What Should I Expect At A Bridal Show?

Part 1 of 2

You know those community events that are usually held in a conference center where many wedding vendors set up booths to generate business? That is a bridal show! Well, our first bridal show is here! All the ladies in my wedding party are able to come (the groom has made himself scarce), and I am packed and ready to go. Wait a second…packed? What do I mean by that, you may ask? There is some planning you should do before you just jump right into a bridal show, otherwise you’ll come out of it exhausted and overwhelmed.

What am I supposed to do at a bridal show?

A bridal show is supposed to be your little black book of wedding vendors. Often there will be many different companies of the same business (e.g. wedding planners). This is a great opportunity to check out businesses and see what videographer A has over videographer B. Also, it gives you a chance to possibly meet face-to-face some people you may hire to work on your wedding with you. Since most conversations are done via email or phone, getting to meet the business owner or operator in person can help you decide if they are someone you want to work with.

What vendors are at a bridal show?

You will see wedding related business with booths to advertise their services. Included are: bakers, florists, jewellers, disk jockeys, wedding planners, decor companies and fitness consultants as well as many many others you would not even think of such as psychics, dancers, mortgage consultants and financial advisors. 

Also, there are fashion shows to display wedding attire. Most of the outfits are available by a salon which also has a booth at the show so you can directly speak to a representative if you see something you like. A nice perk to the bridal shows I’ve attended is they sometimes have male models in the fashion show to display men’s wedding attire. This is great because if you have a male partner he may not know where to get his wedding attire, and also eye candy better for the hips than sugar candy.

Who should I bring with me to a bridal show?

I suggest you bring no more than 4 other people. There will be a ton of people at the show and it will be hard to keep track of everyone. Definitely bring your maid of honour and some bridesmaids if you can. Leave children and young teens at home – they can look at your brochures when you get back and they will definitely get bored fast.

How long will I be at a bridal show?

Plan on attending the show for at least 3 hours. Sounds like a long time – but trust me, there will be over 100 vendors and you’ll walk by each one of them grabbing pamphlets, talking to vendors who interest you, and watching the fashion shows.

What should I do before attending a bridal show?

• Website: Check out the bridal show website to get an idea of which vendors will be there.
• Priority List: Mark down vendors you definitely want to talk to, which services you still need, and which services you do not need. Give a copy of this list to your entourage so they know what you are looking to accomplish.
• Check the time: Find out what time the fashion shows are and make sure you can watch at least one.
• Bag: Get a laptop style bag with a shoulder strap to put all of the vendor papers into. This keeps your hands free for writing notes and grabbing other brochures. Make sure all your ladies bring a bag to put brochures in also.
• Stickers! Stars, smile faces, ones with funny sayings, or whatever you desire.
• Pen: Bring a pen and a small stapler from the dollar store. Some vendors will give you more than one brochure.
• LABELS! Print off address labels. This is inexpensive and is an amazing idea.

Explanation:

At the bridal show you will be completely overwhelmed with brochures, pamphlets, business cards and samples. Everywhere you turn someone will be handing you something and it is very difficult to hold on to all of this stuff. You absolutely need a large, well supported bag to put all of this paperwork into. Believe me, the bag will weigh about 10 pounds extra by the time you leave considering you start off the show by receiving several thick bridal magazines. By writing down who you want to see, and who you are interested inahead of time (give a copy to everyone you go with), youwill stay focused.

The sticker idea is fantastic! Picture this- you talk with a DJ who offers everything you want, will give you a discount, can do your buck and doe, and is within your budget. You go home, dump out your loot and find 10 DJ business cards! Which one was his??? Having a sticker to identify vendors you are interested in will help you when you get home. Trust me, they all begin to blend together and the business card doesn’t say “The DJ with glasses, dark hair and a tattoo on his forearm”.

On the labels write your name, phone number, full address, email address and wedding date (even if you only have a tentative one). Almost every vendor will have a “draw” of some sort and imagine writing this information down by hand 100 times? Get enough pages of labels so everyone you bring with you can have a sheet and put your name in for draws on your behalf. Note: you will definitely get emails from vendors. If you aren’t so keen about this, look for a free email client and set up a new email address just for wedding stuff such as judy.wedding@email.com.

Look for part 2 coming soon. 
What did you bring to the bridal show to help stay organized?

To have and to hold,

Elizabeth Honey