A Big Fat Jewish Wedding Expo

On most nights of the year, you can find lavish Jewish weddings taking place in venues all around the Tri-State area. These Kosher affairs usually take months of preparation, including anxiety-ridden visits with a host of caterers, bands, photographers, florists, jewelers and more in order to plan the perfect wedding.

All this stress and hassle is “meshugah,” says Avi Werde of ECS Events. That’s why he’s throwing “My Big Fat Jewish Wedding Expo,” the first-of-its-kind interactive Jewish wedding expo in Brooklyn’s Grand Prospect Hall.

The event will feature vendors offering the full spectrum of Jewish wedding products and services, but Werde is quick to point out this will not be your average retail expo.

“The event will be 100 percent interactive and a bride or groom will be able to actually try out different options,” he says. For example, caterers will create sample dishes for prospective clients, while florists will design custom centerpieces.

Werde, who lived in Crown Heights, started his career in finance at the age of 16 before moving on to kosher catering. He launched ECS Events, his event planning company, at the tender age of 21.

Among the expo’s offerings: a bridal gown fashion show, live music by Jewish wedding bands competing for clients and photographers taking pictures of shopping lovebirds with instant results.

Among the vendors who will be participating are Mink Jewelers, Frock Swap, Colbeh, Sartoria Sacho, Dante Zeller, Galit Italia, Schnuer Menaker Photography, Toshema Orchestra and Aliza’s Bridal Boutique.

It is precisely the “hands on” live experience that is drawing vendors to the Expo. Musician Moshe Okenov says that clients need to “hear and feel” his unique blend of traditional/Disco Jewish music in order to appreciate it.

“Every single one of my clients has come to me by word of mouth,” says 24 year old Okenov. “Guests at a wedding will hear and see us play and they’re like, ‘who are those guys?’ They love our music and our energy. The Expo will allow a large crowd of focused clients to see us play and I’m sure they’ll become fans. No amount of advertising dollars can buy that.”

Another vendor at the event, Dovi Chaimson, has along with his wife Racheli, spent the past five years building up the brand name of Israel-based “Galit Italia” Wig Company.

For orthodox Jewish brides who cover their hair after marriage wigs are one of the most important – and expensive – wedding purchases. Chaimson also believes that the most effective marketing is for customers to feel and see the product.

“I am competing with long standing wig brands that have been around for tens of years,” says Chaimson. He explains that a client needs to “touch, feel, and see” his wig to know that a $1,700 wig at his company would run the customer up to $4,000 at another retailer.

This is what Werde had in mind when he first thought up the Jewish wedding expo. “Brides and grooms will be able to build their dream wedding from the ground up, all in one evening. The interactive experience will take away the guessing, so you will know exactly what you’ll be getting.”

Werde also notes that the expo is designed to cater to the full spectrum of the Jewish community both in level of observance as well as in budgets – from those looking for an all out wedding extravaganza to those looking for cost-saving options to help ease the financial strain of making a wedding.

My Big Fat Jewish Wedding expo will take place on Tuesday, November 29 at the Grand Prospect Hall at 263 Prospect Avenue in Brooklyn from 6 pm to 10 pm.

For information on how to represent your company at the Expo, call 1-800-886-0481 To get free tickets to the Expo RSVP at ecsevents.com