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The following gifts will be raffled off as a special thank you to guests who attend the Bridal Faire & Expo. A sincere thank you to all the businessmen and women of Rhy'Din who so generously donated their time, talents, and wares to make the Bridal Faire a success. We couldn't have done it without you!

((OOC Note: The items below will be given away at random to characters who post in this thread as having attended the event as GUESTS ONLY. We will keep this thread open until August 1st to allow players to post before choosing the winners. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to help in any way. The response was overwhelming! We hope you all enjoy the event and have fun with it!))

Jessamin Taylor - One free piece of custom embroidery of the winner's choice - a veil, a pair of shoes, a bodice, or a skirt https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/79/8a/64/798a642117332ff3617f2b2f8a3eb1a1.jpg

Lowell Photography (Seren Lowell) - 60% discount on wedding photography and prints, with one print on canvas free (free print choice of bride and groom) http://images.wedding-photography-secret.com.s3.amazonaws.com/posts/posedshots3.jpg

De Luca Dance Studio (Mataya & Anthony De Luca) - Wedding dance package (choreography and ten hours of lessons) http://www.northernstarmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/wedding_dance.jpg Incredible Edibles (Elena De Luca) - One wedding cake, up to three tiers, designed and created from scratch with the bride and groom's input http://media.dish.allrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DecoratingWeddingcake-2-stackings.jpg - 50% off wedding catering, inclusive of snacks for the bridal party, for up to 200 guests http://simplylisascatering.com/images/all-about-the-food.jpg

Renegade Regalia, Inc. (Una & Ana Vogue) - Black Titanium Men's Wedding Band http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/shop/images/Black%20Titanium%20Wedding%20Band.jpg - Silver Diamond Engagement Ring http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/shop/images/Silver%20Diamond%20Engagement%20Ring.gif Baroness Beauty (Sabine) - One item from each of the beauty lines from winter, spring, and summer.

The Lost Pub and Brewery (Blend Within) - Private Brewery Tour with owner - Design and Name your own craft beer - Free Keg of Beer of Choice for your next event

Aslakssons Scandinavian Crystal Company (NorseLady) - A pair of Loving Hearts Champagne Flutes with brushed silver-plated stems embellished with dazzling crystal-accented interlocking hearts. Ideal for toasting on your wedding day and each anniversary thereafter. Optional engraving of your names and wedding date make this set a lasting memento of your special day. http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii136/NorseLady_photos/twin_hearts_zpsui3rhetc.jpg Katt Batten - Donation #1: A cupcake tree with 52 cupcakes, flavor(s) of choice. The Baker, Katt, reserves rights to decorations! - Donation #2: A five layer cake with flavor(s) of choice. The Baker, Katt, reserves rights to decorations! - Donation #3: Dinner for two at Gator's Tail Bar & Grille. Meal includes one appetizer, two full entries, and dessert

Hair or Dye Studios (Grace Cassidy) - Gift certificate for a free cut, color, and style of the winner's choice Keeping You in Stitches (Shane Michael) - Black leather corset with bone support http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/shop/images/Hello%20Boys.jpg - A crisp and classic tailored vest and white button up http://rdi.dragonsmark.com/forums/shop/images/Hello%20from%20a%20Gentleman.jpg

Weddings by Miranda (Miranda Granger) - Gift Certificate for 25% off any gown in stock

Spirit Crystals Jewelry Store (Elle Granger) - String of Pearls http://i64.tinypic.com/k3na61.jpg

((Now it's your turn to go ahead and post for your characters who are attending the event. Each guest will be entered into the raffle to win a prize from those listed above. Only guests will be entered into the raffle, but everyone participating will receive an icon at the close of the event. Thanks and have fun, everyone! :) ))

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Michi seemed to have her hands full during the expo. Pimping out the band to as many people as possible, cracking jokes about impending nuptials between fellow bandmade Addie and her new boytoy Ro, and skirting on her duties only briefly to take smoke breaks. Michi took her job seriously as band promoter, but she would be able to cut back some thanks to the fact that the DJ Zazzy Yas was stationed next to her. Her outfit of choice was one to try and appear punky while at the same time keeping with a more dressy feel. While feeling a little hot in the jacket, she didn't remove it; all so she could keep up her `image`. Maybe it's a good thing she kept it on, because that M♥Y bracelet of hers wouldn't get spotted anytime soon. Well, maybe, she did unzip the sleeves so who knows.

