Julianna Patton of Prosperity and her fiancé Rusty Huff were putting on their coats and were ready to leave the 2009 Bridal, Prom and Special Occasions Fair when the bride-to-be heard her name called as the grand prize winner.

“At first, I thought somebody else had the name Julianna. It took a couple of seconds to realize she had called my name,” Patton said. “He said you have to be present to win, so I jumped up and went down to get the certificate for the grand prize.”

Although their wedding date was more than a year away, the couple received a Broyhill bedroom suite provided by the John Eye Big Sandy Superstore in Beckley.

They will be married during a private ceremony June 19 at Mount Tabor Baptist Church, and their reception will be held at Tamarack.

“Even if I hadn’t won the grand prize, I think this event is great. I got so much information from visiting the different booths,” Patton said. “I love the way they have all the displays set up. I was able to get so much of my planning done just by going to one place.”

It’s also how she chose the Tamarack Conference Center for her reception site. “It’s such a beautiful place, and it’s easily accessible. They have so much to offer. It’s just the perfect place for us.”

She encourages those who attend the show this year to take full advantage of everything it has to offer.

“I loved the fashion show. There’s nothing quite like that around anywhere in Beckley. I’m going back this year, and I would encourage anyone who’s planning to go to hang out for the whole day and enjoy everything,” Patton said.

And, for goodness sake, don’t leave too soon, she advised.

“Stay until the whole thing is over. You never know. You might be the grand prize winner,” she said.

This year’s grand prize, valued at about $1,000, will be a bedroom suite provided by John Eye Big Sandy Superstore in Beckley. At the end of Bridal Survivor, a drawing will be held from the names of all brides for the grand prize winner.

The queen bed, dresser, mirror and night stand comes in two colors — espresso or maple — and the winner will have her choice of colors.

“We’re starting a bridal registry here at the store,” said Misty Windsor, operations manager. “People can come in and shop for brides and grooms at our store. We’re participated in the bridal show before, and it’s a good way for us to get to talk with a lot of the brides. The grand prize is our way of extending our best wishes to the winning couple.”

Windsor will be at the bridal show with a laptop and will offer those who visit the booth sample ordering online and will explain the features of the bridal registry.

The 11th Bridal, Prom and Special Occasions Fair will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Tamarack Conference Center in Beckley.

The show is designed to provide one-stop shopping for items ranging from prom and bridal wear for both genders and all ages to options in photography, invitations, special music, honeymoon hideaways, reception sites, cakes and floral options and more.

“Our vendors really enjoy providing information for brides,” said Chuck Jessup, advertising director of The Register-Herald, one of the show’s sponsors. “They like having the opportunity to talk one-on-one with people who visit their booths. It’s great for the brides because they can pick up all kinds of free information and go away with ideas for planning their weddings or special occasions.”

Other sponsors are Belk, Harvey’s Fashions & Bridals, Flowers by Nancy and Tamarack Conference Center.

Brides interested in attending a bridal brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. should register soon by calling Diana Slone at 304-255-4415. The cost of the brunch is $15 per person. A bride may bring two guests, who would also pay $15 for the brunch. The menu includes pecan-encrusted chicken breast with parma prosciutto, wilted spinach, and smoked gouda. Served with field greens, marinated asparagus, mandarin orange and a molasses-grain mustard vinaigrette. There are only few seats available for the brunch.

“During the brunch, brides can get some ideas about options for their rehearsal dinner and reception and find out what Tamarack has to offer in helping them plan those events,” Jessup said.

Each bride who attends the brunch will receive a ticket and be able to compete in the Bridal Survivor contest at 3:30 p.m.

Bridal Survivor, done in a game-show format, allows brides with tickets from the brunch to compete for a variety of prizes by answering bridal trivia questions.

The grand prize winner is chosen from all the names of registered brides, so everyone has a chance to win.

There is no admission for anything at the bridal show, other than the Bridal Brunch.

April Taylor, conference sales director for Tamarack, said the show gives her an opportunity to showcase services Tamarack can provide as a reception site or for other special occasion needs. “This is a show that brings a lot of people into the conference center, and that allows them to see and experience for themselves all we have to offer,” Taylor said.

The show also enables Taylor to meet and visit with the vendors. “Since we have a lot of wedding receptions here, it’s nice for me to know the vendors so I can make referrals to them for the brides with whom we’re working,” she said.

Tom Harvey of Harvey’s Fashions and Bridals said his staff has been busy selecting some of the latest fashions for display during the back-to-back fashion shows at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the Hulett C. Smith Theater.

“The theater is packed for both shows, and we hear a lot of comments about how well people like seeing what’s new and different in formal wear,” Harvey said.

John Yurick will provide the music for the Bridal Brunch and the fashion shows. Jukebox Entertainment will be on hand once again to host the Bridal Survivor contest.

Limited vendor space is available by calling Ann Kelly at 304-255-4411.

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com