Whether the wedding of your dreams is scattered in dog-eared bridal magazines or haphazardly saved on a Pinterest board — wedding planning is hard. Soon-to-be brides and grooms must choose everything down to the table decor and which appetizers to serve. Make the decisions easier by getting them all done in one fell swoop.
The P.A. Smith Hotel will host the first annual Wedding Walk alongside local Navasota businesses and vendors. Everything from venues to bridesmaid gifts will be featured throughout the nearly 50 vendors participating in the first-time event. Sidewalks will be lined and venues will be filled on Saturday, Sept. 30 from noon to 6 p.m., where guests can find everything they’re looking for in preparation for the big day.
Janice Scheve, who co-owns the P.A. Smith Hotel and Red Board Tavern with her husband, Steve says the walk came about seeing the new growth in the Navasota area. With florists, gift shops, dress shopping, hair and nail salons, Navasota lives up to its town motto, “So much, so close,” and then some. All of these businesses in the town sparked a conversation between Janice and the chef at Red Board.
“We were just talking about how many different businesses have opened up in Navasota in the past couple years,” Janice says. “And we realized that it was basically a bridal show, so [the chef] said you need to have a bridal show in the hotel.
Janice says that the hotel wouldn’t be big enough for all of the businesses, so they connected with other local venues to put together the Wedding Walk. Shops around town will have signage to show their participation in the Wedding Walk, and the larger venues will be hosting business owners without storefronts on the street. Admission is free and Janice says people should get there early, grab parking and lunch, and look at the map that will show all of the participating businesses. She says maybe in the future, the event will stretch into two days, but the goal was to keep this first year simple and have one day packed with plenty of people and things to see.
“I would suggest the places that are the biggest priority to go there first,” Janice says. “If you're very organized, you probably could see it in one day, but it's gonna be tough. So, I'd go to the things that are highest on your list.”
The Wedding Walk will have participating venues giving tours and Janice says the P.A. Smith Hotel will be holding a free raffle. For those looking to check major items off the list, The P.A. Smith Hotel serves as a wedding venue, the Red Board Tavern & Table caters events and Love and Lace Bridal may have the perfect wedding dress for a blushing bride-to-be. For anyone with those already crossed off, Janice says there will also be details like photographers, and even gifts for bridesmaids and groomsmen. Because so many local businesses are participating, Janice says she was excited to get people involved in the idea and showcase the town.
“The whole purpose of this is to help get Navasota on the map,” Janice says. “I'm excited for people to come that either haven't heard of Navasota, or know the old Navasota and don't realize how much we've grown and improved.”
