This is the first year in 6 years that we don’t have any bridal shows on the calendar. It feels so strange that we aren’t downtown right now, preparing our booth for the big show! Two days of non-stop wedding craziness! I am relieved and a little nervous. To have a booth at the bridal show this weekend requires months of planning. At least it did for us. Preparing the booth, making new changes from the previous years design, making new marketing materials, slideshows, new albums, etc.. After last year, we got super sick, were totally exhausted and decided that we’d take a break from it this year and see how it goes. So far so good! We set-up a session with a fun family who we love to photograph, which will be so much more fun! So while I am a little sad that we won’t be talking to 2,000 people this weekend, I’m hoping that we can turn that time into something more positive. Where we have real consultations and can actually sit down with a bride and groom and hear about what is important to them. That's what I love! I think we can handle a break from the show experience and trying to shout over the crowd! Maybe we’ll be refreshed and revisit it next year or find a few smaller shows to participate in?… I guess we’ll wait and see.
If you are going to the show this weekend, here are a few tips that we learned along the way (as a Bride and a vendor):
1. Don’t take an entourage! I know it can be hard, but if you want to be productive, try to limit it to one or two guests. This place is crowded and trying to get a group of 10 people down these aisles without losing a member of your posse multiple times will be impossible.
2. You will be offered a lot of fun stuff. Every vendor at the show wants his or her information to go home with you. Try to only accept materials from vendors you are really interested in. Otherwise, you’ll be carrying (or dragging) a few broken bags full of papers you most likely will never look at.
3. If you just got engaged, go to the show open-minded and have fun with it. Be honest with the vendors about being newly engaged and be honest with yourself. For instance, if you are just starting the planning process, focus on venues only and respectfully decline the offers from other vendors at this time.
4. Eat a snack before you go and bring water!
5. Only bring your fiancé if they really care (and I mean really care). If they don’t like shopping with you for more than an hour, they probably will extremely dislike this experience. Instead, try narrowing down the materials you pick up at the show and sitting down to discuss just those materials at a later date.
~ If you don't handle crowds or the experience of walking through crowds very well (you'll need some patience), don't go. Just don't go!
Have fun and don’t stress! If it gets too intense find the exit! :)
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