JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Autrey Mill Nature Preserve bustled with brides, grooms and their wedding entourages March 26 for the Johns Creek Wedding Expo.
The all-day event was a joint venture between the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the nature preserve and the city.
Nearly 100 visitors wandered the Autrey Mill grounds for the third-ever expo to make preparations for their weddings.
Scattered between the Summerour House and the Pole Barn, 18 metro-Atlanta-based vendors were on hand to speak with guests and each other, CVB Executive Director Stacey Gross said.
“Each [vendor] said the event was a success for them, not only in the brides they spoke to, but also the connections and networking done amongst vendors,” Gross said.
The event also showcased Autrey Mill as a wedding venue, and Johns Creek as an ideal location for nuptial events, Gross said.
“The staff and board of Autrey Mill jumped at the opportunity to showcase their beautiful park that many consider a ‘hidden gem’ in Johns Creek,” Gross said. “The passion the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve board and staff have for their park is infectious, and it carried over into the preparation for the wedding expo.”
Four main areas of the park were highlighted for weddings and similar events, including the Summerour House, the Pole Barn, the outdoor amphitheater and the chapel.
“Each of these spaces allows for a couple to decorate as much or as little as they prefer and be surrounded by the beauty of the outdoors,” Gross said.
Autrey Mill also allows brides and grooms to make use of the animals on site for their ceremonies, Gross said. One of the seven weddings Autrey Mill plans to host in the coming months will feature the preserve’s tortoise Pebbles as a ring bearer.
In preparation for the expo, Autrey Mill board members, staff, volunteers and city parks staff worked with the CVB to contact vendors, create graphics for promotion and prepare the grounds to be showcased, Gross said.
Bride-to-be Ashlyn Mahar and her mother drove from Canton for the expo after seeing an ad for the event online.
Mahar said she hoped to use the expo as a fact-finding mission, learning about different vendors and what they had to offer.
“So, I don’t know too much about weddings, I haven’t been to too many, so it’s kind of exciting to see different vendors and what everyone offers because everyone is a little bit different,” Mahar said.
Vendors included Johns Creek’s Rosa Mia, Cumming-based J & J Jazzy Jewels, the Hyatt Place hotel, Anna Christine Bridal and Sittin’ Pretty Photobooth.
While Gross didn’t want to predict the future, she considered the Saturday expo to be a “great success” and said she could see another Wedding Expo entered on the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau 2023 calendar.