Brides-to-be were saving the date with photographers, beauty consultants and other vendors at the Saugahatchee Country Club Sunday during its first Bridal Open House.
The doors opened at 4 p.m. to give visitors the opportunity to walk around the club's facilities and imagine themselves tying the knot there.
Vendors set up shop in the ballroom, offering samples and business cards.
"It's going well," said vendor Elizabeth Ingram of Willow House, a home decor and design shop. "I came so people could be aware that we at Willow House do bridal registries."
Gourmet dishes, such as roasted pork tenderloin, chicken Tuscany and baked Atlantic salmon were offered for guests to sample.
Food and Beverage Director Harry Greenlee was pleased with the event.
"We hadn't done one ever," he said. "First, we saw this a potential way to introduce people to the club to get new members, and second to get them to have their weddings here."
Greenlee said people are often surprised to learn that Saugahatchee Country Club offers wedding services to nonmembers.
"They call thinking on the off chance I will talk to them, and then they are surprised when I tell them I can meet them and show them around," Greenlee said.
Greenlee also said the club's grounds are available for couples to take pictures before or after their ceremony.
Members of the Saugahatchee Country Club do have priority choice of dates for events, but Greenlee said having the other dates open to the public is an opportunity to share the newly renovated building with everyone.
"Doing this will help our business," Greenlee said. "Weddings are good. It's not taking room away from members."
Greenlee said the club is pondering a groomsmen package--book a wedding and get free golf tossed in.
After renovations and an almost two-year slump, reservations are back on the rise, he said.
Wedding planning can turn even the nicest girl into a bridezilla, but Jennifer Amos, senior in apparel merchandising and bride-to-be, was happy to be at the show.
"It's overwhelming," Amos said. "Wedding planning in general is. We needed something like this where everything and everyone is in one room."
Amos was browsing the stands with her mother and future mother-in-law, planning for her upcoming Aug. 13 ceremony at the Auburn Chapel.
One of the more popular stands at the show was Memories in Motion, a special-event transportation service, which provides vintage vehicles for weddings and other events.
Its booth featured a 1940 Packard Convertible.
Other vendors included Flip Flop Foto of Opelika, Rodan + Fields Dermatologists, and Sandals Resorts.
Greenlee said the bridal show could become an annual event, inviting more couples to fall in love with the Saugahatchee Country Club.
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