Enchanticon 2025

In Mid-August, I attended Enchanticon in St. Louis, Missouri at the historic Union Station. Enchanticon is a small three day event that celebrates different fantasy universes focusing mostly on books and Table Top Role Playing Games.

Registration started at 9 am on Friday morning and was very organized. We didn’t have to wait long to get our badges. The line was split into two categories, GA and VIP. We had the GA pass.

Registration, customer service, and the marketplace were all in the same space, so next we went shopping. There were some great booths with amazingly talented artists. I was a bit disappointed to see a bag store selling items with obviously AI-generated images. I’m hoping that in the future, Enchanticon can better screen the vendors they accept at their convention.

Because of the open layout, tourists and other hotel guests were wandering into the convention space without a badge. I’m not sure if this was a convention staff or hotel security issue, but as a convention attendee, it was disappointing to see people wander in for free when I had just paid over $190 for my weekend badge. Throughout the full weekend, I was only badge checked once on Saturday night for the ball. We spent the rest of the day attending a few panels and exploring the venue doing photoshoots. 

Union Station has a unique layout after being renovated into a hotel and tourist destination. It has some amazing locations for pictures. We used the Enchanticon 20% off discount code on the Aquarium and Carousel! This was an awesome benefit for the convention to have. There was also a mirror maze, selfie express, ropes course, Ferris wheel, and mini golf, which we did not have time for on this trip. Maybe next time! We ended our day in the Grand Hall, having drinks at the bar and watching the amazing light shows on the ceiling. 

On Saturday we did photoshoots, went to panels, and checked out the aquarium. The fashion show and ball were the two big things I was looking forward to on Saturday! The Sophistiqué Fantasy Fashion Show featured Miss Moss Creations, Designer Daddy, and Fantastique Collection x Nephi Garcia. The Rogue Gown with matching corset is my favorite of the Chapter One Collection.

The ball was very well attended, I loved seeing everyone's outfits and creative takes on the theme! I am glad we got in line for drinks early! Despite having 4 bars in the room, the lines stayed pretty long. Luckily, water stations were set up and easily accessible. I do wish the DJ played a wider variety of songs. I know my friends and I were waiting for some more “traditional” (like Bridgerton) ball songs. Outside the ballroom, there was a photoshoot space, live painting, and a 360 video station.

On Sunday, the only big thing I had planned was watching the cosplay contest. It was definitely a more casual contest than what I’m used to. The contestants were interviewed on stage, but I’m not sure if there was any prejudging. The judges were one of the con chairs, a cosplayer, and someone from marketing. I could not find much information about the contest or judges on the Enchanticon website. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my weekend at Enchanticon! The venue was pretty amazing with lots to do and so many great food options on site. All of the convention staff I talked to were enthusiastic and friendly. I can’t wait to see how this convention grows and hope to be back in the future!    

(Update) I would like to give an update regarding the fashion show. On November 14th, I ordered the Midnight Gown and Lumira from the fashion show collection by Sophistique. I fell in love with the designs and was so excited to wear them. The website said they would ship by December 15th 2025. When December 15th came and went without a shipping notification, I went to look for my order confirmation email. There was no order confirmation email. Knowing this could have been my mistake and I put my email in wrong, I reached out to the company explaining the situation and asking for my order number and a shipping update. I heard nothing. The next week, I reached out again. Nothing. I tried messaging on their Instagram. No reply. I reached out to Designer Daddy, who worked in collaboration on the designs, and did get a reply. He said, “Hello!!! Thanks for the dm!! I’ll reach out to them and tell them what’s going on!” I waited 10 days and followed up again, and got no reply. On January 2nd, I made the difficult decision to dispute the charge with my bank, and I have now won the case. This was very difficult because I love the designs and want to support small businesses and indie designers. I wanted to hold out hope that they would reply, and I would receive the dresses I paid for. Now, looking at their latest Instagram post, other people are experiencing the same issues. That is why I wanted to share my experience in hopes of helping others navigate this situation and give a warning to anyone looking to buy from Sophistique. Their website is still active and taking orders.