History of the Wedding Connection

The "Official History of the Wedding Connection." is a brief overview of how the group got started, where we have been, and where the group is going.


History of the Wedding Connection (Established officially 2003)

In the summer of 2002, Erik Michaels and June Hoffman of Megasound attended the “Worth Tour” Disc Jockey Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Upon returning to Fort Wayne, Erik and June worked with a handful of disc jockeys in Fort Wayne to see if other disc jockeys in the local and surrounding area wanted to form a local chapter of a national disc jockey organization. A mass mailing and contact calls went out in the area. In the fall of 2002, representatives from only six DJ companies attended the initial meeting of what was to be DJs coming together to raise the standards and levels of entertainment service to wedding clients.

Both Jim Gabbard of Henri’s Photo and David Chandler-Gick of Backyard Productions (now a deveraux film) were local photographers with a passion for quality service and products. Both were members of professional networking groups and trade associations. Both knew the value of people coming together for similar goals.

In the late fall of 2002, Erik, June, Jim, and David met to talk about the possibility of opening “what was originally to be a disc jockey group” up to all types of wedding professionals. Because of the number of years in the wedding industry each person knew several other wedding professionals who would benefit from a group coming together for common goals.

2003 started off with the establishment of what became the “Wedding Connection.” Companies from all facets of the wedding market made up the newly formed membership—photographers to formal wear and shoes to disc jockeys, venues and more. 2003 began the many months of establishing guidelines, voting, and membership criteria for the not-for-profit, educational group.

The Board of Directors for 2003 included:
President—Jim Gabbard of Henri’s Photo
Vice President—June Hoffman of Megasound
Secretary—Laura Simerman of Premiere Bride
Treasurer—John Veltum of Summit City Sound

2003 ended on a celebratory note with the Wedding Connection holiday party at the Marriott. Food, music, dancing, and door prizes donated by members rounded out the event.

2004 was a growing year for the Wedding Connection. Meetings were held at various locations to spotlight the different venues in Fort Wayne. Many meetings consisted of learning about other members in the group as well as outside informative guest speakers. Education is a strong cornerstone in the Wedding Connection foundation and there was a great deal of learning in 2004.

In 2004, Dawn Quick of the Wedding Place and June Hoffman of Megasound won their proposal to the History Center for a month long wedding oriented history exhibit. “Something Old, Something New ~ the Wedding Experience” gave Wedding Connection members the opportunity to assist in sponsoring the three events throughout the exhibit which ran in October 2004. Over 60 exhibits from Dawn Quick’s (of the Wedding Place) personal collection of vintage wedding apparel and accessories were on display. Other period pieces were on loan from Wedding Connection members and previous brides as well.

The 2004 Board of Directors included: President— Erik Michaels of Megasound
Vice President— Jim Gabbard of Henri’s Photo
Secretary—Laura Simerman of Premiere Bride
Treasurer—John Veltum of Summit City Sound

2004 concluded with an informal holiday gathering at The History Center. This was the History Center’s kickoff event to a new traveling exhibit.

2005 proved to be the year of change for the Wedding Connection. Members decided that it was time for the Wedding Connection to make a stand in the Fort Wayne area and let brides and others know that the group existed. “Knot Your Ordinary Bridal Show” planning started from scratch. The goal was to offer brides a show that was anything other than ordinary. Outside the regular meetings, the show committee spent many long hours together getting the ground work completed for “KYOBS” at Ceruti’s newest facility at Summit Park.

The 2005 “KYOBS” Planning Committee consisted of:
Sheila Dean—Shoe of a Different Color
Sara Keltsch—the Monogram Shoppe
David Chandler-Gick—a deveraux film
Michelle Kyrou—Kyrou Music Studio

“Knot Your Ordinary Bridal Show” was a splashing success on November 4, 2005. This was the first Friday evening bridal show in Fort Wayne. Wedding Connection members, show vendors, and participants were all excited about the results of the event. The Wedding Place and Shoe of a Different Color in conjunction with bloom fine flowers and Megasound presented two fashion shows that evening. Brides and their grooms also enjoyed wonderful food selections, a vendor’s panel, expert financial advice, dance instruction and more. Guests “came for the show” and some “stayed for the party” afterwards.

The 2005 Board of Directors included: President— Jim Gabbard of Henri’s Photo
Vice President—Larry Shinaberry of LDS Photography
Secretary—Dawn Quick of the Wedding Place
Treasurer—John Veltum of Summit City Sound

Wedding Connection members ended 2005 on a loud interactive note at the Marriott’s newest club addition—Rum Runners.

2006 began with thoughts of growing the Wedding Connection membership as well as how to make “Knot Your Ordinary Bridal Show” even better for 2006. Awareness and discounted buying power were also key areas of group interest.

