The red squares on the calendar are telling.

Except for a couple weekends,  Saturdays are covered through October.  Forward to next year, and every Saturday from March to July is marked in red. There are plenty of Sundays and Fridays draped in red, too. In fact, there are red squares going all the way to December  2009.

“I can’t believe it,” said Millie Becker. “We’re all booked up, and we haven’t even advertised.”

A little more than half a year ago, Becker embarked on what had been a longtime dream: to create a one-stop wedding mall, where brides could come and find all services needed for their weddings under one roof.

To most people’s knowledge, it had never been done before in Nebraska. Some said it couldn’t be done.

But Becker believed.

She found some investors and bought an empty building at 59th and Adams streets that had been a grocery store for most of its existence and, most recently, a medical testing lab.

The result is The Falls Reception Hall and Wedding Plaza, which opened in early May.

From the outside, the building doesn’t look a whole lot different. There’s new signage and some new windows in the front, where offices became retail bays.

Inside is where the real transformation took place.

What used to be offices at the front of the building now house wedding-related businesses: Becker’s cake shop, her daughter’s floral shop, a deejay, a videographer, a bridal gown shop and an alterations shop.

Just across the hall Becker has created a bridal lounge, complete with comfortable chair and private bathroom, where brides can go to relax and, “get away from it a little bit.”

The biggest transformation is at the back of the building, where a large lab area has been transformed into a banquet hall with seating for more than 300 people.

On the far wall, a waterfall cascades down a large stone structure. In front of it is an altar-type structure with wooden steps leading up each side.

Becker said it has mostly functioned as a head table area during receptions but can also be used for wedding ceremonies.

 The business is geared toward weddings, but Becker said she’s had plenty of interest from other events.

Among her first bookings when the business opened were a couple of “la Quinceanera” parties, the Hispanic tradition of 15th birthday celebrations for girls, and a gathering of retirees from Quest Diagnostics, which used to occupy the building.

Becker said the business so far has been more work than she expected, and not everything has gone smoothly.

For instance, she hasn’t had time to have a grand opening, something she’s hoping to do in September.

The banquet hall got its capacity reduced from a planned 400 to 320 after a fire marshal decided that was all it could safely hold.

And while she has attracted several wedding mall tenants so far, Becker is still looking for a tuxedo rental business, hairdresser and nail salon.

The first tenant in the wedding mall was J‘Maries Bridal Shoppe, which opened up an “off the rack” shop.

J‘Maries owner Peggy Clagett said she signed a contract in December and opened up March 1 while construction was still going on.

“We think the concept is just great and we wanted to be in on the ground floor,” she said.

Clagett, whose main store is at 48th and Normal Boulevard, said she was looking to open a second location on the north side of town, where her parents started the business, and was also looking to offer a different option for brides.

One of Clagett’s former neighbors,  Shramek’s Video, has also set up shop in the bridal mall.

Grant Shramek said he and his wife were a little skeptical of the concept at first.

“But after looking at it, we thought it would definitely be a good move,” he said.

So they picked up and moved from their previous home at 49th and Normal Boulevard.

Shramek said he’s been very pleased with the move, especially the familial atmosphere and the way the businesses complement each other.

“I think everybody kind of helps everybody,” he said.

And Shramek said he expects more collaboration among the tenants, possibly something formal such as an association or alliance.

“We’re just at the very tip of the iceberg on what it is going to be,” he said.

 Clagett said she’s been pleased so far with the mall, although she said she’d like to see more retail traffic during the week.

But she said she understands that it’s a new concept and will take time to catch on with people.

Clagett said that her parents had dreamed for many years of doing something similar but were never able to get it started.

“It takes a lot of energy and a lot of vision to do something like this,” she said, “and Millie’s got it.”

Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.