THE FIRST LOOK 2023 | WEDDING SHOW RECAP

How is it possible that another show has come and gone, taking with it another successful celebration of The First Look wedding show here in beautiful Niagara. It started with a dream to transform the event space at Ravine Vineyard, our host venue, into a place that felt warm and cozy yet bustling with energy, and little by little the details stitched themselves together to do just that. The intimacy of The First Look is something we here at Vineyard Bride take seriously, and we never want the show to feel so big that we lose that comfortable, casual feeling.

Every exhibitor put their best foot forward creating their displays and booths, coming together to provide our guests with a spectacular show of forward-thinking, elegant, top-notch details and designs. Everything was simply lovely, and our guests continually commented on how pretty the show was — we are so grateful to our vendors for providing this experience for our attendees!

We have to take a moment to thank all of our kind, generous, warm-hearted sponsors for all the time, dedication, products, and services they provided to make The First Look as special and beautiful as it was.

First and foremost, to our friends + family at Ravine Vineyard, you open your doors to the team at The First Look, our exhibitors, and attendees with welcoming arms time and time again. Having your property to host and showcase The First Look feels like a match made in wine country heaven and you have very much come to feel like home. The vines and the event spaces, the wine and the food, the views and the staff, every moment of planning the show with you is fun and exciting and we hope you know how loved you are. Katrina: you’re an angel.

To Sweet Celebrations for creating too-pretty-to-eat cookies for all of our couples as a special touch to take home: the attention to detail and commitment to quality + flavour never goes unnoticed. Big thanks to our loyal friends at Tide + Vine, who shucked oysters and educated guests all day, and to Jessie of Willow and Stems, who offered each attendee a small bunch of fresh blooms from her gorgeous flower market stand. These sponsors gave our guests an experience of their products and services in a way that shows them how much love and care gets put into everything they do.

To Betty Loo Photobooth for pulling out all the stops for us this past weekend. We think you have the kindest heart and your enthusiasm and excitement for the show both leading up to and on the day of was so special. Thank you for setting up your gorgeous Airstream for guests to enjoy, giving them the sweetest instant images to bring home and stick on the fridge, and for embracing our step + repeat goals in our Betty Loo Photobooth x Vineyard Bride collaboration. Most importantly, for the insane amount of fun that the 360 booth infused into the show — every event should have one!

Without a doubt, the show would not have been as romantic and cozy without the ceiling + foyer draping installations down at the hands + heart of Michelle from Set the Mood Decor. On-site with us as we set up days before the show, Michelle gave us her commitment to perfection, her vision + desire to elevate the show as much as it so deserves and we hope that one day we can return the kindness you’ve shown us.

The already beautiful space was effortlessly transformed by the lounge furniture, ceremony chair setup, linens + signature touches that made the show cohesive and comfortable to attend, thanks to our decor sponsor Special Event Rentals. These pieces really tied into the beauty of Threads & Blooms’ cheerful ceremony floral display in our Vineyard View collaboration.

A major part of the buzz of the show is due to the music and The Blackstones brought the vibes ten-fold! Bryce + Gavin were professional, easy to listen to, and a joy to have as such an integral part of The First Look. To Today’s Bride, thank you for sending every gues home with a glossy copy of the latest edition. A special shoutout for making our foyer a fresh and springy space to welcome guests, between the dessert cart and the champagne displays, and all of the florals, Lush Florals + Tent & Table, we can’t say thank you enough.

Eva of Philosophy Studios, it goes without saying that you are the backbone of Vineyard Bride + The First Look, having you capture the show and provide your beautiful images give us an album of memories to look back on for years to come and a chance for our exhibitors and attendees relive the joy of the show after the fact. Sara of The Wilde Collective, thank you for being our graphic artist extraordinaire to help us with designing the marketing material that elevates the show.

Our volunteers: Seija, Vicky, Sylvia, Stephanie, Meredith, Emma, Tara, Christina, Colby, Kim, Tara, and Renee: thank you, thank you, a thousand times, thank you. You all gave your Friday + Saturday + Sunday to us so we could put on the best show possible, and we hope you enjoyed being a part of it. Lots of love to you all. Special thank you to Seija, so much love to you from Eva + Amanda, you cared so much about making The First Look a dream and all of the effort and care shined through all weekend long. We love you.

Until next year, Happy Planning!

Images captured by Eva of Philosophy Studios.