fashion show

Click to go to 2008 Cape Fear Wedding fashion show

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Many vendors who wanted to exhibit at the 2008 and 2009 Cape Fear Wedding Show had to be turned away because we just ran out of room. And that, unfortunately, limited the choices of the brides and grooms who attended.    On Nov. 14 of this year, that problem will be solved when our fifth annual bridal event inaugurates the brand-new Wilmington Convention Center.    This building on the downtown

waterfront holds not only a large exhibition hall for expositions like ours, but also an elegant ballroom that can be configured for receptions and other formal parties. An event lawn next to the Cape Fear River is a spacious setting for open-air celebrations, with or without a tent.    So when the Center’s doors open to the public for the first time at noon Sunday, Nov. 14, not only will it be a showcase for 100 or more wedding professionals, but also this important wedding venue’s debut.

Photographers . . .

Floral designers . . .

Event planners . . .

Caterers . . .

Disk jockeys & videographers . . .

Photo booths . . .

Bridal shops & dress designers . . .

Photos by Ron Sistare InPhocus Photography

. . . and bakers, limousines, hotels, clergy, musicians, banquet halls, dance instructors, jewelers, rental firms, travel agencies, and a host of other wedding professionals.

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If you attended the Cape Fear Wed- ding show in 2009 or earlier years, you know how badly Wilmington has needed a suitable hall for consumer expositions. Until now, we and other trade-show organizers have made do with college gymnasiums, armories or the modestly sized CoastLine Conference Center downtown.    The culmination of a series of civic campaigns over many decades, the new Wilmington Convention Center gives exhibitors a place specifically designed for displaying products and services.    There’s no need for floor coverings to protect a gym’s playing surface. A loading dock and vehicle ramp make it easy to set up large displays and put motor vehicles on exhibit right in the building. A high, clear-span ceiling makes it possible to set up large tents and other structures indoors.    An adjoining parking deck eliminates the inconvenience of guests having to walk through possible inclement weather. We expect the Convention Center to open up a whole range of possibilities for how vendors interact with their clients.

View of main entrances from inside exhibition hall, where the show will take place. This photo was taken during construction in March 2010.

These shows are scheduled for the coming year in the Cape Fear region:     Cape Fear Wedding Show, our fifth annual event, will be the first in the newly opening Wilmington Convention Center, North Water Street in downtown Wilmington. Sponsored by Cape Fear Wedding. Admission $5. Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. www.CapeFearWedding.com     Carolina Wedding Guide Bridal Expo. Featuring more than 60 vendors. The Schwartz Center, North Front Street downtown. Admission $5. Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011. 259-8323.    Southern Cape Fear Coast Bridal Showcase. Held in the Southport Community Building, East Moore Street. Admission $5. 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011. Sponsored by Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce. 457-6964.

Lobby just outside the exhibition hall entrance.