Why You Should Attend A Bridal Show

Caterers. Florists. DJs. Venues. The Dress. So many vendors to consider and it can be overwhelming! Brides, we get it! When you’re in the planning stage, we highly recommend checking out a bridal show in your area! Here in the upstate, we participate in the Wedding Festivals throughout the year, and, in our opinion, it can be one of the best resources for local brides to meet and interact with vendors before you book!

Why attend a local bridal show? Here are a few reasons.

1. You get to talk with multiple vendors.

One of the main reasons is the exposure and access you’ll have to different vendors in the wedding industry. There will be DJs, caterers, cake designers, planners, registry stores, rental stores, and more, all there to help you plan for your big day. You could be exposed to vendor services you hadn’t at first considered, and you can meet industry professionals to help you decide who you’d like to work with. The great thing is that you can actually talk to them in person! That’s invaluable! Not to mention all the cake samples and catering spoonfuls (umm ok platefuls!) you can consume! You may not remember every conversation with every vendor. That’s normal. But the conversations you do remember are usually the ones that you connected with, so those are the ones you want to contact again!

*Bonus tip: As you have conversations with vendors, they usually give you a card or an info sheet. If you have a good conversation, remember to mark those sheets, because once you get home, you will want to remember those people!

2. You get to gather ideas.

Second, it gives you an opportunity to gather stylistic design ideas for your day. Typically, each show will have a theme showcasing new decor ideas, color pairings, the newest designer dresses, and the trends for the year, and it’s the perfect way to finalize your own wedding details! Our local Wedding Festivals shows even feature several workshops taught by industry professionals to help you as you plan, so be sure to attend those when possible! For example, Alyssa gave a workshop on “Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Photographer.” Bridal shows can be a great source of inspiration, so don’t forget to take notes!

3. You get to be a bride.

And lastly, it’s a wonderful opportunity to enjoy being a bride. You won’t get to plan a wedding every day, so you have to enjoy this time! Bridal shows can get overwhelming, especially when there’s information coming at you from all sides. But these shows are ultimately about you. Enter your name in all those drawings. Take advantage of the photo booth with your mom or maid of honor. Take photos of the fashion show for when you go dress shopping later. And pick up all those free samples and giveaways! Wear your bride sticker proudly. Don’t let the fact that everyone wants to talk to you overwhelm you. And don’t forget to enjoy it!

If this was helpful to you, check out our other posts about Choosing Your Wedding Photographer or Choosing Your Wedding Vendors!