Jessica Foxworth, 27, thinks she found a color scheme that works. Seasonal browns and tans - perfect for a wedding to take place in the fall. Not this year, mind you, but 2011.
"I'm going to be very well prepared," chuckled Foxworth, a lab technician for Family Practice After Hours Clinic.
Foxworth was one of approximately 600 budding brides, bridegrooms, friends and family members to shop the American Bridal Show Sunday afternoon at Lake Terrace Convention Center.
They looked for all those items that make a wedding tick: Tuxedos, gowns, flowers and even massages and dental work, available for inspection from 36 vendors present at the show.
The ability to find those items in one place attracted many customers.
"It's a real blessing to have this here," said Drew Maute, 32, a psychologist for Ellisville State School, who said she had felt overwhelmed when planning her fall wedding.
But the one-stop shopping didn't stop there. Some customers said they liked the packages offered by individual vendors. For example, Elegant Touch Weddings and Party Rental offered 30 percent off wedding invitations for folks who rent reception frills such as candelabras, punch fountains and trays.
Rhonda Bass, 41, a co-worker of Foxworth's, said she had her eye out for all-in-one vendors such as Walnut Square Old Town Gifts which provide flowers, catering and pictures.
"I think that's going to save some money," said Bass, who said she's looking to spend between $5,000 to $10,000 on her wedding.
Saving money was on the lips of many customers, who shunned the words "lavish" and "extravagant" when describing wedding plans.
"I'm going for simple, elegant and affordable," said Maute.
That might not exactly describe the special wedding service offered by Hattiesburg Clinic: Plastic surgery.
Employees handed out brochures listing the services available to folks hoping to improve their wedding smile or tone their profile as they strut down the aisle. Liposuction. Botox. Breast augmentation. Face lifts.Medical assistant Jennifer Maskew said the clinic gets customers from both sexes for services that range in price from $200 to $400 for Botox to $4,910 for a tummy tuck.
All ages too. Botox patients typically start at 35, while folks seeking breast augmentation are 18 and older.
Sometimes a lot older.
"We had a woman recently who was 73," said Maskew. "She just wanted a little work."
The clinic gets a lot of patients for weddings and reunions for one simple reason, said registered nurse Erica Phillips.
"It makes you feel you better," she explained.
The show was sponsored by the Hattiesburg American.
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