By LESLY RASCOE

From picking out the perfect veil to deciding on a honeymoon, couples have an endless list of decisions to make to pull off a seemingly effortless wedding.

That’s why Bruce Watters with Tuxedo Junction stepped in 18 years ago to coordinate the “With This Ring Bridal Extravaganza,” a one-stop shop for anyone planning to take the plunge.

The annual bridal show will be from noon to 5 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Waco Convention Center. Admission costs $5.

“The trends have changed so much in 18 years,” Watters said. And as trends change, brides want to see the latest styles in cakes, dresses and flowers.

“Any kind of wedding-related business will be there. We will have florists and caterers; we will have dentists because a lot of brides like to have their teeth whitened; and we will have a weight-loss center,” he said.

Among the 100 or so vendors will be photographers, insurance and travel agents, real estate agents and wedding fashion retailers.

About 2,000 brides, grooms, mothers, friends and family attended the event last year, Watters said. “I think we probably had one of the largest turnout of the men that we’ve ever had.”

Shopping for and planning the dream wedding is just part of the fun. The event will offer a range of entertainment, including games for attendees. 

“We’re doing the cake dig again this year. We have a 4-foot-wide and 14-foot-long cake. We’ll be hiding all kinds of great prizes in it,” Watters said. Fourteen brides will be selected by a drawing to sit around the table that has the large cake.

“When we say, ‘Go!,’ they dig. It’s awesome,” he said.

With more than 100 door prizes such as gift baskets, cash, gift certificates and more, guests can win a prize sans icing.

“It’s just all kinds of prizes. A lot of it applies to weddings, and some of it is just fun stuff. It’s literally thousands of dollars in prizes,” Watters said. “We’ll also be doing games throughout the event. One of them is make a wedding dress out of toilet paper. Whoever ends up with the best-looking dress made out of toilet paper wins a prize. Our emcee will be walking around doing different little games throughout the day.”

The fun atmosphere is the perfect way to ease the nerves of the overwhelming task of getting organized for a 2007 wedding, he said.

“This is the beginning of the wedding season. Everyone kind of gets engaged over the holidays, and the brides are ready to get out there,” Watters said.

On the fashion scene, brides and grooms alike want to look their best for their special day.

“There will be a lot of tuxedos and wedding dresses on display for all the brides to look at,” he said.

Brides enjoy seeing the latest bridal fashions, said Ivy McCarn, co-owner of Pat’s Gowns.

“Everybody’s got their stock in and they’re showing off the new styles,” McCarn said. “We have the fabrics, and charmeuse (or slip material) is going to be the big hit this year.”

“The pick-up skirts are going to be really hot again this year,” she said. “This year is going to be everything from long to short to really short. Short is coming back in just like it did in the ’80s.”

Turquoise and brown are the colors for this season, she said.

“This year, we will have browns accented with turquoise and black accented in different colors for the bridesmaids,” McCarn said. “That’s a new thing, too, having a color on your wedding dress. We have one company that makes 50 different colors to accent on their wedding dress.”

While at the event, brides can try on the dresses and get the opinions of their friends.

“We even bring our own little dressing room so they start playing. They want to look like a model,” McCarn said. “We even have models there to show off the dresses.” 

Tammi Barrett, vice president of Kindler Gem Jewelers, said the bridal show is a great way for vendors to make it easy for couples planning their special event.

“We’ve been doing it for many years now. A lot of times they will look for a diamond band that may go with their wedding band or their fiance’s wedding band, for the groom,” Barrett said. “In the men’s wedding rings, they can see what’s new. A lot of the alternative metals, like titanium and tungsten carbide steel, they see that it doesn’t scratch. When they are wearing it 10 years from now, it will look just as new. That is something they may not see everywhere.”

It’s a two-way street for brides who want to help pick out their wedding band and a chance for grooms to feel included.

Couples also can shop for discounts on services for their wedding, Watters said.

“It gives them a lot of input of what’s going on and a lot of vendors give discounts for booking on that day only,” he said. “It’s really a good opportunity to see everything that’s going on Waco and save some money, too.”

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WITH THIS RING

WHEN: Noon to 5 p.m. Jan. 28

WHERE: Waco Convention Center, 100 Washington Ave.

ADMISSION: $5.

CONTACT: For more information, call 776-7454