The Sunday Mail
THE Sunday Mail Bride of the Year Gala and Expo, the biggest family event in the country, is back.
Taking place on April 1 and 2 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel, the event is set to climax with an explosive musical gig at the HICC, which will be headlined by superstar Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi and on fire Jah Prayzah.
Several supporting acts from dancehall to gospel music will add spice to the night’s entertainment – making the event bigger and better this year. On the same night, the best bride of 2015 will be crowned before an expected full house.
Dating as far back as the early ‘70s, this extravaganza has experienced tremendous growth, in the process establishing itself as the crème de la crème of bridal events in the country.
In the 2015 Bride of the Year category, Rudo Madzviti-Zenda was crowned winner while Faith Mazorodze-Mufumi took second place with Tapiwa Bepe-Matyanga grabbing the third spot.
The search for the Bride of the Year is national, as represented, firstly, by the extensive and nationwide circulation of The Sunday Mail and secondly, by the diverse entries, which cover all the four corners of the country.
Zimpapers business manager (marketing) Mrs Charity Gwata-Chirume shed light on the criteria used to select the Bride of the Year.
“Every week we invite recently wedded brides to submit their photographs as well as photos of their cakes to enter the competition. An in-house committee selects the loveliest bride for that week and of the four or five brides that qualify for the monthly competition, one is chosen by the same in-house committee to be Bride of the Month.
“The 12 brides are then put to a readers’ vote and the one with the most votes becomes the Bride of the Year, with the second highest becoming the First Runner-up, in that order,” said Gwata-Chirume.
She said the same format is also used for the Cake of the Year competition and the other nine finalists who will have missed out on the top three slots get consolation prizes.
“As we build up towards the finals, the 12 finalists for the Bride of the Year category and another 12 finalists for the Cake of the Year category will be published for four consecutive Sundays. Readers are then invited to send in their votes.”
One lucky couple will walk away with a free wedding voucher on the night. To stand a chance to win this prize, one only needs to buy a ticket to the event. Last year’s free wedding winner Tafadzwa Mupofu-Mudzingwa wedded in December at the Glamis Arena.
Said Gwata-Chirume: “This bridal event has become a major highlight on the local showbiz calendar and every year we strive to make it even better in all aspects. At a time when family relationships are facing unprecedented onslaughts from so many fronts; HIV and AIDS, divorce, emotional and physical abuse, as a comapny we feel it is more important than ever to support and stage positive initiatives like the Bride of the Year, which help foster family relationships.”
She said although The Sunday Mail invites partners to partly sponsor the vent – there would be a limit to the number of sponsors this year in order to give maximum exposure to the lucky ones.
“To guard against under-exposure, we are limiting the number of sponsors, resulting in increased exposure for those who will be lucky to be associated with the glamorous Bride of the Year ceremony.
“We have categorised and set the various levels of sponsorship – silver sponsorship (US$4 000), Gold (US$7 000) and Platinum (US$10 000), and the benefits of each sponsorship package vary. We are also looking for those who are willing to partner with us in sponsoring the free wedding.”
Prior to the Bride of the Year gala, there will be The Sunday Mail Bridal Expo, which will be taking place on April 1 and April 2 within the Rainbow Towers Gardens. The Expo is a platform for individuals and companies who provide bridal services to showcase their merchandise and entry will be free for visitors.
Mrs Gwata-Chirume said that last year’s expo was a huge success with a large number of exhibitors taking part.
“Last year many players from various sections of the bridal sector came to showcase their wares and this year we are expecting the numbers to rise. This is a big opportunity for those in the sector to come and market their products and services so we are calling on those who are interested to come and register.”
