Expect vampire hearses, unicorn dresses, zombie gift dolls and celebratory tattoos!
Gamers, goths, vintage vixens, rockers and geeks will all be flocking to this quirky Digbeth event pulsating with bizarre and beautiful wedding inspiration ideas.
The Eclectic Wedding Extravaganza, now in its sixth year is the UK’s biggest alternative wedding fair and features over 80 unique suppliers.
This year the event is bigger than ever and is taking place at both The Bond Company and Fazeley Studios venues in Digbeth on March 16th and 17th. The fair is a showcase for the very best of alternative wedding suppliers that are hand-picked for their creativity and unique services to help customers plan their dream alternative wedding day.
The fair is run by Jo Millburn from The Couture Company which specialises in alternative and quirky bespoke bridal wear and photographer Sassy Lafford of Assasynation Photography who has shot over 200 alternative weddings across the world in locations such as Miami, Monte Carlo, Paris, Ibiza, Norway and South Africa.
The show provides inspiration to alternative couples with an extraordinary colourful range of wedding dresses, shoes, stationery, accessories and jewellery that aim to reflect their personalities providing them with the support and confidence to make traditional wedding ceremonies appear drab in comparison.
Expect to see exotic wedding gifts such as collaged stag heads and skulls next to fairy-tale wedding cakes inspired by unicorns and beautiful vintage bouquets embellished with buttons and brooches.
The rise of wedding bloggers and Instagram influencers are providing inspiration and ideas to couples who do not find the traditional church or registry wedding appealing or reflective of their personalities and interests. Jo Millburn highlights that
“the growing influence of bloggers and social media has enabled brides to see what other couples are doing and helped them to realise that they don’t have to stick to a traditional sit-down meal and DJ for entertainment. A lot of people now want to inject their own personalities into their weddings”.
Wedding entertainment options in 2019 now include gaming consoles, karaoke machines, body piercing, harpists, magicians and vintage double decker buses complete with bars and wraparound marquees.
“More couples are choosing to be married by celebrants rather than vicars and they create the day to suit themselves” explains Jo. Alternative Ceremonies UK provide such a service and work with couples who want a personalised service that has been designed, written and created just for them.
“Handfasting ceremonies which are used in Pagan and Wiccan ceremonies are a specialty of ours and involve a couple binding their hands together during the ceremony when reciting their vows to symbolize their connection and devotion to each other. We also offer gothic, Norse and steampunk themed weddings too.”
A wide range of experts are also on hand to give advice to couples on planning their wedding day entertainment and recording their wedding ceremony with specialist photographers and videographers.
This free-spirited approach is reflected at the event with the famous parade of real-life couples who dance through the venue in a range of beautifully eclectic wedding outfits that celebrate diversity and personality in a riot of fun, colour and even a few gigantic bubbles.
There is a chance for visitors to get expert advice, take part in craft workshops, enjoy top class street food and drink, have fun in the photo booths and gaming stations plus a chance to win big prizes in the sheep treasure hunt competition.
The Eclectic Wedding Extravaganza Alternative Wedding Fair takes place at The Bond and Fazeley Studios, Digbeth on March 16 and 17. To find out more visit the EWE website