Wedding bells will be ringing at Marshall University’s Memorial Student Center Sunday for the university’s first ever Bridal and Special Event Expo.

The expo will take place throughout the student center from noon to 4 p.m. The event will hold more than 17 vendors, including a variety of different makeup and skincare vendors, A-Z Rentals, a photographer, BRAVO-Live DJ, Mug n’ Pia and food by Sodexo.

The event will host two fashion shows and will also have a “Groom’s Room” in the student center basement, complete with pizza and pool tables.

Kasey Hall, manager of facilities scheduling for the Memorial Student Center, said this event is designed to get the word out that Marshall facilities are available for wedding services.

“I’ve been in this position for almost a year, and we do a lot of business with weddings, but a lot of people don’t know that we have that kind of space,” Hall said. “Most of our business is word-of-mouth. We have some of the largest facilities in all of Huntington to have a wedding reception and people don’t know that. So we just want to get our name out there and let people see the kind of venues we offer.”

Hall said she hopes to see at least 300 people attend the event, due to advertising on both Facebook and on Kindred’s WMGA Hits 97.9.

William “Tootie” Carter, business manager for the student center, stated in a Facebook post on the event’s page that Marshall’s facilities are the area’s “best kept secret.”

“Marshall University is known throughout the state for many great things,” Carter said, “but we really are one of the area’s best kept secrets when it comes to our facilities and what they can offer to our community. We have newly renovated rooms that would be perfect for a small holiday party or even a large wedding.”

Door prizes for the event include merchandise, gift certificates and a four-day cruise to the Bahamas for the winning couple, sponsored by Travel Doctors. Sponsors include Sodexo Catering and Kindred Communications.

Franklin Norton can be contacted at [email protected].