How to Get the Best out of Wedding Shows!
Ok, so you’ve got the ring and you’re in your newly engaged haze! While it’s lovely to enjoy that, you are well aware of the mammoth task ahead of you. But before you jump into the rabbit-hole that is the internet for wedding-related ideas, I strongly suggest you do some valuable reconnaissance at the wedding shows!
Wedding shows (or fairs) are the best way of taking your wedding-planning bull by the horns, whilst side-stepping the overwhelm. For this reason, they are particularly ideal for newly-engaged couples, as well as those who have been planning for a while and are looking to book some last minute extras, directly with suppliers. s
What are Wedding Shows?
Wedding shows consist of a collection of wedding suppliers all exhibiting their products and services under one roof. This can be at a wedding venue, a large convention centre or even like the one I did recently – at an exhibition square in a shopping centre!
A wedding fair is the perfect place for you, the engaged couple, to find inspiration, get all your questions answered by the experts and as a result, get all your wedding-planning ducks in a row!
To get the most out of your visit, it doesn’t hurt to do a bit of quick research beforehand.
Before the Wedding show
- Create a wedding-related email account to maintain the order of your everyday inbox. This can be called something like elviraanddorianwedding@xxx.com and will be the contact address that you submit to the suppliers. Having a joint email account in this way, will facilitate your planning no end, because you will both have access to all the same information.
- Browse the list of vendors beforehand and have a preliminary snoop of their websites and social media profiles. The wedding show organiser will publish this list on their advertising, for this purpose.
- If you have any ideas in mind for your big day, then keep pictures of them handy on your phone, in order to communicate your vision more clearly to the exhibitors.
Who Should you Take With You?
Consider whom to take with you. If you are keeping your dress a secret from your fiancé, then persuade them to go and try a slice of cake elsewhere, thereby allowing you some discussion time with a supplier.
I’ve observed that brides accompanied by mums and bridesmaids tend to generate an intoxicating buzz, which really helps to amplify the fun element.
If you need to take small children with you, I recommend you task one of your entourage to “nanny” them. This consequently liberates you to absorb more ideas, have uninterrupted conversations and get some more clarity on your wedding day vision.
What to take to Wedding Shows
- Take a checklist of any services you’ve yet to find, with any related decision-making criteria, to narrow down your options. As a result of this, you will be able to focus on the suppliers of these products first, thereby allowing some more relaxed browsing-time for the rest of the show.
- Keep your diary (if not electronic) with you. This doesn’t mean that you should feel obliged to firmly book and pay for anything, however you might be intrigued enough to book initial consultation with an exhibitor. Getting it in the diary while you’re there with them, means that there’s less for you to do when you get home and have a head swimming with wedding services! As a result, you would be using your time there smartly.
- An open, curious mind, a readiness to engage and a sense of fun!
At the Wedding show
- Talk to the exhibitors! Tell them all about your wedding plans, what attracted you to their stand, and what problems you’ve encountered, so that they can give you personalised advice. As they listen and talk, you will get a feel for their personality, which in turn will help you to decide if they will bring the right vibe to your wedding and will also be nice to work with. You cannot tell this by their online presence alone.
- Do leave your contact details with your favourite suppliers, so that they can share tips, inspiration and enter you into competitions. Not only will their communications serve as valuable reminders of what you saw at the show, but they could also provide you with valuable tips and insights! Wedding suppliers have no interest in spamming you relentlessly and you can easily unsubscribe at any time, once you are sure you no longer need the contact.
- If you are attending a show for initial inspiration, then make a note of what themes, colours and services appeal to you while you’re there. Take leaflets, business cards and photos (but please don’t forget to tag us on your socials) and then follow your favourite vendors on social media.
- Ask suppliers how their processes work, what couples typically spend on their services and what they get for that, whether they can create something to suit your theme, how far in advance to book them. There are no silly questions and we fully expect you to ask away, because it keeps us on our toes!
Are all Wedding Shows the Same?
Wedding shows can crossover in terms of target market, but there are usually subtle differences in tone and emphasis that set them apart. For example, shows held at popular wedding venues like Chicheley Hall tend to favour local suppliers, who bear a complementary style to them. Alternatively, there are fairs where the organisers cater for specific types of couples. This is true of Rock n Roll Bride Live, which focuses on unconventional couples, who love their own style – loudly, while The Quirky Wedding Fayre’s main emphasis is on uniqueness and fun.
Interested in having an alternative wedding?
