The annual event at the Civic Center Sunday was hosted by the New Ulm Business & Retail Association (NUBRA).

The event began at 11 a.m. Within the first 15 minutes 80 brides had registered for the special drawing. The brides were joined by their maids of honor, mothers and other members of their bridal entourage.

Heather Hacker-Hammer of A to Zinnia Floral and Gifts helped organize the event through NUBRA. New Ulm has long been a destination for brides planning their special day, and the event continues to draw brides from all over the region. The brides came mostly from Brown County, but some traveled from as far away as Fairmont and St. Cloud.

This year’s wedding show was the biggest ever. There were 40 vendors at the show offering everything from bridal gowns and flowers to catering and venues. The Wedding Show is a great chance to see what is trending in weddings.

At A to Zinnia, Hacker-Hammer said she is still seeing the navy blue color used in wedding celebrations, but there has been a push for burgundy.

Flowers were going in a neutral direction, with a single signature color popping out of a lot of greenery. Metallic material is used in centerpieces and other decorations to give off a sparkle.

Kelly Murphy from Sisters Bridal said with bridal gowns, the full skirt and ballgown look were coming back. Bridesmaid dresses were trending toward simple and flowing. Murphy said blue is still in for bridesmaid dresses, but navy blue was mostly seen in men’s suits. A lot of tuxedos were incorporating blues.

The fabric used in weddings gowns varies. Murphy said there is an entire spectrum of dresses, from the simple to the complex, but the only constant is lace.

“Lace will never not be popular,” said bridal gown model Gabby Capello.

Emery Gess at Ashlee’s Bridal said that many brides dresses these days are not actually white. Ivory is more popular — or an off-while color like “moscato” or “almond.”

“With midwestern skin tones, it often looks better to go off white,” Gess said.

In the world of wedding catering, roast beef is king. The caterers at Gutes Essen said roast beef is the top choice for a wedding. The style of meal service is unique to each bride. Some want guests to be served sitting down, other like the buffet line, or even something in between.

The caterers at Hy-Vee have noticed an unusual wedding trend of serving donuts for dessert. It’s a new craze that has popped up online to have custom donuts, but the cake is still the standard.

For wedding music, TBG Entertainment said the “Cupid Shuffle,” “Uptown Funk” and “Footloose” were the most requested wedding songs. Up All Night Entertainment said the Maroon 5’s song “Girls Like You” was the most popular wedding song of 2018.

Wedding photography might be the one part of a wedding that changes the least. The need for a talented camera person at a wedding has never changed, but videography is growing in popularity. At Complete Weddings & Events, the rise of outdoor weddings gives the option for them to record the weddings with aerial drones. This is still in the planning stage, so Complete Weddings does not even have a quoted price for drone recordings yet.

The main draw to the Wedding Show was the Bridal Gown Fashion Show. The show featured dozens of dresses from Ashlee Bridal, Sisters Bridal, Veiled, Infinity and Valerie’s Bridal. This is the most bridal shops featured in a New Ulm fashion show. The hour-long show featured dresses of every cut, color and clarity one could imagine.

After the fashion show, a drawing was held for a $2,000 gift certificate. The $2,000 could be split between any of the vendors at the show or used with only one. The winner of the drawing was Renee Peterson. She said the $2,000 would likely be spent on a wedding dresses as this was a high-cost item.

All the exhibitors at the wedding show are listed on the website www.neulmweddings.com. New Ulm has become a destination for wedding planning due to the three bridal shops and dozens of potential venues. The wedding show is only once a year, but the resources and information are available year-round.