Visit Owensboro hosting ‘wedding sampler’ to showcase local venues

In an effort to bring more weddings to Daviess County venues, Visit Owensboro is hosting a “wedding sampler” event on April 30. Potential brides and grooms are invited to check out several venues in a single day at no cost. More than 10 venues have already expressed interest in participating.

It’s up to each venue to determine what they want to showcase during the wedding sampler. Venues interested in participating can email Katelyn Weaver at [email protected]. The cutoff date to participate is March 15.

“Our hope is that venues will have some possible food and drink options available for people to try,” Weaver said. “Perhaps some would bring in a couple wedding photographers or maybe even have some table decorations for options to pick from. It’s really up to each individual venue as to what they want to do to help sell their space.”

The event will run from 12-6 p.m., with guests able to visit as many of the participating venues during that time frame as they wish to see what each has to offer.

Visit Owensboro will offer a punch card listing each participating venue; cards will be available for pick up from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 28 at the visitor center at 215 East Second Street. Participants can return their punched card (minimum four venues visited) on May 1 to be entered to win some wedding-related prizes. 

“The wedding business plays a huge part in our tourism economy,” said Dave Kirk, Visit Owensboro. “Throughout the year, room blocks are set up for guests coming to Owensboro for a wedding, and venues are rented for the big day. They buy food from different caterers. It’s big business for us. I just thought, how cool would it be if we could make it easier to book and select the perfect place for your wedding/reception then to get to see multiple places in a day staffed with wedding experts.”