Special to the PVT The Bridal Expo taking place tomorrow at the Pahrump Nugget Event Center is the brainchild of Vern Van Winkle, owner of Channel 41. Pictured here are Vern and his wife Rhonda on their own special day. The expo begins at 10 a.m. Advertisement

Shopping for the complete wedding in Pahrump could definitely be considered a challenge. There is no bridal shop, but there are florists, musicians and disc jockeys, photographers and videographers, beauty shops and spas and places to purchase hair pieces to accent a veil. The list of services available is impressive for a small town and tomorrow a lot of those businesses will come together from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pahrump Nugget Event Center for the first ever Bridal Expo.

The idea for the exposition is a culmination of marketing strategies from several local business owners. The cohesive force putting those ideas into a public format came from Vern Van Winkle, owner of Channel 41, a local TV station. He has been working on this project since March of last year to bring wedding-related businesses together under one roof.

"I wanted to form a kind of wedding-related guild for the businesses here," Van Winkle said. "We have the services in Pahrump, but most people go to Las Vegas instead of using what is locally available to them." Part of the problem stems from businesses being so widely scattered.

Van Winkle said there will be 35 vendors, mostly local, with information on invitations, jewelry selection, bride and groom attire, cakes, flowers, hair styling and make-up, manicures, day-spas, honeymoon travel packages and informational presentations on choosing music and photographers and event planning.

There will also be two fashion shows. The wedding gowns will come from The Bridal Room in Las Vegas and that show begins at 1 p.m. The second show, geared toward the mother of the bride, will be presented by Secret Sisters Boutique, at 3:30 p.m.

Van Winkle's new publication, Nevada Bliss, will be making its debut at the expo as well. "February is the first issue," Van Winkle said. It too, will cover local services available to those joining two lives into one and Van Winkle hopes the format will improve the economy for the smaller businesses here as well as being an information guide. The magazine will be available to the public in the offices of his sponsors.

Along with the event at the Nugget and the new magazine, Van Winkle has launched a Web site with an Internet mall. Nevadabliss.com is formatted to be an information and shopping center for clothing, jewelry, consultants and event planners, catering, decorating, party locations and even covers links to the legal side of marriage. Van Winkle said between the expo, the magazine and the Web site, it's a total package to bring services and couples together.

Brides and vendors may use the site to register for the event. General admission is $5 and brides get in free.

This will not be the only Bridal Expo presented in Pahrump. Another one is scheduled for Aug. 1.