Here's the coolest stuff my fiancée and I saw at Indianapolis Monthly Bridal Show

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A quick reminder of which A-listers said "I do" in 2017. (Dec. 18) AP

Those single-digit temperatures and the turning of the new year can only mean one thing.

It’s bridal show season, folks!

On Sunday, hundreds of brides and grooms to-be freed themselves from the sheet of ice covering the Circle City and traveled to the Ritz Charles in Carmel for the Indianapolis Monthly Bridal Show.

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As someone who just popped the question this past November, I was among the crowd of more than 400 attendees collecting business cards, talking to vendors and trying to cross as many things off the to-do list as possible. 

As you can imagine, it’s a long list. But as Indianapolis Monthly Publisher Keith Lee explains, the event's approach to bridal shows is an effort to cut out some of the noise that often surrounds the planning process, and helps couples focus on quality over quantity. 

“This year we’ve got 65 vendors, and we limit the number of participants by category,” Lee said. “For example, we were talking to a DJ earlier, and he said some of the other shows will have 17 DJs, so it’s very difficult to discern who and what you want.

“Here, you’ll find an eclectic mixture of vendors, and all of the vendors are trying to provide some sort of a discount. So there is something to appease and appeal to every person who is going to be a bride and a groom with hopefully a nice discount to boot.”

Here’s some cool stuff we saw (and ate) while checking out the show. 

Five minutes in and I've eaten too much

You know the tragic story of Icarus who ignored the advice of his pops, Daedalus, and melted his wax wings by flying too close to the sun?

Well, my wings didn’t even make it past the buffalo tortellini and BBQ meatballs from the Nameless Catering booth.

Seriously, I’m glad there wasn’t a calorie counter following me around this thing because I ate at least two full meals worth of grub. And it wasn’t just cheese and crackers.

Fresh tomato and mozzarella skewers. Pulled pork topped with some kind of fancy slaw. Goat cheese and beet cups. Every time I turned out, someone was handing me something delicious, and who am I to say no?

Note to self: Bring sandwich bags to the next bridal show.

Did I mention there was cake, too?

So much cake. Chocolate cake. Red velvet cake. Cupcakes. You get the idea.

For a good 20 minutes, most of the banter between my bride and I went something like this:

Ashley: “What are you eating now?”

Me: “I don’t know. It's really good, though!”

Ashley: “Well, where did you get it from?”

Me: “From that nice lady over there.” (Motions in no particular direction.)

Ashley: (Heavy sigh.) “Did you at least get a business card?”

Me: “I can’t eat cards.”

Ashley: “What have I done?”

Riding in style

Admittedly, transportation is something that slipped our minds as we were listing all the things we needed to take care of for the big day.

We're doing the wedding and reception at a single venue in Downtown Indy, so getting from point A to point B didn't seem like a serious concern. 

But as Jack Carr Boyd, owner of Indy Trolley, pointed out, having on-hand transportation can add to the magic while also mitigating potential disaster for your guests.

"It reduces the opportunity for people who were drinking to drive around that day and get into something that isn’t pleasant for them ...  so it's kind of like an insurance policy for the big day," he said.

Boyd also turns his trolley into a rolling party. He gives control of the tunes to the couple, and takes everyone on board to iconic Indy spots like the Downtown Canal and Monument Circle for fun photo ops.

So I'm not saying we're definitely going to have a party trolley on our wedding day, but I can't say we're not going to have a party trolley. 

I like to cha-cha

Let me start by saying that Ashley and I have shut down plenty of dance floors at other weddings and don't need any help with a two-step.

But that first dance as Mr. and Mrs. only happens once, so why not break out something special for the occasion?

Mike Desante of Arthur Murray Dance Studio said they can help couples with everything from a basic tango to a full choreographed routine. 

He said they've even helped one client put together a routine that started with "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard, and ended with everyone dancing The Charleston. 

"If a couple just wants a few basic steps, they can probably get by with five to 10 lessons. But if they really want to get a full choreographed routine, then we’ll probably go to 15 to 20 lessons," Desante said. "Everyone is different. We’ve had very traditional, but we’ve also seen very edgy."

So, I'm not done buying rings? Great!

Time for more jewelry! One of the top priorities of the day was getting my finger sized for a wedding band (I came in at around an 11, if anyone wants to buy me an early gift) and finding something that can withstand long, grueling sessions of holding a Playstation 4 controller. 

There were so many beautiful options. I also learned that I don't want the simple band I thought I did, and might opt for something with a bit more flash.

Ashley, meanwhile, found a few things that paired nicely with her engagement ring. And to be honest, finding rings together is going to be a really fun process.

I spent a year trying to keep the fact that I was looking for a ring to propose marriage a secret, so having the chance to pick this jewelry, the most important piece of jewelry I'll ever own, with the help of my best friend is pretty amazing.

Endless swag bags

Nothing says successful trip to the bridal show more than walking out with more stuff than you can carry, and we did just that.

Did you make it out to the show Sunday? If so, what did you take in your bag of swag, and who was your favorite vendor? Shoot me an email and let me know!

Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138 or email him at justin.mack@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.