Lindsay Gozdick of Latrobe says her fiance is fine with her working on all the details of their October wedding.
“He’s like, ‘figure it out’ — and he’ll like what I pick,” she said. “He would rather be in the garage with his truck.”
Gozdick was among future brides — and, yes, some grooms and relatives — who came Sunday to the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center’s third annual Wedding Expo to see what various vendors offer to make their special day memorable.
Gozdick said she was interested in flowers, cakes and beauty services, along with getting some new ideas.
“It’s a good opportunity to see a bunch of vendors at once and check some boxes off my planning list,” Gozdick said.
Nearly 50 vendors participated in the expo, set up throughout the center. Despite some occasional light snow, the roads were clear and center manager Stephanie Reilly was hoping for a good turnout after the expo was met with bad weather its first two years.
Vendors covered an array of services including catering, attire, photography, DJs, cakes, travel agents, mobile bars, and hair and makeup.
“Pretty much everything you need for a wedding,” Reilly said. “We really tried to take the thoughts of a couple getting married. What are you looking for? What will make your day easier?”
In addition to showcasing vendors from the area, the expo has a somewhat self-interested origin, Reilly admitted — to get people in the doors so they can see what the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, itself a wedding venue, has to offer.
And that’s why there was no charge to get in. “We want you to love us and have your wedding here,” Reilly said.
Among the expo’s atypical vendors were Dave and Colby Grasmick, of Latrobe, who for five years have run a luxury restroom trailer company, Throne.
“It’s something that everybody needs,” Colby Grasmick said.
Colby said they launched their business during the covid pandemic, when people were having weddings but venues were not open. They’ve grown every year, buying a new trailer each year for a total of five.
Their portable restroom trailers have running water, air conditioning and heat — useful for those having weddings in out-of-the-way places without facilities.
“It’s nicer than most people’s bathrooms,” Colby said. ”People appreciate this so, so much instead of going into a Porta-John.”
Multiple wedding photographers were present. Angie Candell of Claysville is a longtime photographer who is now offering a different medium: She’s a live wedding painter.
“Paintings last forever,” Candell said. “It’s an heirloom piece you can pass down to your family. It’s one of a kind.”
Cara Coles is looking to break into weddings with her fudge business, The Fudge Affair, which she runs from her Hempfield home with her husband, Robert. She was offering samples and showcasing possibilities such as fudge towers, centerpieces and favors.
“I love what I do,” she said. “It’s in my blood.”
The expo is held the second Sunday in January so as not to compete with other wedding shows, Reilly said, and to be a first of the year, attracting couples who got engaged during the holiday season.
It was helpful for Victoria Hill of Hempfield and Hunter Heasley of Jeannette, who got engaged a month ago and are just starting to prepare for their wedding for sometime in 2027.
“There’s so much to plan,” Hill said.
They were found chatting with Kelly and Bill Jenkins of Uniontown, who two years ago started Total Package Wedding Services. Their event day planning includes first-dance choreography, same-day wedding planning and collaborating with vendors.
They work to take away stress, Bill Jenkins said.
“Brides and grooms don’t have to worry about having a nervous breakdown,” he said. “We can keep the bride and groom calm. We have this under control.”
Gozdick said she was finding wedding prep to be more enjoyable than stressful, but there’s still a little stress.
“You want everything to be perfect,” she said.
Audrey Hendarsah of Baldwin has almost everything set for her June 20 wedding with Jerry Madarish of Greensburg.
“We’re still looking at smaller stuff,” she said, adding that an available DJ has been hard to find.
Barb Six of Greensburg was helping her daughter, Taryn Six of North Huntingdon, get plans for her wedding started after she got engaged in October.
“We’ve got a lot of good information already,” she said. “Everybody’s been very informative.”
The expo looked beyond the wedding day to a couple’s first home, featuring Realtors such as Courtney Anderson and Christiana Koloshinsky from Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Murrysville.
Anderson said she was excited to talk to new brides, as she had not attended a wedding show before. She recognized that couples who have drained their savings for their wedding may not be looking to buy a home right away, but could be within a few years.
“This is very much a long-term kind of thing,” she said. “It’s never too early to start thinking about it. It’s a big decision.”
Koloshinsky said it can be tough for first-time homebuyers to find a Realtor who will be patient with them, guide them through the process and be willing to answer many questions.
“It doesn’t have to be a huge, scary process,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be terrifying.”