The Sunday Mail
THE Sunday Mail Bride of the Year gala, a top-notch event on Zimbabwe’s showbiz calendar, is back with a bang.
Set for March 28 at the Harare International Conference Centre, the annual event — which has been running since the ’70s — has firmly established itself as the premier bridal show in the country.
As has become the norm, the show will feature top Zimbabwean artistes from the gospel, Zim dancehall, jazz, sungura and dance genres.
Before the musical jamboree and prize-giving ceremony, a two-day Bridal Expo starting March 27 takes place in the gardens surrounding the majestic Rainbow Towers Hotel.
The Expo is a platform for individuals and companies who sell or provide bridal services to showcase their merchandise. Entry for visitors to the Expo is free.
The music show on March 28 will cost just US$5 to enter.
Zimpapers business manager Mrs Charity Gwata-Chirume highlighted the criteria used to select the Bride of the Year.
“Our Bride of the Year search is national as represented by our nationwide circulation as well as the diverse entries, covering all corners of the country which we receive for the competition. Every week we invite recently wedded brides to submit their photographs as well as photos of their cakes to enter the competition,” she said.
Mrs Gwata-Chirume said an in-house committee selected the Brides of the Week, one of them would then be adjudged Bride of the Month.
“The 12 brides are then put to a readers’ vote and the one with the highest number of votes will be crowned Bride of the Year, then first runner-up and second runner-up, in that order.”
She said the other nine finalists would get consolation prizes. The same format is used for the Cake of the Year competition.
Mrs Gwata-Chirume said apart from the music, there would will also be a modelling show.
“The Charambas have already confirmed their participation and we are in talks with several other artistes from the different genres that make up the Zimbabwean music landscape so as to bolster the entertainment,” she said.
A highly respectable modelling house will also be commissioned to host a half-hour bridal fashion show during the gala.
In the build-up to the bridal extravaganza, finalists in the bride and cake categories will be published on four consecutive Sundays and readers asked to send in their votes.
A week after the show, a supplement to commemorate the event will be published in The Sunday Mail with support from partners and sponsors.
Mrs Gwata-Chirume said: “Besides our weekly coverage as the build-up to the event, the ceremony enjoys extensive mention on the group’s leading radio station, Star FM, with which we have working synergies, and the show also enjoys television coverage.”
Mrs Gwata-Chirume invited companies to be part of this big event as sponsors and/or partners.
“We are inviting your company to be part of the glitz and glamour that is The Sunday Mail Bride of the Year ceremony.”
To guard against under-exposure there is a limit to the number of sponsors who will be taken on board.
Various levels of sponsorship are categorised as Silver (US$4 000), Gold (US$7 000) and Platinum (US$10 000), and the benefits of each sponsorship package vary.
One couple from the public will walk away with a wedding voucher and to stand a chance to win this, one only needs to buy a ticket to the event.
The lucky couple who won last year’s wedding voucher, Shadreck and Fortunate Sadziwa, tied the knot last October at a glamorous ceremony at Serenity Village.
