Wedding show season is upon us and no doubt, you will attend many shows! Keep these tips in mind when preparing to to attend a show/expo, so you get the most out of it!
Bring the Right People
This is a fabulous and fun way to share your wedding vision with those closest to you. Maybe bring a couple of friends, or your mom and your future mother-in-law (what a nice way to spend an afternoon with 2 very important women in your life!)
I love it when couples attend together, too, so bring your partner with you! He/she will enjoy sampling the tasty treats caterers and bakers will have available, as well as really get into sharing his/her thoughts about the providers you will meet! You can decide together about wedding services such as invitations, flowers, tuxedos, DJs, honeymoon destinations and photography.
No matter who comes with you, be sure to tell them to wear comfortable shoes!
Make it Easy on Yourself
Since the provider(s) at each booth you stop at will ask for your contact information, print out some address label stickers with your information – your name and your fiancé’s name, email address, phone number and wedding date. This will allow you to spend your time with vendors asking questions, rather than writing down your info. If you are asking your honor attendant to go with you to the show, ask him/her to print out some pretty labels for you to use! If you are attending a wedding show at which Events by Lexi will be (you can usually find this out on the host’s wedding show/expo website page), call 410-978-2048 or email at lexi@eventsbylexi.com, at least a week before the show with your contact information, and we will make the stickers for you!
Mark your Favorites
If you are attending at show at which Events by Lexi will have a booth, stop by there first to get stickers to use during the show/expo. These stickers allow you to mark the information of providers with whom you have a strong connection, as someone you really liked and will reach out to later! That way, you’ll remember them and why you liked them! You can reference that when you contact them for a quote or more information.
Take Notes & Pictures
If you have friends attending the show/expo with you, designate one of them to be your photographer for the day by taking pictures of the booths that you are definitely interested in learning more about! Wedding shows can be overwhelming (especially if there are more than just a few providers), and the pictures will help you remember who you spoke with and whose services impressed you even if you are not ready to book right away. While most exhibitors are okay with you taking a photo of their booth/service, please ask them to be sure. If your notes or photos aren’t clear, you can always follow up with the wedding show host to ask about the businesses who participated.
Enter to Win!
Many wedding pros offer real prizes that are typically geared to wedding related things (perfect for you!), so definitely enter to win!
Have Fun and be Chatty
Ask questions and be friendly! This is a great opportunity to connect one-on-one with the wedding pros. We want to hear about your wedding and through conversation, both you and the wedding pro will be able to determine whether you’d be a good fit for one another.
Make a Wedding-Only Email Address
If you are like me, your email inbox is overflowing with your day-to-day emails, which can be overwhelming itself! Creating a separate email address for wedding pros to use eliminates the clutter from your regular inbox and keeps all wedding-related emails together under one account (be sure both you and your fiancé know how to access that wedding email address)! You should also plan to keep that email open for at least a few months after the wedding, as many providers will want to reach out to you thanking you for asking them to be on your wedding team, and that way the photographer is able to send you the gallery link to your wedding pictures!
Do you have other tips you can share with couples during wedding show season?! If so, please share!
