Despite being the home to fashion icons like Salvatore Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Emilio Pucci, as well as showcasing countless huge names in high-end clothing and accessories like Dior, Prada, Bulgari, Louis Vitton, Luisa Spagnoli, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Florence just can’t seem to attract young couples to the Fortezza da Basso conference center for the annual Bridal Show.
A couple of reasons are clear to the seeing eye – not enough billboards and posters around town advertising the event. How do passers-by find out about the show? They need to turn on the radio to the local station (RDF 102.7) where ads are sounded off periodically throughout the day.
The website has improved immensely, although it still has a few glitches and lacks real-time updates and posts to keep fans informed and interested in what’s going on. Useful information includes a map of the area, floor plan of the show, and list of exhibitors, plus discount coupons which can be downloaded from the site. The downloadable schedule of events leaves a bit to be desired, and anyone who rushed to get in on the first day so as not to miss a single second of Showcooking with popular novel chef Simone Rugiati was hugely disappointed – the show had been cancelled – for a while, too :*(
But there were plenty of stands to visit, especially compared to 2008. Logistics could have been better thought out, it was hard to tell where one company ended and the next started – sign posts were miniature! So much that all the wedding dresses seemed to belong to one big happy family of silk, tulle and chiffon. Wedding Planners (finally!) made a landmark appearance, one of the best organized and most impressive being Sarah Phillips for Fattoria S. Stefano where every detail for a perfect wedding was set up live for couples to see and touch and what wasn’t physically present was displayed on video (fantastic location!). Hostesses were courteous and English-speaking, prosecco welcomed all into this extremely friendly and informative booth.
