Bridal Shows can be great source of information, but it can also be very overwhelming. There are so many booths and so much information that it is hard to focus on any one vendor or service. A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a bridal show with one of my closest friends.
We arrived early which was great because after we walked up to the line, I realized that we had a crowd of people behind us waiting to get in. The moment we walked into the hall I became overwhelmed. I guess it had a lot to do with the number of attendees, booths, and people ready to tell me about their "must have" service.
But I took my time and jotted notes along the way. My notes consisted of what I liked and what I will do differently on my next bridal show outing. I thought I would share my experiences and some bridal show advice with you.
Here is some words of wisdom:
Know what vendors will be there. You can do this by looking online before the event. If you are unable to research this ahead of time, review the Bridal Show booklet that is at the registration desk prior to going into the show. Mark off the vendors you are really interested in seeing. If you need to meet with all of them, at least you know who is there?
Take a friend or two. I also recommend taking your mom and fiance to at least one bridal show. It is nice to see the bride/ groom of mother/ daughter walking around discussing plans for the wedding day. This way they will feel a part of the planning process without actually planning anything. You will also be able to see who has the same ideas you have and who is going the opposite direction.
Get there early. 15-20 minutes. I know that is early for some but believe me, you will be better off because you won't get irritated by the 50 women in front of you taking their time going in.
When you walk in, I know your first instinct is to follow the masses. DON'T. I recommend walking to the end of the bridal show venue and walking backwards. Why? Well first of all, you won't be trampled by the crowd at every booth. You will have more one-on-one time with the vendors because they are not recruiting you and three other brides at the same time. Last but not least, by the time you get to the beginning of the showcase everyone will be in the middle .... again bringing me back to my second point of having more one-on-one time.
Bring Business Cards - I don't mean your company business cards (even though it is always good to network). Bring your wedding day business cards. What are Wedding Day Business Cards? Wedding day business cards are cards that tell the vendor about you, your fiance, and you wedding details. At every booth, the vendor will ask you to fill out some information about you or sign up for a drawing, what better way to get around that than to drop a card in the hat. This will also reduce the amount of information you have to write out. Information to include: Bride and Groom's name, date of wedding, and contact information (address and phone number).
Plan to stay at the Bridal show the entire time so that you can experience all of its services including the fashion show and the drawings.
After the show, find a spot and go through all the bags and discard information that you will not be following up on. No need to take extra stuff home with you.
Stay organized. The moment you get home, file all the "Must Contact" business cards/ pamphlets in your Wedding Planner.
Take a hot bath or just soak your feet because after attending a big bridal show, you may need it.
I hope my advice helps. Please let me know if you have other words of wisdom. I would love to increase my list.
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