Top 5 tips for attending a wedding show
Having been the venue for Auckland’s popular Bride & Groom Show for well over a decade, you could say we know what it’s like to attend a bridal expo.
With the big show returning here on Sunday (31 July) – and knowing all too well how overwhelming expos of this size can be (but equally, how important they are!) – we wanted to share our tips on how to get the most out of attending a wedding show.
Our team of experienced account managers have compiled their tops tips to ensure you get what you need when you attend a wedding show.
1. Plan ahead and take a look at the vendors who will be at the show. If your cousin is a florist and you know you won’t need one for your wedding, you can obviously skip them.
Plan your day around the key suppliers or favourites you’d like to talk to. This way, you won’t get distracted by everything else that’s going on or miss out on seeing anyone because you took too long getting your photo taken in the photo booth (unless, of course, this is something you need to check out at the show!).
2. Arrive early and take someone with you
If your partner isn’t that excited about a day spent wandering around looking at all things ‘wedding’, invite your mum, sister, auntie or best mate to help keep an eye out for things of interest and sense-check those crazy ideas you might be inspired by – no, you don’t have a budget to fly every guest to the wedding ceremony by helicopter…
3. Take notes
The Bride & Groom show will be full of thought-provoking sights and ideas and you’re sure to have a few ‘ah-ha’ moments (especially when you check out our amazing new wedding venue-hire space!).
There could be a lot of these ‘moments’, so keeping notes will help you in the days following the show when you’re trying to remember EVERYTHING you saw and thought of.
Think of these things when taking notes:
- Planning tips from the experts
- Suppliers you love
- Things you’d like to research further
- Ideas that you’d like to execute from something you saw on one of the stands
- AND take photos too. This way, when you book suppliers, you can ensure you’re both on the same page with things you like and don’t – a picture paints a thousand words!
4. Get the name and contact details of the people you talk with at the wedding show – in particular, the ones you resonate with and would like to work with. It will make life much easier and more pleasant if you book with suppliers who you like on a personal level.
You end up conversing with these people a fair amount in the lead-up to your wedding, so knowing that you a.) like them and b.) are on the same page about the event, will make your whole wedding experience that much better.
5. Schedule follow-up appointments for after the show.
By scheduling a follow-up appointment with a vendor, you can see their full range of products &, by having them in a one-on-one situation, you’ll have the time & attention needed to get answers to those questions that may be missed thanks to how busy a wedding show can be.