She'd be sure to drag Yas around the showcase floor when she got the free chance. Incredible Edibles' cakes (don't tell Addie) and sparkly jewelry from Renegade Regalia aren't things to miss!

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Marcus was attending the Wedding Faire for one reason and one reason only - Kiri Calderon.

They'd done their best to keep their "relationship" private, insisting they were only friends, albeit close ones, mostly for her sake. His wasn't the one whose face appeared almost daily on television sets all across Rhy'Din; hers was. Oh, he made a guest appearance now and then in a recurring role, but Horizons was really her claim to fame, not his.

If anyone recognized him at all, it was usually for his place behind the bar at the Shanachie Theater, where he was mostly famous for serving drinks, though he had bigger dreams. Come September, he planned on auditioning for the theater, but that was a few months away yet, and it had very little to do with his attendance at the Wedding Faire.

No, he was only here because of Kiri. After all, he was her biggest fan. He planned on being there when she walked down the runway during the Fashion Show. He'd be the one in the back applauding the loudest, not so much for whatever designer gown she was wearing, but for the woman herself - the loveliest in all of Rhy'Din, or so he believed.

But first, while she was busy getting ready, having her hair done and all those finishing touches put in place, he was busy visiting Renegade Regalia in hopes of finding just the right piece of jewelry to take their so-called "relationship" to the next level.

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Her first afternoon off, and Bridget found herself back in Rhy'Din City, left to her own devices while Sam tended to a few errands of his own. Naturally, she gravitated toward the Observatory and the Wedding Faire going on there.

And there was so much to see. From beautiful jewelry that sparkled in the light at booths with names like Treasures of the Sea, Spirit Crystals, and Renegade Regalia to the gorgeous display of flowers by someone named Matilda; from savory and sweet treats temptingly offered by Incredible Edibles, Garden of Thorns, Nicole's Bistro, The Sassy Owl, and Sweet Cheeks to demonstrations of making yourself beautiful by Baroness Beauty and Hair or Dye Studios.

And beyond that, even more to see. The works of art to be worn shown off by Weddings by Miranda and Keeping You In Stitches captivated her for a long time, holding her attention from a distance as she nibbled on the free samples offered by the food and drink vendors. Though she was already married, and would never envision herself in anything so utterly enthralling, it was a pleasant dream. And even that was not the end of it all. There was photography, and glassworks; music and dances. Everything under one roof to create the most fabulous wedding day you could possibly imagine ....and beyond anything Bridget herself could imagine.

Yet she found herself drawn most to one quiet little booth, where a woman of around her age was showing off her embroidery. The skill was familiar to her, almost comforting amid the stunning array of beauty all around, and Bridget found herself falling easily into conversation with the lady there. Jessamin Taylor was also a woman out of time, from a time very close to Bridget's own, and perhaps she could be a friend, too.

Suffice it to say, there was plenty to talk about on the journey back to Oakham Mount when Sam eventually found her again.

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"Oh my god, I think I just died and went to heaven ..."

Seren looked up from her investigation of the cupcakes on offer at Sweet Cheeks On Demand, to find Delilah all but drooling over all the options on offer over at DJ Zazzy Yas' booth. With a wink to the girls manning the duel booth, she slipped over to her friend, looking curiously over her shoulder.

"We could have a magic carpet," Delilah was enthusing, "or a Taj Mahal. She could so make herself look like the Genie from Aladdin, couldn't she?"

Biting her lips, Seren grinned. "Change of skin color, 'lilah," she pointed out. "You can't ask anyone to completely change the way they look just for one evening to indulge your Disney fantasies. Does Kit know you want to go all Arabian Nights on him yet?"

"Not yet, it's a surprise," Delilah announced, pocketing the brochure from the DJ's booth as they moved away into the faire. "Aren't you supposed to be working today?"

"After the lunch," Seren told her, pausing to admire the embroidery on display at Jessamin Taylor's little booth. "I promised to take a few pictures for the fashion show, but I'm free 'til then. Isn't this lovely?"

"I thought we were on a budget?" Delilah teased her, grunting a little as the redhead poked her in the stomach.

"How much of the Brambles did you drink?" Seren challenged her, but the answer was predictable.

