The concept of The Big Fake Wedding (formerly The NotWedding) was established in 2008 by founder and CEO, Callie Murray. The idea was to have a bridal show alternative in the form of “the ultimate wedding,” complete with dinner and drinks, an emotional vow-renewal ceremony and a dance-party reception. For brides and grooms, the event serves as a source of inspiration, a resource in finding trusted wedding vendors, and an emotional reminder to plan for what comes after the wedding: a marriage! For participating wedding vendors, the event exposes their business to new referral sources, while also exposing each vendor to a wealth of inspiration, resources and confidence to take their business to the next level. Callie created The Big Fake Wedding with the intention of working towards the very real goals of promoting small businesses, inspiring brides and grooms, and encouraging solid marriages. Today she tells us a little bit about the heart of The Big Fake Wedding — and why she decided to focus her business on these three things.
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Promoting small businesses: When I talk to small business owners, I hear the same struggles over and over. Either they are struggling to get ANY work, or they are struggling to escape the mound of work they are under. Oftentimes, strangely enough, they experience both of these things in waves. These are struggles I’ve experienced (and still experience!) as a small business owner myself, and it is a huge desire of mine to promote and support small businesses in ways much bigger than just connecting them to client leads. We believe that resourcing vendors with relationships, exposure and resources will lead to a much stronger and wider foundation for their businesses!
Inspiring brides and grooms: My hope is that brides and grooms can be encouraged to make decisions in line with their style and what’s important to them, rather than feeling like there are traditions or standards that have to be met. I love the idea of sharing new ideas (from creative and unique vendor options to ideas on how to set up tables or even your ceremony) that can empower couples to make decisions in line with their personalities, styles and hearts.
Encouraging solid marriages: I’ve seen how damaging divorce can be and even how damaging stagnant marriages are, and we know that marriages require a lot of attention. We believe that weddings are definitely worth dreaming about and planning for, but after a wedding comes a marriage, and THAT is worth investing in as well. We hope to encourage our guests, vendors and all who come in contact with us to pursue a solid, committed and thriving marriage.
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