Planning a wedding in the New Year? A great event for couples recently engaged and families in the midst of preparations for the big day is the annual Bridal Expo to be held at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, this year taking place on Sunday, January 8 from noon to 5 p.m. Now in its 18th year, the Expo has served to inspire thousands of the soon-to-be-wedded with its extravagant, elegant, almost-over-the-top array of vendors and suppliers, all geared toward helping couples create their most perfect wedding imaginable. Bookings can be made for any and all needs, such as photography, catering, supplies and equipment, entertainment, flowers and decorations, invitations, limousines and cakes.

Guests will be greeted in the hotel lobby by live deejays, where radio K104 will also be set up and on the air. Hotel general manager Maureen Kangas describes the grand arrangement for the event, saying, “The two banquet and two cocktail rooms will be set up with vendors, while the Terrace Ballroom will be set up like a wedding, with music and cocktail tables filled with food. In the Grand Ballroom there will be more vendors and a platform for entertainment and a bridal fashion show. We’ll have wedding games, and the fashion show is emceed with fun in mind. The Bridal Expo is always held the first Sunday after New Year’s Day. It’s a huge production.”

The grand finale of the day takes place when model brides and grooms swoosh onto the stage for the fashion show, which starts at 3:30 p.m. and is presented by Special Occasions and Bridal and Broadway Tailors. Any bride and groom already booked at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, the Grandview, Anthony’s Pier 9 or Rolling Greens at Dutchess County Golf and Country Club are admitted at no charge. Tickets for additional guests – parents, wedding party members, important friends – are $5 at the door. Reservations are not necessary.

The Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel and Conference Center is located at 40 Civic Center Plaza. Call (845) 485-5300 or visit www.pokgrand.com/special_events for further information.