Here come the brides

Prime wedding season is still half a year away.

But many brides become engaged between Christmas and New Year’s, says Coeur d’Alene entrepreneur Tammy Schneider, which explains why she devotes so much energy to her midwinter Bridal Festival.

Schneider expects 4,000 visitors, including 1,500 brides-to-be, to peruse 200 vendor booths this weekend at the Spokane Convention Center’s new exhibition space. (Grooms or fathers who reluctantly tag along can seek refuge in the event’s well-appointed Man Cave until their opinions are sought.)

During a recent interview, Schneider discussed how the event has evolved during the past quarter-century, and ways to keep wedding costs within reason.

S-R: What were your interests growing up in Coeur d’Alene?

Schneider: Getting married and having babies – truly, truly – and that’s what I did.

S-R: Any formal education after high school?

Schneider: No.

S-R: What was your first career?

Schneider: I worked at The Coeur d’Alene Resort for 18 years. I started out managing a one-hour photo shop. Then one day another manager said, “Tammy, you need to do a bridal fair. The bridal industry is huge.” I had no idea what a bridal fair was, but she encouraged me, and I’ve been doing them ever since.

S-R: How did the business evolve?

Schneider: After the first few bridal fairs, which were pretty small, I started the resort’s wedding department, and eventually coordinated more than 700 weddings. The first one I did was a $60,000 event for a California couple who invited 160 guests from all over. I hired their officiant and took care of their food, their wedding cake, the photographer, flowers – everything.

S-R: How old were you when you got married?

Schneider: Eighteen.

S-R: How much did your wedding cost?

Schneider: Maybe $2,000.

S-R: Yet you pulled off a $60,000 wedding?

Schneider: When I get excited about something, I dive into it.

S-R: Besides weddings, what else did you do at the resort?

Schneider: I was the spa director, and fell in love with the spa industry. So when I left the resort 10 years ago, I started Zi Spa.

S-R: What’s “Zi”?

Schneider: I wanted a really cool, one-syllable name, and during my research I discovered the Chinese character zi means elements of water, which is the heart of a spa.

S-R: Back to the bridal fairs. How did you grow that business?

Schneider: The first few shows at the resort required a lot of legwork on my part, because I really didn’t know what to expect. My first one was small – probably 40 vendors. But each year I’ve expanded. The wedding industry just keeps getting bigger, with average weddings these days easily costing over $20,000.

S-R: What goes into a $20,000 wedding?

Schneider: It’s all about count – how may people you invite – because the cake, the food, the drinks and the venue are all based on that. If you want to be budget-minded, you need to start with your list. The wedding date also makes a difference. There are only so many Saturdays during the prime summer season, so some venues offer discounts for Friday or Sunday weddings. Dresses can be expensive – $1,500 is pretty normal. Photography is very expensive, plus there’s music and flowers … maybe lighting.

S-R: Why start shopping six or seven months in advance?

Schneider: My fair vendors are the best of the best, and most of them offer exclusive pricing during this event. Besides, it’s really fun. There’s tons of food.

S-R: How can couples make their wedding memorable without breaking the bank?

Schneider: Some order butterflies that come in beautiful boxes, and at the end of the ceremony, guests release the butterflies. That’s very cool. But it can be something as simple as personalized party favors left at every place setting.

S-R: How much did your daughters’ weddings cost?

Schneider: My older daughter’s wedding eight years ago was $15,000. I got a lot of really good deals because of my connections, but I also missed out on a lot by being the wedding coordinator. When my younger daughter saw what I went through, she said she wanted a destination wedding so I could enjoy it. So we and 40 guests went to Costa Rica for her wedding, which cost $5,000, not including travel.

S-R: What’s the key to running a successful bridal fair?

Schneider: I spend a great deal on advertising, because if brides don’t come, vendors aren’t happy and don’t rebook.

S-R: Why did you drop the Tri-Cities and Coeur d’Alene events?

Schneider: A lot of Coeur d’Alene businesses come to the Spokane fair, so it was redundant to do both. The Tri-Cities was a huge market for me, but it was also a huge pain, so I sold that business.

S-R: Did the recession have much impact on your fairs?

Schneider: You’d think so, but not really. Couples may cut back on a limousine ride, but weddings still happen.

S-R: How much effort goes into staging a bridal fair?

Schneider: It gets easier each year, but the two weeks prior to the show are still crazy. My fairs include huge fashion shows, which require choreography, picking out music and making sure we have professional models who can strut their stuff on the runway.

S-R: How much do vendors pay to participate?

Schneider: Single booths start at $500, and include a skirted table, a backdrop and electricity. Afterward, the vendors receive customized lists of people interested in their services – emails and addresses, phone numbers and wedding dates – based on surveys the brides fill out

S-R: What’s ahead for the bridal industry?

Schneider: More destination weddings. I had one myself in Mexico three years ago, and I highly encourage them. Mine cost $5,000, it was stress-free, and the people most important to us were there.

S-R: If someone plans a destination wedding, is there any point in going to a bridal fair?

Schneider: Yes, because most people who do destination weddings come back and have a reception for their friends. So they may still need a photographer, some décor, or food and beverages.

S-R: What’s the toughest part of putting on this weekend’s Bridal Festival?

Schneider: It comes during the holiday time, when the spa is busy. There’s also my birthday, my husband’s birthday, our anniversary and the holidays, all at the same time, so it’s really crazy. I won’t be able to do this without help from my daughter, Tiffany, who’s a first-grade teacher in Post Falls. She’s my only year-round employee for Bridal Festival.

S-R: Between the bridal fairs and Zi Spa, how many hours a week do you work?

Schneider: Oh, my. … I’d guess I average about 60 hours.

S-R: Your spa business is all about helping others relax. How do you relax?

Schneider: That’s the tough part. I go home thinking I’ll cook a quick dinner, but I’m such a perfectionist that by the time I’m done and everything is cleaned up, it’s too late to sit down and watch TV. Once a month, though, I make a point of going to Seattle and spending a weekend with my granddaughter.