So we are a little late on everything today. Sometimes it is just VERY hard to get anything accomplished working from home with a ball full of energy aka my 2-yr old son! Still on the hunt for a Nanny (Applicants welcome) but we can talk more about that another time. Back to Wedding Tip Tuesday! Today as we start to think more and more about the new year and the bridal shows to come we want you to be prepared to bridal show it up!
Why attend a bridal show? Save time and money, meet with wedding
industry experts in all areas of your big day, get ideas, and see the latest wedding trends. With that here are several tips to get the most out of a Bridal Show.
{Arrive Early}
Not a morning person that is totally fine but everyone loves a good freebie! Many bridal shows will enter the first so many attendees into a contest for prizes. Or the first so many guests will receive all kinds of cool things not only from the producers of the show but from lots of the vendors.
{Pre-Register for the Show}
It only takes a few minutes but for the larger shows this can not only save you money with a discount for registering early but you won't have to wait in line to register on the day of. Which will allow you more time to visit all of the great booths!
{Bring your Friends or Family}
This is great for bridesmaids to help feel like they are involved the same with mom or the future mother-in-law. Plus with how overwhelming a show can be having someone to bounce ideas off of or see something you may have missed is always great.
{Bring an envelope for your purse}
You will get TONS of information from TONS of different vendors. You will also more than likely receive a great bag to collect and carry all of that info in. But what about that great invitation vendor you talked with and really want to meet with more than any of the others? Create a separate collection of cards for the MUST contact folks. This doesn't mean forget about all the others. The show WILL be overwhelming. So just keep the MUSTs and more urgent ones out for easy future access.
{Contact Info Labels}
Lots of vendors will have drawings and prizes at their booths. Why kill yourself writing down your information over and over or missing out on those prizes? Print yourself some labels to quickly place on their forms. Make sure to include at least: your name, email, phone number, wedding date, approx number of guests and any major theme/colors to your wedding if chosen.
{Create a Wedding Email Address}
We had a Tip Tuesday dedicated solely to this one because we think it is really important. You can check it out HERE.
{Bring a Digital Camera or Your (charged) Phone}
As I have already mentioned you will see SOO much at a show. Bring something to take pictures of some of the great ideas you see that you will probably forget about. HOWEVER, it is very rude to just snap away at a vendors booth without asking if you can take a picture of their work. ASK to take a pic first!!
{Bring a Checkbook}
Sometimes vendors will offer a discount for placing a deposit on their services the day of the show. If you know certain vendors that you for sure want to hire, why not save a little money in the process. Some shows even offer incentives for booking so many vendors from a show.
{Know your Budget & Approximate Guest Count}
You don't have to have eery detail hammered out to attend a Bridal Show, we know a lot of people attending are just recently engaged and may not even have a date set yet. But if you have started to plan having this information on hand is great. A lot of the time pricing is determined by the number of guests/qty you will need. So if you know this vendors can at least give you an idea on pricing. And as for a budget, you can quickly eliminate folks that are not going to be in your price range.
{Do your Research}
All on your own you can make the day a lot less overwhelming. One by knowing what vendors you still need for your big day. If you have your photographer booked already you can quickly pass by lots of booths and save that time for the vendors you still need to book. Secondly most Bridal Shows will list the vendors in attendance. So before the show you can check out all of their websites, star ones you want to for sure want to stop by, nix the ones you know are not right for your day!!
{Enjoy the Day}
Don't think that this will be a quick stop in your day of activities. In many cases it will be a several hour adventure. Don't rush yourself, take your time and really enjoy the vendors. Sample lots of treats, get to know potential vendors on your list, eat lunch, watch the fashion shows and most of all have fun!
With that we will see you in January!
Happy Wedding Tip Tuesday!
