Destination Dripping Springs hosts summer wedding showcase and tour

Destination Dripping Springs is hosting The Wedding Capital of Texas® Showcase and Tour Day again this summer.

The showcase is set to take place on Sunday, July 31, and will be open to all wedding industry vendors and venues located in and around Dripping Springs. The twist on the traditional bridal extravaganza is designed to allow wedding parties of all shapes and sizes to discover The Wedding Capital of Texas®, a title that was given to the city of Dripping Springs by the state legislature in 2015. With 35 wedding venues and dozens of local vendors, caterers and entertainers, the Dripping Springs area has much to offer engaged and prospective couples.

The Wedding Capital of Texas Showcase® is expected to feature approximately 50 vendors from around the Greater Austin area. It has two components: a showcase at Distillers Hall at Dripping Springs Distilling and open tours at venues and lodging vendors around the area.

But while events like The Wedding Capital of Texas® showcase and even the title itself are beneficial for Texans looking to plan a wedding, they have significant importance to the Dripping Springs economy and its businesses.

“We’re the only wedding capital in Texas; no other town or city has that title,” said Samantha Larghe, brand manager for Destination Dripping Springs. “It set a distinction for us because a lot of the Hill Country is wedding oriented, but to have that official title makes us special. It draws attention to the fact that we have so many wedding experts in Dripping Springs, and it attracts even more to come.”

Even businesses outside of the wedding industry that come to Dripping Springs can benefit from the city’s wedding focus.

“Businesses that come here quickly realize they can get involved in a new industry,” Larghe said. “Restaurants, breweries, distilleries, wineries… they find a new opportunity to cater. Being The Wedding Capital of Texas® helps a lot of the businesses in the area with business, marketing… an extra boost of income if they need it.”

Destination Dripping Springs, in partnership with the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce, created a program to develop a community for businesses hoping to involve themselves with the wedding capital.

“When businesses become chamber members, they can add on an extra membership to be a Wedding Capital of Texas® member, and that makes them what we call a ‘wedding expert,’” Larghe said. “Just in the last month, we’ve had several businesses join up. It’s a very quickly growing community.”

Each “wedding expert” is included in a list on Destination Dripping Springs’ website — one which includes all of the 35 local wedding venues, according to Larghe. The list is organized into categories: bartenders and beverages, beauty and personal services, cake and bakery, catering, jewelry, event rentals, event services, flowers and decors, gifts and registry, music and entertainment, photography and video, transportation and wedding planners.

For more information, visit destinationdrippingsprings.com/p/wedding-capital-of-texas.