The National Wedding Show takes place in London and Birmingham and are big events and an entry fee applies. This is the mother of wedding shows, so I do advise you to prepare yourselves as listed above. Wear comfortable shoes and take a big bag for all the goodies!
As a final word, do remember, we suppliers are not there to push the hard-sell. We are creatives, who love all things “wedding” and in the spirit of that, we come to connect with you, to see how we can help you plan the best, most memorable day ever! So do come and chat!
Ok, so you’ve got the ring and you’re in your newly engaged haze! While it’s lovely to enjoy that, you are well aware of the mammoth task ahead of you. But before you jump into the rabbit-hole that is the internet for wedding-related ideas, I strongly suggest you do some valuable reconnaisance at the wedding shows!
Wedding shows (or fairs) are the best way of taking your wedding-planning bull by the horns, whilst side-stepping the overwhelm. They are ideal for newly-engaged couples, as well as those who have been planning for a while and are looking to book some last minute extras.
What are Wedding Shows?
Wedding shows consist of a collection of various wedding suppliers all exhibiting their products and services under one roof. This can be at a wedding venue, a large convention centre or even like the one I did recently – an exhibition square in a shopping centre!
It is the perfect place for you, the engaged couple, to find inspiration and get all your wedding-planning ducks in a row!
If you don’t yet have a strict wedding planning schedule in force, you can absolutely just go and browse for initial ideas. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to do a bit of ground work beforehand.
Before the Wedding show
- Create a wedding-related email account to maintain the order of your everyday inbox. This can be called something like elviraanddorianwedding@xxx.com. Joint access will facilitate the wedding planning no end.
- Browse the list of vendors beforehand and maybe have a preliminary snoop of their websites and social media profiles. You will find the list on the wedding show organiser’s advertising.
- If you have any ideas in mind, then keep pictures handy on your phone, in order to communicate your vision more clearly to the exhibitors.
Who Should You Take With You?
Consider whom to take with you. If you are keeping your dress a secret from your fiancé, then signal them to go and try a slice of cake elsewhere, thus allowing you some discussion time with a supplier.
I’ve observed that brides accompanied by mums and bridesmaids tend to generate an intoxicating buzz, which really helps to amplify the fun element.
If you need to take small children with you, I recommend you task one of your entourage to “nanny” them. This liberates you to absorb more ideas, have conversations and get some more clarity on your wedding day vision.
What to take to Wedding Shows
- Take a checklist of any services you’ve yet to find, with any decision-making criteria, to narrow down your options. Visit the suppliers of these products first, thereby allowing some more relaxed browsing time for the rest of the show.
- Have your diary (if not electronic) with you. You shouldn’t feel obliged to firmly book anything, however you might be intrigued enough to book an initial consultation with an exhibitor. Getting it in the diary while you’re there with them, means that there’s less for you to do when you get home and have a head swimming with wedding services! It’s about using your time there smartly.
- An open and curious mind, a readiness to engage and a sense of fun!
At the Wedding Show
- Talk to the exhibitors! Tell them all about your planning journey and what it is that attracted you to their stand, so that they can give you personalised advice. Wedding shows are a great opportunity to get a feel for the supplier’s personality. This will help you to decide if they will bring the right vibe to your wedding and will also be nice to work with. You cannot tell this by their online presence alone.
- Do leave your contact details with your favourite suppliers, so that they can share tips, inspiration and enter you in any competitions. Their communications will serve as valuable reminders of what you saw at the show. You can unsubscribe at any time.
- If you are attending a show for initial inspiration, then make a note of what themes, colours and services appeal to you. Take photos, leaflets and business cards. Follow your favourite vendors on social media.
- Ask suppliers how their process works, what couples typically spend on their services and what they get for that.
Are all Wedding Shows the Same?
They can crossover, but there are usually subtle differences. Those held at wedding venues like Chicheley Hall tend to favour local suppliers, who bear a similar style to them. Then there are some where the organisers cater for specific types of couples. Rock n Roll Bride Live focuses on unconventional couples who love their own style – loudly. The Quirky Wedding Fayre’s main emphasis is on uniqueness and fun.
Interested in having an alternative wedding?
The National Wedding Show takes place in London and Birmingham and are big events and an entry fee applies. This is the mother of wedding shows, so I do advise you to prepare yourselves as listed above. Wear comfortable shoes and take a big bag for all the goodies!
Remember, we suppliers are not there for the hard-sell. We are creatives, who love all things wedding. We come to connect with you, to see how we can help you plan the best, most memorable day ever! So do come and chat!
Let’s chat!
Contact me to make your dream dress a reality.
Find out more about me.
Tel: 01525 234111