Bridal Expos

[mayachel]

Have you been? Why did you go? Are they worth the time and energy? Are they about spending more than you bargained for by showing you all the great things you hadn''t considered?

 

[fieryred33143]

I *love* bridal expos because its the only time I can eat like 7 pieces of cake without having people look at me like I''m a pig.

It''s fun and you do get ideas from them. Personally, I found that the only vendors that showed up were the really common and as such really expensive vendors. But they had a lot of give-aways.

 

[sunnyd]

I think they're great! You get an idea of the local vendors, plus most of them give big discounts if you book there, or at least give you coupons or email flyers. Totally worth it, IMO. I also got my dress there for 1/2 off!

ETA: Seattle also has the largest wedding show in the country and I went right at the beginning of planning, so it was actually helpful to get bombarded with info.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Hahahaha my opinion is the exact opposite of fiery''s.

Hehe I don''t like cake that much so I never taste tested any. My mom had one little cupful of one and she loved it though.

I think it depends on where you are in your planning first of all. I went before I''d started anything (not even set a date or location yet, except that it would be in the state), with the assumption that it would help me get ideas to get started. WRONG.

After about an hour, I got overwhelmed, hot, crowded, and frustrated. I realized you HAD to have at least a date and place set, at least for everyone here you did. All the vendors were there mostly to book people. I understand that, but it was a sales pitch everytime someone at a booth pulled me in or whenever I just wanted a pamphlet. They wouldn''t even tell me prices until I told them when/where. One videographer, when I told him "We''re thinking about May," told me I''d better "get a move on, because we''re almost booked up for the rest of next year!!" (This was last OCTOBER.)

So all this RUSHING of people and dates and booking... just really got to me. I''m not one for rushing anyway, and FI and I are planning a wedding we want to be personal and meaningful, so rushing into things is just not how we wanted to go about planning a wedding. For this reason, we''re still not settled on a date, but we''re looking into this fall now. I also have skipped other bridal shows.

My mom did calm me down and tell me not to feel rushed or overwhelmed. There were also some other vendors there who were very nice and definitely gave me good vibes as far as being the type of people I''d like surrounding me on my wedding day - some photographers in particular. However, as far as decor ideas and dress ideas, there really weren''t more than a few real cakes, a few big notebooks people were waiting in line to look at with cake photos in them, a few models walking around the show in dresses

, and LOTS of vendors trying to get your business.

So in short, I still have the huge bag with the notebook and all the pamphlets from that bridal show sitting in a bag at home I haven''t opened since that weekend, haha. But I think I would enjoy them SO MUCH MORE if I was to go once I set a date/location. THEN it could possibly help me to get ideas of decorations, cakes, etc. Haha but I can also do ALL of this on the internet... and Pricescope, of course!

 

[redfaerythinker]

I go because they''re fun. You get to eat good cake and look at all the vendors. The one I went to had a fashion show and it was without a doubt the funniest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. There was one model that lumbered barefoot down the runway like a linebacker at ninety miles per hour.

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date: 1/29/2009 3:02:56 PM
Author: sunnyd
I also got my dress there for 1/2 off!

Oh! I didn''t know you got THE dress from a bridal expo! I didn''t know they did that at bridal expos.

Nice thread mayachel- I always wondered the same question.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I think Bshows are great. Lots of fun and the cake is great. Those fashion shows can be tedious though! And they make you sit through the entire thing cause you have to be there for the drawing at the end to win prizes. If you''re really shopping for vendors, etc. Be sure to print up some address labels to stick on info request/entry forms. Writing your address over and over again is a PITA. And be prepared to get bombarded in the mail with random vendors. They''re not above selling your info.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I think Bshows are great. Lots of fun and the cake is great. Those fashion shows can be tedious though! And they make you sit through the entire thing cause you have to be there for the drawing at the end to win prizes. If you''re really shopping for vendors, etc. Be sure to print up some address labels to stick on info request/entry forms. Writing your address over and over again is a PITA. And be prepared to get bombarded in the mail with random vendors. They''re not above selling your info.

 

[galvana]

FI and I did not like the bridal expo we would to and would not recommend anyone going to them.

We felt like everyone was very "used-carsalemen" like.

