The Knot brings bridal market trade show to Los Angeles

Los Angeles - The Knot brings couples together in more ways than one. In addition to hosting services for couples to plan their wedding, the multi-platform wedding resource is known to help brides-to-be to find their "perfect" gowns. In an attempt to grow as a resource for women to find wedding dresses, the New York-based company recently produced its second annual Couture: Los Angeles Bridal Market in Los Angeles.

The bridal fashion trade show is the only West Coast-based bridal show currently. The Knot hosted the show in hopes to connect the bridal industry with bridal salons and designers. The key component of the event is to bring people together in a way that most trade shows do for any other category of fashion. “For nearly 20 years, [the show] has connected top designers in bridal with retailers,” said Jennifer Davidson, global fashion director of the The Knot. This year, the trade show came to Los Angeles to feature over 150 top bridal collections. “Now in our second year in Los Angeles, we have an expanded presence in one upscale location to connect even more new and established designers with retail buyers,” said Davidson. The bridal haven also featured over a thousand retail buyers in attendance from the West Coast. The trade show started on Saturday, August 30.

The Knot’s couture fashion show connected designers and buyers in West Coast market

The event normally takes place in New York. The idea of bringing the brand to Los Angeles was to help expand presence as well as connect more designers and buyers in the fashion industry. Ideally, the company hopes to expand in the fashion world throughout the nation. "The mission of The Knot is to inspire, plan and book every wedding in America,” said aid Dhanusha Sivajee, executive vice president of marketing of XO Group Inc. “[We] are doing this by engaging, matching and connecting couples with the local wedding professionals and services they need to bring their wedding vision to life," said Sivajee.

The trade show highlighted bridal fashion and designers in the same way that any other trade show operates. At the Couture: Los Angeles Bridal Market, more than 50 bridal brands will showcase over 150 collections. There were three live fashion shows by Mori Lee, Allure Bridals, and Maggie Sottero. Designers for the event included Moonlight Bridal, Mon Cheri Bridals, Paloma Blanca, Pronovias, Sincerity Bridal by Justin Alexander, Venus and Watters, Casablanca Bridal, and more. Some designers felt that the trade show helps bridal brands by exposure. “In what was once an underserved market, brands are now able to showcase their bridal collections to a myriad of bridal salons up and down the West Coast,” said Christina Blanchette, vice president of sales and marketing at Maggie Sottero Designs. “This has had a positive impact on buying decisions, and I’m happy to have the opportunity to work more intimately with our retail partners,” said Blanchette.

Couture Los Angeles Bridal Market to host over 50 bridal brands

The Knot is a bridal fashion inspiration resource for customers to search and find wedding gowns. The website covers Bridal Fashion Week in New York City annually and covers the spring and fall seasons extensively. The company was founded by David Liu in 1996 and is headquartered in New York City currently. The website features over 8,000 wedding gowns for their audience on their website. The brand also has a Wedding Lookbook fashion app that helps future brides with their gown-shopping. The Knot is a flagship brand of XO Group Inc., a consumer internet and media lifestyle company.