Kosher Wedding Fest set for Brooklyn

What Kosherfest has done for the kosher food industry, Brooklyn event promoter Avi Werde seeks to replicate for weddings, with a varietyo f products and vendors, but also public access and interaction. “wedding expos take place all over the country, but they don’t have a specific clientele in mind,” Werde said. From the Orthodox community, the costs are higher as a result of required elements, such as kosher food, a chuppa and modest design bridal gowns. On Nov. 29, these elements will be on display at Brooklyn’s Grand Prospect Hall for “My Big Fat Jewish Wedding Expo” a first of its kind event in the New York area.

“Jewish catering can cost from $5,000 to $10,000 higher for a wedding and each sect has its own standards,” Werde said. Undeterred, Werde spent the past year calling on caterers, musicians, and designers of gowns, chuppahs, and wigs to attend the event. As word got out, many reached out to him. “We will have several hundred clients, all specializing in weddings, the public can attended free of charge.”

Having started his event promotion business at age 21, Werde hopes that his expo would provide much-needed exposure to other young entrepreneurs. Among the participants is Dovi Chaimson, who started the “Galit Italia” sheitel brand five years ago with his wife Racheli. “I am competing with long standing wig brands that have been around for tens of years,” Chaimson said.

While women try the wigs, Moshe Okenov will entertain with disco renditions of Jewish music, on behalf of his band. “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.”

Acknowledging the difficult economic climate, Werde said that vendors at the fair will span the economic spectrum, and the timeline of a wedding, from wedding invitation designers, to photographs and florists. “It’s a new concept and we already know that next year there will be more clients.”

My Big Fat Jewish Wedding expo will take place on Tuesday, November 29th at the Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. For free tickets, reserve your place through http://ecsevents.com