The Next Wedding Show and How to Swing It

Photo: Premier Bridal Shows

I wrote this a while back and from what I’ve seen, most of this still applies. I’m interested to see how they’ve teched things up for 2016. I’ll be at the Premier Bridal Show in Pasadena on Sunday. You can get 4 free tickets if you use the code VNDR4 when you check out online. Drop by my table and say Hi!

Dresses! Cakes! Photography! If you know exactly what you’re looking for, this is your chance to see what’s out there. If you don’t know exactly what you want, here’s where you can get some ideas, and that also works for you DIY-ers out there, too. Checking out rows and rows of examples of how it’s done is the first step in figuring out how to do it yourself.

The Prep
Most of the big bridal shows take place on Sundays, starting at 10 or 11 in the morning, with a fashion show around noon, and close between 34 or 5pm. Wedding websites like weddingwire.com or theknot.com will list all local shows that are coming up – your pick. CLICK THROUGH TO THE SHOW WEBSITES!! Many offer a discount if you register and purchase your tickets online. Even though it’s  a dollar or two, it’s worth it to not have to stand in line to register. Also, if you have some handy, print out a sheet of return-address-sized labels with your name, email address and wedding date on them. It’s a good way to avoid carpel tunnel syndrome when you want to sign up to get more of vendor’s info at their booth.

The Plan
The last two to three hours of the show are going to be the most crowded, so go early. Vendors will have more time to talk one on one with you, and vice versa. Give yourself at least a couple of hours to walk through the floor. The bridal fashion show (pretty dresses!) will start around noon, so if you show up an hour earlier, you can do the rounds, talk to the vendors you’ll really interested in, grab a seat at the show, do another quick round to make sure you didn’t miss anything,  get another piece of cake, and get out.

The Process
Before you go in, you’ll be given a bag with of wedding-related swag, but the important part is that you have a bag to put vendor’s info in. Things can get pretty overwhelming, so do yourself a favor and don’t just randomly pick up every brochure/flyer from every booth. Focus only on the vendors you still need, or are really interested in. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – “Are you available on my date?” “Can you work with my budget ?” “I really want to do x, y, or z, have you done that before and/or can you tell me/show me pictures of how you would/did?” Think about chemistry, as well – you’ll be working with this person from now until your wedding, and probably all day AT your wedding, so it’s important that you feel comfortable with them. Don’t feel pressured to book them right there, even if there’s a discount (you will be asked at one or more booths), but don’t hesitate to schedule a follow-up appointment if you like what you see – ask nicely if you can still have the discount if you decide to hire them. Yes, they can always say no, but you can always say no, too – as I tell my couples, the last vendor you meet is not the last option you have. And bridal shows are all about options.

Have Fun!
Taste the cakes, take a turn in the photo booth, squee at the flower arrangements, jockey for that front row seat at the fashion show. It’s all there for you. Enjoy!

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events
www.silvercharmevents.com

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