Love will be on display at the Treasure Coast Bridal Show.
“It’s a family-fun, engaging atmosphere that celebrates people getting married,” Ryan Strickland, producer, said of the show, set for Sunday, Sept. 10, at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center.
There’s plenty of marriage in St. Lucie County to celebrate, according to the Clerk of Court’s office.
Marriage licenses were up 24 percent in July over the same month last year, Joseph Abreu, communications manager, said in an email. In July, 166 couples got marriage licenses, compared to 136 in July of 2016. In June 177 couples got marriage licenses, up from 157 the year before. The biggest single-month jump was in March. Marriage licenses were up this year by 60 from last year: 206 to 146.
There was also a jump in marriage licenses between 2014 and 2015. In the earlier year, 1,440 couples got marriage licenses. In the latter, 1,757. In 2016, that dropped just slightly – 1,722 couples got licenses. As of the end of July this year, 1,258 couples have gotten marriage licenses.
If the up trend continues, it’s likely that about 2,050 couples will get marriage licenses in St. Lucie County this year, an increase of about 320 from 2016.
Strickland said love and marriage are hopping all around the Treasure Coast. At press time, about 250 couples have registered for the show. “We do get brides that come from throughout St. Lucie County and surrounding counties,” he said.
The Treasure Coast Bridal show has been a biannual event in Port St. Lucie for years.
Strickland said that it attracts far more than just marrying couples. He said many visitors are long past the marriage phase and have moved onto other life transitions.
“We do have individuals coming to look for things, not just weddings,” Strickland offered. “Birthdays, graduations. Some kind of significant milestone event in their lives.”
Along with some folks who are window shopping. “We do get individuals looking for something to do, to walk around,” Strickland said.
One reason for that … “the free giveaways,” Strickland said. “Every vender provides raffle items.” Those giveaways are hourly.
Also popular is the fashion show. That’ll be at 3 p.m. And, of course, “there’ll be plenty of food samples,” Strickland remarked.
The show will help support the Future 6 Helping Hand Fund, a sports program for youths with disabilities and those at risk.
“We will be collecting donations on site,” Strickland said.
The show is 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The civic center is at 9221 S.E. Civic Center Place. To register for or find out about displaying at the show, visit www.treasurecoastbridalshow.com.