Wedding Planning Articles
Bridal Shows
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Bridal Shows are a great place to begin or continue your wedding planning research. Here you can meet, compare and screen all of the wedding professionals who will play a part in your celebration. Most Bridal Fairs run from 11 to 3 or 12 to 4 and generally have between 40 and 60 vendors, with larger ones having as many as 120 vendors. Our Central Coast Bride shows in San Luis Obispo at the Alex Madonna Expo Center have 120 vendors while our new luxury boutique show in Atascadero at the Carlton Hotel has just 15 vendors.
You may simply show up for the show on the day of the event or you may register in advance. Advance registration is generally completed on the show producer’s website and it often gets you a discount on the entrance fee and speeds you through the door on the day of the event. Some fairs are very well attended and you may have a difficult time getting to the front of the booth’s counter to talk with the booth attendants, so plan to arrive early since you may need all four hours of the fair. Plan to attend several fairs since they each offer a variety of opportunities. Talk with as many vendors as you can - they have helped hundreds of brides, so they have lots of knowledge to pass on to you.
Bridal Shows are not restricted to Brides only - anyone may attend. Many Brides opt to bring along grooms, mothers, friends and/or brides maids. Most Bridal Shows charge a small entrance fee, usually around $10. Most shows also offer a price break if you bring your groom or if you register on-line before the show. Our Central Coast Bride shows charge a $10 entrance fee which is discounted to $15 for the bride and groom. Or if you register on-line, the fee is reduced by $2 per ticket in your party.
Bridal Shows are a terrific planning tool if you use them properly. What are your objectives at a Bridal Show? If your wedding date is quickly approaching, your objectives will likely be to find and book the few remaining services you need for your wedding. If your wedding date is still a year away, your show objectives may be more to book one or two key services and to help get yourself educated on what products and services are available along with their price ranges so that you can better plan your wedding. To make the best use of these events, remember three things: Pre Event Planning, Day Of Event Strategies, and Post Event Organization.
Pre Event Planning. Prepare a written set of questions in order to get as many answered as possible. Know which wedding services you still need and plan to visit those types of booths first. See if the producer’s website has a listing of what vendors will be at the show. If available, you can determine in advance which booths you definitely want to visit even if you don’t have time to visit all of the booths.
Day Of Event Strategies. Remember to bring a notebook and ink pens along with your list of “must see” vendors. If you are short on time, visit your “must see” booths first. Even if you have lots of time, visiting your highest priority booths first ensures that you talk with them early – in case you tire out or if you want to book them before their schedule fills up! Is your selected date available? If not, you will need to continue shopping for that service. Collect business cards or brochures and write notes directly onto them to remind you of specific points about each vendor.
Post Event Organization. While at the show, did you make appointments to meet with any show vendors at a later date? If so, be sure to post these dates and times in your calendar. As soon as possible after the show, review and summarize any important information that you learned. File brochures, flyers and business cards in the appropriate section of your wedding notebook.
The current Bridal Show schedule can be found on our website at the Bridal Shows tab under Wedding Tools. Although very rare, there may sometimes be unexpected changes to the scheduled events, such as possible rescheduling of the date or location changes. Because of their dynamic nature, websites are ideal for conveying up-to-the-minute information!