"Not as much as you drank at the Sassy Owl." Delilah flicked her curls over her shoulder, looping her arm through Seren's. "Come on, we're here for ideas. The boys are jewelry-hunting, so I think we should go and look at the dresses."

"Weddings by Miranda and Keeping You In Stitches," Seren said promptly, scanning her copy of the faire layout. "So if we're ....here ....we need to go ....that way."

"Lead on, Macduff!"

It had seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Ed and Lis hadn't had a day to themselves since bringing Zahan home, and Brynne had offered to take her own daughter's best friend for the day to let her brother and his wife reset for the summer. Now she was holding a handful of off-cuts from bouquets in one hand, a small bag of cake samples in the other, and was watching Lila and Zahan mimicking the dancers at the De Luca Dance stand performing a rather complex waltz.

Still, the girls were enjoying themselves. Grabby hands took a lot of watching, especially at Renegade Regalia, Spirit Crystals, and Treasures of the Sea, but she'd managed to keep on top of that. The hobbit at Incredible Edibles had held their attention for almost a full ten minutes before they'd veered off to investigate Garden of Thorns and Nicole's Bistro, cramming the offered free samples into the little plastic bag they'd swiped from The Sassy Owl. Thankfully she'd been able to prevent any cider tasting at The Brambles, grateful that the proprietress seemed to know about little hands and was well aware that the girls wouldn't notice that their tasters had been switched for straight juices.

The sojourn at Kaiser Glassworks had nearly given her a heart attack. Two eleven-year-olds leaning far too close to terrifyingly fragile works of art was enough to worry any parent, but when they started pointing out specific pieces to each other, Brynne was filled with dread at the idea that she might have to buy everything on display if one sleeve caught just one piece. The actual dress-making side of things seemed to be less of a draw than she had anticipated, though Keeping You In Stitches, Weddings by Miranda, and even Jessamin Taylor had held the promise of princess dreams for a little while.

Cakes and music, that seemed to be the big draw for Lila and Zahan, and they were certainly making the most of it, foregoing the chance to have their picture taken in by Lowell Photography favor of boogieing with DJ Yas and The Bluejays while eating cupcakes nabbed from Sweet Cheeks. Then on to Hair or Dye, where a spirited argument with her about dying their hair bright pink had been brought to an end by the timely intervention of the couple at De Luca Dance.

Now all that was left was free lunch by The Lost Pub &Brewery, and the Fashion Show. Ed and Lis had better appreciate this.

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It was a good thing Dorian had Kit with him or he'd have been completely lost looking at rings. He had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for or what Seren might like, and between Renegade Regalia, Treasures of the Sea, and Spirit Crystals, there were just too many tempting and sparkly items to choose from.

Thankfully, the people manning the booths were helpful, as was Kit, but it wasn't until something at the Spirit Crystals booth caught his eye that he knew he'd found what he'd been looking for. The only problem was paying for it, but when the woman behind the counter suggested a monthly payment plan that fit his paycheck and budget, there was no longer a reason to hold off any longer.

Now, he just had to figure out how he wanted to give it to her.

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Though it was both much too early and much too late to be contemplating any kind of wedding bells, Layla arrived at the Wedding Fair and Expo alone. Her curiosity was two-fold: on a professional level, she had come to see the artistry on display, to meet her fellow artisans, to see where or how her own little business might fit in at some point. And on a personal level, she was very interested in learning what the wedding customs and traditions even were here in her newly claimed home town.

Layla was taken aback, at first, by the sheer magnitude of the show. There was so much to do and see and taste and experience that the poor thing very nearly got herself overwhelmed.

Stopping to watch Jessamin Taylor for a time, Layla marveled at the intricacy of the delicate beading, a warm smile on her face. So too the live demonstration at Hair or Dye caught her eye, and Layla studied the book of portraits wistfully, imagining what it might be like to have her own dark tresses done so elaborately.

Between Incredible Edibles, Sweet Cheeks, Nicole's and Garden of Thorns, there were so many samples to try that the artist barely had room for the lunch catered by Lost Pub and Brewery, but she managed to taste a little bit of everything anyway.

From there it was off to see the sparkly things, poring over the gorgeous offerings on display for Treasures of the Sea, Spirit Crystals and Renegade Regalia. The last one in particular had captivated her imagination with its elegant crowns and tiaras, and those positively stunning shoulder pieces, and she spent a long time admiring each high quality piece, and maybe daydreaming just a little.

Stopping to listen to each of the musicians in turn, Layla perhaps lingered longest at the DeLuca Dance Studios area, watching rapt as the couples' instructors moved together in fluid, effortless harmony. Here, too, her smile turned nostalgic and perhaps just a little sad, and her attention was only dragged away by the commencement of the Fashion Show.

Finding a seat towards the back, Layla was delighted and intrigued by the varying styles of wedding dresses. It was educational, and frankly fascinating, to hear the announcer describe each dress or suit, to learn which were considered more traditional and which were more non-conventional. The black dress in particular snagged her attention, and the girl made a mental note to go look up what 'gothic' meant when she got home.

Happy, tired and at least a little overstimulated, she retreated as silently as she'd come, her mind full to brimming of ideas and inspiration. Despite her fatigue, the artist practically ran home, eager to get to her sketchbook.

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Wedding Expo' Not where you would find Quinn in a thousand years, and yet there he was. There was something about this one though, something that said he had to be there, because really how many times was he going to see Saila dressed this way' So into the expo he went, and even in a decent outfit. Seemingly Quinn had really made an effort to not seem too jaded, as he was seen conversing with vendors and even taking a few business cards. Hey, he was someone's dad, paying for a wedding wasn't completely out of the picture. Mind you all this was laced in with tips of his flask, because really, sober wasn't how he was going to get through this.

Quinn wandered around until he found Grace and was almost embarrassed by his crazy stubble covered face, but she knew what was going on and what they had all been through, he hoped she'd give him a pass. Wandering for long enough, he waited for the fashion portion of the expo to begin because really that's what he was here for. To see his kid strut the catwalk.

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Trading turns for manning the booths for Trash and Addie's baking business, on the rare moments when the young banshee was left alone at the tables; she was staring blankly at customers who wandered up with questions. It was better than giving them a creepy smile, but thankfully any potential clients chalked it up to awkward drummer girl. Plus she would hand them samples of cupcakes or cookies, along with a business card or two until they either walked away or Addie or Michi came wandering back to take over. Client relations were not Misery's strong suit.

She wasn't planning a wedding any time soon, and she laughed at any suggestion of the sort as well as spouting off, "I'm only fifteen man!"

Misery was however, aware that a sweet sixteen bash was in the works for her birthday later this year, so a few booths were zeroed in on to check out in preparation of that. Her adventures in particular took her to Renegade Regalia, Baroness Beauty and Hair or Dye Studios.

The hair salon was first up where she flipped through the portfolio at the center of the booth and snagged a few extra coffin stickers because hey " Coffin. She fit right in. When asked if she was looking for something in particular, Misery could only shrug and tug on one of her two jet black braids. "Something cool" My BFFs have cool colorful hair, but my hair is all black and boring." A childish complaint, but she was a teenager. Mentioning the pending party in October, she went off with a business card in hand and a promise that she'd get her mother to come by with her sometime. They worked evenings, right'

Next up was Baroness Beauty to see if they could find a solution to her running cat eye problem. Super extra waterproofing was needed!!! The candy was pretty good too, who ever heard of candy and chocolate being good for you? She asked if they had vitamin D in them, because she was deficient.

Last up was Renegade Regalia, where the owner Una Vogue must have seen Misery over at the Baroness Beauty booth because the woman wouldn't let her touch anything.

"What is ?" "Don't touch that." "What about ?" "Don't touch that." "How about ?" "Don't touch anything.?

Misery sulked until she was given the small plum and navy gift box and promptly shooed away by Una.

Her hands weren't even that dirty!

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Lisa dragged Nayun along to the wedding expo as part of their date, and the Trickster lived up to her name by not denying any inquiries about wedding plans in the future. "Well, I liked it so I put a ring on it," all teeth showing in her wolfish smile.

Wandering around to the various booths, catcalling during the fashion show (that Asher Price fellow she could eat up), picking up the free swag and tasting free samples, it was a different way to show up and support the local businesses in town.

And as they'd been to the opening of Renegade Regalia, she was sure to stop by their booth before leaving the expo, just to see what new shinning gold items they might have on hand. Her own hand was often fondly clutching or tugging on the bear claw necklace that had been given to her, worth more sentimentally than any of the shoulder pieces or tiaras on display in the booth.