New York Weddings Magazine Bridal Show!

Looking forward to New York Wedding Magazines event on April 7 at the elegant Metropolitan Pavilion! Come by and say hi to the gang!

How To-Find the Perfect Bridal Show, Part 2

How To by Jennifer Crone

Tuesday we talked about how valuable bridal shows can be and where to find good ones. Today we’re going to talk about how to choose which are right for you and how to get the most out of them. Here’s How To:

Look at the shows you’ve found and educate yourself on what kind of show it will be. If it’s a large show with unlimited ticket sales, chances are there will be about 800+ people there and it will be more like a trade show. It will lack a cohesive element and can be overwhelming to a newly engaged bride-to-be. If it’s a medium sized show the tickets will be capped at a certain number, so find out what that cap is. At a medium show the vendors will be preferred by whom ever is hosting (New York magazine, for example). Lastly there are small shows, with a limited number of tickets sold. These can be put on by a venue that does weddings and can be a great way to experience a show in contrast to a hall. This show will be more intimate and there will be partnerships between these vendors so they’re familiar with one another and have good working relationships. Ideally all your vendors will work seamlessly together (this is where having a planner can be invaluable).

Candy Bar at Oheka bridal show

So you’ve carefully chosen which bridal shows you’re going to attend. It would all be for naught if you didn’t get the most out of it. Research the vendors who will be at the show and take note of who you’re interested in and have questions for them. You want to make sure you make the right connections and don’t spend time with something you know you’re not interested in. Set goals for the show (i.e. talk to three florists) so as not to get there and be overwhelmed. Be sure to have a notebook and pen handy for your questions so you can jot down answers and any ideas you get: this will help you feel more organized. You can also collect business cards in your notebook so be sure it has a space for them. Make an asterisk on the business card of a vendor you’re interested in so when you get home with 30 business cards you remember who you liked.

A great tip is to set up an email account just for your wedding: think alexandsarawed@gmail.com. Instead of putting your personal email address on all the vendor contact lists you can give them this one that’s exclusively for your wedding. You and your fiance will both have access to it, and don’t forget to add the vendors to your address book to insure they make it to your inbox. And remember: have fun!

How To-Find the Perfect Bridal Show, Part 1

How To by Jennifer Crone

With so much information out there, how do you know how to find quality bridal shows? And once you do, how do you choose which one and utilize it properly? It’s bridal show season, so here’s How To:

You’re engaged. Yay! Now what? Bridal shows can be a great resource. You can meet and talk to a variety of planners and vendors, and if your internal inspiration board is a bit blank, bridal shows are a great place to get ideas. We’ll talk about how to get the most out of them on Thursday’s blog (part 2), but first let’s discuss how to find them.

Pink Pearl Photography’s bridal show booth

The Internet can be a great resource, but I don’t recommend google searching “Bridal Shows” unless you want to be inundated with an unfiltered list. The best way to find out about bridal shows is to go to websites you know and trust, like bridal blogs. We’ve got some great ones listed on our sidebar and you might have some favorites yourself. This isn’t to say that you can’t find out about shows on the bigger wedding websites, but the shows listed on the blogs are there because the blogger respects and likes them, not because they’ve paid to advertise. We wouldn’t put a bridal show on the Private Receptions blog unless we were behind it.

Publications are another way to find out about good bridal shows. Local and regional magazines will often list shows on their online calendar. Other media outlets such as TV and radio stations will do the same.  If you have a favorite vendor (florist, band) or know a planner, ask them which shows they’ll be in. If you like them, you might like the other vendors they’re doing a bridal show with.

Take a look around and create a list of shows that look good and we’ll see you Thursday when we talk about choosing the right show and how to get the most out of it.