Tips for attending this weekend’s bridal show…

Just a quick reminder to all of you – the Convention Center Bridal Show is THIS weekend! :) 

As promised, I wanted to post some helpful hints for attending bridal shows since this may be the first time many of you have ever attended a large bridal show like this…

1. Wear comfy shoes! 🙂 Comfort outweighs the cute factor when choosing shoes ladies! 😉 Even though the Sagamore Ballroom is carpeted, you’ll probably be doing a lot of walking and standing so no uncomfy shoes that day! Also, leave your coat in the car if possible. It will be one less thing to carry in and out that day since you’ll be coming out with lots of bags of samples, brochures and information!

2. The Convention Center is located just south of the Westin and the Sagamore Ballrooms are closest to the Westin’s skywalk. The easiest way to get there is to park at the Westin (or in one of the government center garages that are less expensive) then take the Westin skywalk on the 2nd floor across to the Convention Center. Make a left once you’re inside the convention center and the ballrooms will be up on your right. Plan to be there for at least a few hours, the fashion show is usually about 45-60 minutes in length and always worth watching! (Tip: Get there early, seating is first come, first served!)

3. Unless you enjoy filling out your name, address, phone number, wedding date, etc. a million times, save yourself some time and make pre-printed labels before you go!! Vendors will appreciate it because your info will probably be more legible and you’ll save yourself a lot of time filling out the same info over and over again. Here’s what needs to be on your label: Bride’s name, Groom’s name, address, city, state, zip, phone number (if you want to be called), a valid e-mail address (a MUST!) and your wedding date. A few vendors may ask for more specific information which you can write in as needed but that will save you a lot of time.

4. Just remember, if you do NOT want to be called after the show, do NOT give out your phone number. This seems logical but I can’t tell you how many of my vendor friends have told me that brides have requested to be called after the show or they’ve given out their phone number and then treated wedding professionals like they are random telemarketers! LOL

5. Bring cash with you the day of the show. The entrance fee to the Convention Center show is $5 per person at the door and you’ll need cash again when paying for anything at the concession stand and again for parking. If you forget and are in a bind, the Westin has an ATM across from Starbucks in their lobby, just FYI. 😉

6. Bring a notebook, pen and a small digital camera with you so that you can take pictures of unique ideas and write down who you want to contact for appointments after the show. Sometimes after you’ve seen the 10th photographer, we all start to look alike and afterwards, you may forget who was who!

7. Bring your calendar with you if you’d like to book appointments at the show and bring your check book or credit card if you plan on securing services at the show. We typically do not book weddings on the spot at the shows because we like to make sure we’re a good fit (style and personality!) for each client, rather than booking dates in a frenzy. 😉 Once the show is over though, dates are booked first come, first served so call or email us ASAP! We usually have many brides with the same wedding dates calling & e-mailing after the show so the sooner you book an appointment afterwards, the more likely you’ll be able to reserve your date with us! Also, destination weddings are HUGE this year (they’re up 400% over years past) so if you’re having a destination wedding, please know that we DO travel and we LOVE to travel but we’ll need to book our arrangements early to get the best deals for your package. 😉

8. Talk to vendors & have fun! Stop by our booth, we’ll be between Sound Spectrum Entertainment and Indy Floral Designs this weekend so come see us! We will have a special giveaway that brides will be able to register for at our booth and we’ll be honoring all 2008 rates through the end of January so come see us this weekend! 🙂

P.S. Sorry for not posting photo credits above but I found these pics as stock photos on google. If anyone knows who these belong to, please let me know so I can credit them. 😉 ….couldn’t have a blog post without photos, you know?! 🙂