Today marked my first visit to a wedding expo. Not Amanda's, of course. She's wears the practiced look of a bridal show veteran, navigating the maze of booths, venues, and business with mechanical, ruthless ease. We were organized.
Doubt me? Pah. We had stickers. Other, amateurish couples had to write their addresses down each time they visited a booth. Not us. I had my pre-made, Amanda Graham return address labels, complete with name, address, and wedding date, saving us precious minutes of time and sparing the vendors the sight of my poor penmanship. We were that prepared.
Otherwise, it was a fun show, but a little bit disappointing. Amanda has informed me that it was far from the class of bridal show that you'd see in Texas. But then, Amanda finds most things in Washington to be slightly inferior in quality to the great South. There were a surprising amount of photographers, very little cake, and the barest amount of free swag.
Still, it was our first real engaged outing, and I enjoyed myself immensely. I got a groom sticker. Thinking of wearing it to work tomorrow.
S
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| The "Bride" and "Groom" stickers! haha |
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We ventured out today to the Tacoma Fall Bridal Show. It was fun going with Scott but weird that I wasn't "working" the bridal show but "attending" instead. We got the cheesy Bride and Groom stickers given to us within 5 seconds of entering the door. : ) I used to laugh on the inside when I saw people wearing them, but I wore mine with pride today!
So with that being said here's a few tips to those of you who will be attending a bridal show in the future:
- Check online on the bridal show website. Many times you can print out coupons i.e. Buy one ticket get one free. We saved $15 today! Also, we parked in the street and burned some calories while walking a few blocks and saved another $10. Good day for the wedding budget!
- Go prepared. Take a bag where you can easily put information in and is easy to carry. Skip the purse. Many times the bridal show will have premade goody bags for the guests but you can't put these over your shoulder. You are then left fumbling (no football though) when looking, tasting, and talking to vendors. Not to mention that had ran out of them by the time we got there this afternoon.
- Stickers are your best friend at bridal shows. Before you go, make printed out Avery self adhesive address labels with Bride's Name, Groom's Name, Address, Phone Number, Email, and Wedding Date. Your hand will thank you after it's all done and over with!
- Sign up for EVERYTHING. You never know what you will win! : ) We are hoping for a honeymoon.
- Don't get stuck with those crazy vendors that will talk your head off. Meet them, ask them your questions, and get the information.
- Timing is crucial. I would advise you going to the bridal show during "non-peak" times such as the end of the day on Saturday or Sunday. We went today with 2 hours remaining and managed to see ALL of it in an hour. We didn't have to fight any crowds or Bridezillas! Yikes! (I have been around my fair share.)
- Go for the FOOD! This is one of the best things about bridal shows. You get all the yummy tastes you want from crab cakes to wedding cake. Don't skip out on this part. *Please note that this part only applies to Texas bridal shows. The Washington one really lacked the Food Perk.*
- Take your fiance if you want. I am lucky to have a guy that is willing and inquisitive about weddings. And no he's not faking it for my part. : ) Or at least if he is, he's great at faking. Add that to his wonderful qualities. If the fiance is a no go, then round up your friends! : )
That's it! If you apply those tips-you are sure to have a great time.
~A.
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| Cool shot that Scott took |
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Information Overload!
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Amanda + Scott
