It’s hard to believe that we are half way through March already and spring is almost upon us (if it ever stops snowing)!

Although this is one of our busiest times in the shop, we like to make the most of the Spring Wedding Fair season so that we can get out and about to meet lots of lovely Brides, their families, friends and occasionally even the Groom!

As we are coming up to the end of our 3rd year (where did that go!!) we roughly totted up that so far we have attended over 100 wedding fairs, so we are now starting to get a reasonable idea of how these work, lol!  Together with comments we’ve received from our brides we thought we would share our ideas with you so that you can get the best out your time you spend at these events.

Size doesn’t matter! 

As with most things wedding fairs come in all shapes and sizes!  From the large National/UK events lasting 2-3 days to a small 3 hour showcase at your local hotel, church hall or wedding venue.  Irrespective of the size and scale, you are dedicating your time to going along so you need to make the best of it!

Whatever type of show you go along to, you will be bombarded with information, leaflets, flyers, brochures, website details, etc and this is wonderful if you’re at the very early stages of planning your wedding.  If this is the case try and visit as many exhibitors as possible but don’t spend too long with each one as, particularly with the larger events, you may run out of energy before you get round to them all (yes you need boot camp fitness for this, so make sure you get in training as soon as you can!).

As you go round the stands you will start to get an idea of what you like and what you don’t!  As you collect your favourite ideas you can go back and speak to these exhibitors in more detail – no one exhibiting at a wedding show will mind answering any questions if you are showing an interest in the service they provide!

First Impressions Count!

Obviously one of the main benefits of wedding fairs is that you get to meet people who potentially may be part of one of the most important days of your life!

You get an ideal opportunity at these events to not only see what is on offer but also how you feel about the provider, how interested they are in you, their understanding of your needs and how you relate to them.  We have several brides who have said that one of the reasons they came to our shop was because of how we came across at these events – equally as many brides have also commented that they have been put off by the attitude of an exhibitor and the lack of interest shown in their plans – after all it is your day!!

If you are attending these events at a later stage in your wedding planning and have a clearer idea about what you are looking for you can be more focussed on the services you need. It can be a good idea to make a list before you go so you can focus your energy on searching these out and spending more time discussing your requirements.  If you have time left over you can always browse around the other stands which may inspire a different idea or two!

Some top tips for getting the best out of these events:

  • First things first, consider who you want to go along to these events with you.  You may wish to attend as a couple or make it a great girly day out! It’s good to have someone with you who can share ideas and opinions – but avoid someone who will dominate you with theirs!
  • If you’re attending one of the major shows consider wearing comfortable footwear and factoring in breaks (might we suggest the champagne bar).  If you are hoping to try on dresses think about your underwear and if your looking for hair accessories you might want to go with a style similar to that you’re thinking of for your big day.
  • If there are goody bags available make sure you pick one up as there will usually be lots of information about the exhibitors and often vouchers, goodies and freebies – the bag is also useful to keep together all the other details you collect as you are looking around.
  • Not all exhibitors will have leaflets or brochures so make sure you have something on which you can make notes – phone, tablet or good old pen & paper!  If you want to take photographs to help you remember ideas it’s a good idea to ask the exhibitor first!
  • Often exhibitors will have special show offers so it’s worth checking these out as they could help maximise the wedding budget!  There may also be promotions advertised away from the event itself for example we use these events to promote our ‘Designer Days’ and more recently our ‘Finishing Touches’ evenings.
  • Unless you’re only popping in to see a specific supplier, make sure you have plenty of time to look around and don’t get stuck talking to exhibitors whose services you’re not really interested in!
  • In saying this though, be open-minded! Long held ideas and childhood dreams may fade when you see the array of new designs, styles, colours and concepts that continuously become available
  • If you’re looking for dresses or accessories try and attend events where there is a catwalk show – not only are these fun to watch but you will see the dresses being worn and how they move as opposed to just on a hanger.
  • The most important thing though is to have fun and remember that this is all about YOUR special day!  Chose your companions, be comfortable, don’t get stressed, have plenty of time and use these events as big treasure chests of ideas!

If you want to put these tips into practice check out the events page on our website or Facebook Events for details of Wedding Fairs we are attending.  You can catch us this weekend at the UK Wedding Show, EventCity, Manchester.

Just leaves us to wish you happy wedding fairing (!) x