Courtney June Photography shot this wedding promote local businesses, inspire brides and grooms, and encourage committed marriages. The couple about to tie the knot are already married, but are throwing this event to renew their vows.

The Big Fake Wedding is a bridal show that allows bride-to-be’s and couple’s-to-be the opportunity to interact and experience wedding vendors in their element.

Complete with dinner and drinks, an emotional vow-renewal ceremony and a dance-party reception, The Big Fake Wedding (formerly known as The NotWedding) has become a killer alternative to a bridal show. The Big Fake Wedding was the first event of its kind when it was founded in 2008, creating an experiential opportunity for wedding vendors to showcase their products and services to shopping brides and grooms just as they would at a real wedding. Eight years later in 2016, The Big Fake Wedding is still the most uniquely curated and most far-reaching bridal show alternative in the nation, attracting over 6,000 attendees and 1,000 vendors annually across 30+ events in 25 cities.

The hand-selected vendors perform their services as they would at a real wedding, and the “wedding guests” get to hear the music, taste the cakes, and smell the flowers”¦ while enjoying a night of great food, dancing and surprises, leaving brides-and-grooms-to-be saying “I want my wedding to be just like that!”

For brides and grooms, the event serves as a source of inspiration, a resource in finding trusted wedding vendors and an emotional reminder to plan for what comes after the wedding: a marriage! For participating wedding vendors, the event exposes their business to new referral sources, while also exposing each vendor to a wealth of inspiration, resources and confidence to take their business to the next level.

The history: In 2008, aspiring wedding photographer Callie Murray was looking for a way to effectively build her new business. With the goals of promoting small businesses, inspiring brides and grooms, and encouraging solid marriages, she rallied her wedding industry friends together to create the ultimate wedding experience: a perfectly planned “wedding” where brides- and grooms-to-be could actually see vendors in action.

The inaugural event was a hit, and it became an annual event in Atlanta. Callie has since been joined by an amazing team of people who have helped bring The Big Fake Wedding to cities across the country.