“Nobody talks of entrepreneurship as survival, but that’s exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking,” said British entrepreneur and activist Anita Roddick (The Body Shop).

A testament to the creative thinking and entrepreneurial mettle of four area business owners is the upcoming Weddings at the Beach Bridal Show at the Seaside Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9.

This is the third year for the event – the brainchild of locals Cathie Cates (Natural Nook Flowers and Wedding Planning), Don Frank (Don Frank Photography) and Barbara Beach (local minister and wedding officiator). A fourth partner recently came on board. She is Tracy Abel, an event planner who brings a complementary set of skills to the group. Her experience as a new bride helped the wedding show committee decide how best to reach brides-to-be and provide them with useful information.

When Cates bought her florist shop five years ago, she noticed too many people thought they had to go to Portland to put together a wedding. Ever since, she’s been focused on getting the word out that there are quality vendors right here – that you can, in fact, host a whole wedding at the North Coast. To better meet consumer needs, she began featuring wedding planning along with florist services in her shop.

There have been bridal fairs on the North Coast before. In fact, WATB got its start after Cates and Frank participated in one five years ago. Though that event was canceled after the first year, it brought in business – a fact not lost on Cates and Frank, who felt the idea “had legs” as well as the potential to showcase wedding-related service providers from Pacific City all the way to Long Beach, Wash.

So two years ago, using seed money from the city of Seaside and starting small, Cates and Frank put on their first bridal show. They soon knew they had something – the second year, the bridal fair attracted more than 400 visitors and featured 50+ vendors. More than 500 attendees are expected this year. Sponsors have played an important role, says Frank. They include Bravo! (wedding and event planners for Northwest Oregon), the city of Seaside, and the Seaside and Cannon Beach Chambers of Commerce, the latter helping to promote the event. Advertising for the bridal fair now targets Seattle and the greater Portland area.

The committee has been careful to keep things affordable. It costs a vendor $250 to participate, versus $900 in Portland. (The charge for chamber members is discounted to $195.) Vendors from Portland, Eugene and other outlying areas have expressed interest but can’t participate unless their services aren’t already offered locally. Several categories of wedding services have multiple exhibitors. Frank says he’s updating the list daily.

Another tool this group has used effectively is a Web site, located at www.weddingsatthebeach.org. Accessible year-round with search engines like Google, folks who’re planning now for an August wedding can refer to it and easily learn what’s here. This Saturday, those in the throes of planning nuptials will be able to meet bridal vendors and “take care of everything in one day,” says Cates. Admission is free as an added incentive. There’ll also be a raffle and fashion show featuring the newest trends in bridal gowns.

According to Frank, the average wedding in Oregon currently costs around $26,000. That suggests that more weddings at the North Coast could have a significant impact on the local economy. The competition can be fierce, though. “Vendors need to be on the ball,” says Frank. He adds that while the wedding business “is lucrative, it’s also very hard work.” Efforts so far to capture a bigger share of the market have “raised the bar” in terms of the level of professionalism and ability to compete on the part of local vendors, he thinks.

Promoting the attractiveness of the North Coast as a beautiful backdrop against which to tie the knot (and honeymoon) isn’t exactly a new notion. However, the popularity of “destination weddings” is. They’re very much in vogue right now. When someone in Kansas gets married, for example, family and friends travel from all over the country to attend the wedding. The current thinking is … since you’re going to be traveling anyway, why not go some place fun and make it a week-long thing – a vacation, even? Making arrangements is far less daunting with the Internet.

Hawaii is a popular spot for destination weddings, but the coast is, too. This isn’t just good for wedding service providers. Because wedding parties and guests stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and shop, the tourism industry is also likely get a boost. While there still may be folks who go elsewhere for their wedding needs, more and more people will be electing to get married at the coast, with all that this implies. This trend is one that holds great promise for the area.