Wedding Walk strolls back into town Saturday. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Seems like only yesterday that Red Bank was flooded in white satin, with sparkly-eyed women peering over jewelry cases and trolleys carting hordes of hungry brides-to-be to and from the wedding wonderland that the downtown has become.
Yup, it’s been just four months since the marital merry-go-round last spun in Red Bank, but don’t get used to this being a frequent bridal bacchanal.
Wedding Walk 3.0 gets into action tomorrow the first and last of ’11 so, ladies, if a rice cooker isn’t on your registry, this is the chance to find all the essentials for that special day in a one-stop tour through downtown Wed Bank, New Jersey.
If the last two walks, which feature deals and extra-special treatment from some 40 businesses, were a portend, don’t expect to cut a clear path along the sidewalks.
With more than 200 betrothed and their families, plus the tour guides and stop-and-go limos and trolleys, bustling around the downtown, the walk has proven to be something of a soiree in the heart of Red Bank.
“We’ve seen from the first two walks that traffic is much higher than it is on a typical Saturday, and a lot of the guests have been going to lunch, going to stores, and then after the reception, they go to dinner,” Nancy Adams, executive director for RiverCenter, which organizes the walk, said. “So it’s definitely a good event.”
But while the walk is undoubtedly a boon for shoppers and retailers, it would maintain its magic if held just once a year, she said.
“The committee felt it was too much, and we didn’t want to water it down by having too many,” she said.
If it was up to Adams, she’d stick to the biannual format to help boost local business, but staffing and planning happens to be a huge undertaking, too. So RiverCenter decided to go with a walk a year, and chose March as the perfect time to make the event the in-between of holiday engagements and summertime ceremonies.
“While we wouldn’t mind having another one, it really needs to be on the shoulders of the wedding season,” Adams said.
The walk takes place from 9a to 4p. If you haven’t registered already, you can do so on the Only One Red Bank Wedding website. Or, you can show up to the Molly Pitcher Inn at 9a and take it from there.
The day concludes at 4p at the Oyster Point Hotel, where music, food and a grand prize is on the menu.
An umbrella isn’t called for, but it might not hurt to bring one. Here’s the forecast for Saturday, from the National Weather Service:
Saturday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 53. West wind between 11 and 16 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. West wind around 10 mph.
