Behind the Scenes of a Press Preview Fashion Show

Being an intern at a wedding fashion company is amazing because I get to see how a large brand operates behind the scenes and take part in the events they hold for PR. One of these events is called press preview, which is a fashion show that features the upcoming line (in this case Spring  2018) of wedding dresses. The event takes place during Bridal Fashion Week in New York City, a short train ride away from our headquarters in Philadelphia. During this week, many of the leading wedding brands, companies and vendors travel to New York to take part in the events that are hosted all over the city. These events include major fashion shows and galas.

In the weeks leading up to the event, much of the talk in the office was about press preview. It is something that takes months to plan and execute. This year, our show took place at a restaurant and event space called Maman in Tribeca, New York City. The invite list included bloggers, writers, content creators and executives of some of the largest magazines and bridal brands such as Vogue, The Knot and Brides.com.

When guests arrive, they were greeted by a huge balloon display outside the venue. When they entered, they checked in and were given show notes, which explained the different categories of the show and provided a short explanation of each category. The inside was decorated with branded decor, flowers and dress displays. The venue provided small snacks and drinks such as tea and coffee for guests.

When the show began, the models walked to a curated playlist as they wore the upcoming collection of bridal gowns. The audience guests took notes and countless photos of the collection. The walking portion of the show ran for only about twenty minutes. When it was complete, all the models came out to pose together. They then made their way outside of the venue to the streets to pose for more photos for the guests. Our company hired one photographer, who directed most of the outdoor poses. Some guests requested photos with the models as they left the venue.

When the event was over, the decor was broken down and the venue was turned back to its original design. The team met for lunch afterward to discuss how the day went. Just hours after the show was over, reviews, blogs and posts were coming in about how great the show was. It was a definite success. The brand and the new collection got press on many social media channels and websites from large, influential companies such as Brides.com.

Something that surprised me about the event was how small it was compared to how much work went into it and how important it is, from a marketing perspective, that it goes well. The time the guests were at the venue only lasted a couple hours, and the actual walking fashion show lasted less than half an hour. It is so important for marketing, though, because in that time, connections were made that spread brand awareness to countless industry members and consumers. It was really interesting to see first hand how a marketing event comes to life. It was definitely a really great experience and helping execute the event was really fun. The members of our company worked as a team to achieve a goal and that teamwork turned out to be a success.