Just imagine: you get to go to a romantic wedding ceremony (they write their own vows!), a lively cocktail hour, a delicious sit-down dinner, a fun reception filled with dancing, and stunning wedding inspiration at et every turn. There’s eye-catching decor, gorgeous bridal party attire, hor d'oeuvres, free champagne, and…what? It’s completely fake!? That, my friends, is the magic of The Big Fake Wedding.

What is The Big Fake Wedding?

Now, if you’re in the wedding planning process and haven’t heard of The Big Fake Wedding, it’s definitely something work checking out.  It’s a non-traditional wedding fair that allows you to see your local wedding vendors in action! Yes, they still have booths, and handouts, but they are the stars of this entirely fun and fake wedding event that you get to “crash”! And that couple that you saw just say the most romantic vows ever? Yep, that was actually a vow renewal. Are you getting excited, yet?

Currently, The Big Fake Wedding is traveling to major cities across the U.S.. For a full list of locations, you can check out their “Events” page to see if there’s one coming to your state. Each location has a different theme and color palette when you click on the that the vendors are supposed to base their work around. You can see the inspiration boards when you click on each individual city, along with the participating vendors (who have at least signed up, so far.)

The Big Fake Wedding in Minneapolis

This past August, The Big Fake Wedding hosted its event at Le Meridan Chambers in downtown Minneapolis. Our inspiration board was “Floral Graffiti” and consisted of vibrant corals, purples, soft pinks, and neutrals. The bright palette made for a super stunning event and overall, every vendor perfectly executed the theme.

As soon as we heard about this opportunity, we hopped on board. The dress we chose was Sienna -- our newest all-chiffon style with a high-illusion neckline that was perfectly flattering on both girls. Since neutral bridesmaid dresses are such a huge trend right now, we figured this was the perfect time to show off our newest color, Latte. It. Was. Gorgeous! The latte color and high-neck style perfectly complemented the strapless, ivory wedding dress of the bride, and even looked stunning next to her blush-pink reception dress! Seriously, they were a hit!

Literally, from the hair and makeup to the linens and lighting, to the photographers and bridal party attire, everything is presented to you by a local vendor. It’s a great opportunity to see them in action! Sure you can see how a bridesmaid dress looks online, but this event lets you see how it flows, moves, and you can even ask the girls, “are those comfortable to wear?”

One of my absolute favorite parts was the decor. It was amazing! There were about 10-12 reception tables and each design company was in charge of styling 3-4 so EVERY SINGLE table had a different, gorgeous design that left me feeling incredibly inspired and I’m not even planning a wedding. Seriously though, I was ready to book every last one of them, that’s how gorgeous it all was!

Overall, our evening was filled with fun and entertainment. We had everything from an amazing s’mores bar with homemade marshmallows, an aerialist who danced on a suspended ring, a DJ who also did magic, a photo booth with props, a slow-motion photo booth, and a live band that I literally fell in love with.

Part of what makes this such a great event is that you really get to see the personalities of the vendors. I don’t mean it so much in the sense that you can go and talk with them at their booths (although that’s always a delight for us!), but when you get to see their work in action, you get a sense of who they are and what type of styling/music/design they love to do! It gives you a perfect glimpse into what your actual wedding day could be like. It truly is an event filled with inspiration.

All the photography in this blog was done by Allison Hopperstad.

For a full list of the participating vendors from the Minneapolis event, check out The Big Fake Wedding vendor guide!

Shop The Look: