The fourth annual United at the Union wedding exposition will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Great Hall in Iowa State’s Memorial Union, displaying potential services that could help engaged couples.

Jessica Erickson, the Wedding and Event Coordinator at Iowa State, described the wedding expo as a place where wedding vendors display services that could be used for future events.

“We want to make sure that the vendors attending are current and what our attendees want to see,” Erickson said. “We’re trying to make sure that the trends are current, the vendors are current and we’re actually connecting engaged couples with wedding vendors.”

Iowa State’s wedding expo will exhibit 21 vendors for photography, videography, venues, honeymoon planning, event planning, spas, DJs and other essentials. ISU Dining will also be catering, supplying various food samples.

The expo is free for the general public. General guests can expect access to wedding professionals, expo-exclusive discounts, a cash bar, swag bags, giveaways and more.

VIP tickets are $10, allowing early admission at 1 p.m. and opportunities to win over $1,000 of exclusive giveaways. 

Erickson discussed that VIP attendees will have access to several high-quality giveaways ranging from a free engagement shoot to a $600 gift certificate for two wedding bands.

United at the Union’s wedding expo is inclusive to everyone. The event coordinators emphasized that it is a “wedding” expo instead of a “bridal” expo.

Anne Koehler, the Wedding and Event Assistant Coordinator, said the expo is also a great opportunity for event management majors to network in the wedding industry and potentially land an internship. 

Even if you aren’t engaged yet, Erickson explained the benefits of attending the expo.

“With the way the wedding industry has been after COVID, things are booking several years in advance,” Erickson said. “If you plan to be engaged in the next six months to a year, it’s still a good idea to start getting ideas and building those relationships with vendors because we’re already seeing things booked out into 2024-2025.”

Engaged or not, the coordinators encourage couples, single people, families and anyone looking for a good time to come.

“People should go to the wedding expo to hopefully find some amazing vendors to help them bring their special day to life,” Erickson said. “But if that’s not what they’re gonna find, they’re gonna at least have a good time.

Go to the event site to view ticket options and check out @muweddings on Instagram and Facebook for more information.