The Wedding Connection designed and purchased folders for group information that would be passed out at bridal shows as well as high traffic vendor locations. Wedding Connection photographers submitted “bridal related” photos for the first folder cover. The group voted on the “sassy bride” photo taken by David Chandler-Gick of a deveraux film to represent the first Wedding Connection folder.

Folder stuffing “parties” gave Wedding Connection members the opportunity to include their information for bridal couples. These sessions also gave members the opportunity to get together outside of the monthly meetings and keep current on wedding trends and information.

In 2006, the Wedding Connection was a sponsor of the Lincoln Museum traveling “Wedding Exhibition.” Many vintage gowns and displays from Dawn Quick’s (of the Wedding Place) personal collection were on loan to the Lincoln Museum. The Wedding Connection sponsored a reception event for brides and guests to view the exhibit for free.

With the need to expand the “Knot Your Ordinary Bridal Show,” the event date changed to Friday, September 29, 2006 for warmer weather. A tent became home for the KYOBS Fashion show thus allowing extra room in the main area of Ceruti’s Summit Park for additional vendors. Once again, the Wedding Connection provided unique experiences for brides and grooms alike with a fashion show (under the tent) courtesy of the Wedding Place and Shoe of a Different Color as well as floral arrangements by bloom fine flowers and music and MC by Megasound. Brides experienced more vendors for their assistance as well as wonderful food options; and to round out the evening, dancing was provided courtesy of the Answer Band.

The 2006 “KYOBS” Planning Committee consisted of:
Sheila Dean—Shoe of a Different Color
Sara Keltsch—the Monogram Shoppe
David Chandler-Gick—a deveraux film
Michelle Kyrou—Kyrou Music Studio
Jaclyn Meyer—Simply Elegant
Brian Quick—the Wedding Place
June Hoffman—Megasound

Also during 2006, the Wedding Connection Board members negotiated group advertising discounts with magazine groups such as Business People Magazine (publishers of PYW-Planning Your Wedding), Providence Communications (publishers of Fort Wayne Woman Magazine), and Fort Wayne Direct Publishing Group (publishers of Fort Wayne Magazine-Weddings).

Not an ounce of dust had settled on the 2006 “Knot Your Ordinary Bridal Show” when plans were announced to find a larger venue for the event. Board members and KYOBS planning committee members spent most of October and November 2006 on the phone, sending email, and/or visiting possible show locations. President-Sheila Dean of Shoe of a Different Color announced at the November 2006 meeting that the Wedding Connection in conjunction with Fort Wayne Woman Magazine would be sponsoring the first ever “Brides Night Out.” After extensive talks with Geoglein’s Catering, an agreement was reached to hold “Brides Night Out” on Thursday, June 21, 2007 (5pm-9pm) at the Scottish Rite Center.

Several members of the Wedding Connection were approached about assistance in creating the magazine cover shot for Fort Wayne Woman Magazine’s 2007 wedding issue. The bridal gown, accessories, and tuxedos that grace the cover were courtesy of the Wedding Place and bloom fine flowers provided the floral arrangements.

The 2006 Board of Directors included: President— Sheila Dean of Shoe of a Different Color
Vice President—Sara Keltsch of the Monogram Shoppe
Secretary—Dawn Quick of the Wedding Place
Treasurer—Michelle Kyrou of Kyrou Music Studio

Wedding Connection members rounded out 2006 with a holiday gathering at the Marriott—Red River Restaurant. Some of the members and their guests even continued the holiday spirit at Rum Runners following their dinner.

2007 ushered in the largest folder stuffing “party” to date. Even before the first official Wedding Connection meeting of 2007; members, their spouses, siblings, co-workers, and friends all pitched in to stuff over 700 folders that would be passed out at the 2007 Bridal Spectacular, ACD Bridal Show, and at many member businesses.

Fort Wayne Direct Publishing Group contacted The Wedding Place for assistance on their Fort Wayne Magazine-Weddings cover. A bridal dress and accessories appear front and center for all brides and readers to admire.

Fort Wayne Magazine-Weddings 2007 issue also featured several articles about the Wedding Connection including two full articles, a short article, the Wedding Connection mission statement, and a “Meet the Wedding Connection” area. Several other articles in the magazine highlighted Wedding Connection members and photography such as Jaclyn Meyer of Simply Elegant, the Marriott, Sara Keltsch of the Monogram Shoppe, Kari Geary of bloom fine flowers, Dawn Quick of the Wedding Place, Sheila Dean of Shoe of a Different Color, and David Chandler-Gick of a deveraux film.

The New Year holds a great deal of opportunities for the Wedding Connection and its membership. “Here is a toast to making wonderful memories in 2007 and beyond.”