Are you recently engaged? Are you still planning your wedding? Are you attending a bridal show this month?
This is definitely the time of year that there are plenty of bridal shows to choose from! While bridal shows may vary in size, all will offer you the opportunity to see and meet with a variety of wedding professional in one place at one time. While some shows may be small and intimate, others may be huge and a bit overwhelming.
I have a couple pieces of advice for you to "make the most" of any show that you attend:
1. Know what you need.
Figure out in advance if you will be tasting cakes or looking for photographers. While you can, and should, try to walk through the whole show, if you don't have a game plan, you may find that you get too tired or distracted to find the wedding professionals you went to the show to find.
2A. Take good notes.
Imagine arriving at the bridal show with 200 wedding professionals showcasing their services and wares and you have the good luck of finding the best cake baker in the whole state. "But," you think, "maybe I should go peek and have a quick taste of the other cakes, just to be sure." After a few more tastes, your tongue is sugared-out and you forgot who your favorite baker was, let alone where their booth is located and now you fear you will have to settle for blah ordinary wedding cake! Taking good notes could have saved you.
When you find a wedding professional that you love, write it down, either on the literature they hand out, on their business card, or on the show program. Taking a few notes on why you love them will also help you remember who they are after you leave the show. Don't rely on your memory; you will have too many other things to see and do.
2B. Bring a fine-tip Sharpie.
Having a pen handy is helpful, and a lot of shows will even give you one for free, but having a fine-tip Sharpie is even better. Some wedding professionals will have a glossy brochure or a glossy business card which is difficult to write on with a pen. Your Sharpie will write on almost anything, so it is perfect for your bridal show note-taking.
If you are looking for shows to attend, come visit two that we will be at:
January 14 & 15, 2012
Alliant Energy Center, Madison WI
We have been in this show since 2002!
January 28, 2012
Spielman's, Cedar Rapids IA
We are looking forward to our second year in this show!
Emily and Eric were married in Madison, Wisconsin, at St. Thomas Aquinas. Their reception followed at the Pyle Center, on the UW campus. Being a school teacher, Emily was able to have a fellow art teacher make their Thank You sign. We incorporated that into their Thank You cards after the wedding. It was a fun way to show off wedding images with their notes to family and friends. 