We already had out reception place picked out, and photographer and we just didn''t like it.
They have a ton of places for you to sign up to "win" stuff.
DONT
they use your number and call and tell you that you have won but everything is a scam, you spend 30 minutes or so on the phone getting the "details of your winnings"
and then they tell you that you "ONLY" need to pay $500-$1000 -

i would not recommend it, but everyone is different.

 

[Diamond Confused]

I just went to one two weeks ago.

My fiancee and I have been engaged since september and had not done a single thing in terms of wedding planning. We thought maybe the bridal expo would be a good jumping off point. Let me tell you... we now have a venue, a photographer and a DJ. We are the laziest most unorganized human beings when it comes to planning. I think had we not been to the bridal expo, we would have just gone to Vegas.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 1/29/2009 3:23:52 PM
Author: Dreamgirl

Date: 1/29/2009 3:02:56 PM
Author: sunnyd
I also got my dress there for 1/2 off!

Oh! I didn''t know you got THE dress from a bridal expo! I didn''t know they did that at bridal expos.

Yep! It was a couple of salons, I think they were trying to dump the old samples (which explains why I can''t find my dress anywhere online!!)

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date: 1/29/2009 4:42:50 PM
Author: sunnyd

Date: 1/29/2009 3:23:52 PM
Author: Dreamgirl

Date: 1/29/2009 3:02:56 PM
Author: sunnyd
I also got my dress there for 1/2 off!

Oh! I didn''t know you got THE dress from a bridal expo! I didn''t know they did that at bridal expos.

Yep! It was a couple of salons, I think they were trying to dump the old samples (which explains why I can''t find my dress anywhere online!!)

NICE!!!! I will surely keep that in mind for the future

Sounds to me like bridal expos are AWESOME!!!

 

[tlh]

Date: 1/29/2009 2:46:35 PM
Author: fieryred33143
I *love* bridal expos because its the only time I can eat like 7 pieces of cake without having people look at me like I''m a pig.

It''s fun and you do get ideas from them. Personally, I found that the only vendors that showed up were the really common and as such really expensive vendors. But they had a lot of give-aways.

You are a sister of my true heart!
and ditto to everything else!

 

[FrekeChild]

Ugh. Not a fan. I went and ever since then I get random calls from Wisconsin about something I''ve won, and mailings all of the time, etc.

Not to mention it was absolutely worthless for me because I''m getting married in Vegas and the only vendors that were there were:
cake bakers
florists
tuxedos (FI will be wearing his suit)
photographers

the hotel had a representative
1 bridal shop

And that was it. It was a waste of my time. I didn''t eat any cake, and I''ve been getting harassed since then. I wish I hadn''t gone...

 

[elrohwen]

Ugh! FI and I went to one a few weeks ago and it was AWFUL. So many people milling about and so many obnoxious vendors. FI and I aren't ones for crowds and have strong BS meters (you wouldn't believe the BS some of the vendors tell you). The food wasn't good and the booze wasn't even free. LOL

We went in needing only a DJ and I think we found one, but we could've found them on the internet or through recommendations from our venue. We were out of there within 20min of entering and it wasn't soon enough.

That was just my personal experience, so take it with a grain of salt. I just know I'm gonna be PO'ed if I'm still getting junk mail from random vendors 6 months from now

ETA: There was not a single decor idea in the whole place. They were all just booths for vendors with tacky pictures from someone's wedding (for the photographers) or tacky strobe lights (for the DJs). Some lady had pots and pans and serving dishes ... right, because I'm gonna do my whole registration based on your booth

There was also no cake anywhere

 

[Rock Your Socks]

Date: 1/29/2009 5:09:26 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Ugh. Not a fan. I went and ever since then I get random calls from Wisconsin about something I''ve won, and mailings all of the time, etc.


Not to mention it was absolutely worthless for me because I''m getting married in Vegas and the only vendors that were there were:

cake bakers

florists

tuxedos (FI will be wearing his suit)

photographers


the hotel had a representative

1 bridal shop


And that was it. It was a waste of my time. I didn''t eat any cake, and I''ve been getting harassed since then. I wish I hadn''t gone...

Ditto. I''m not a fan either. What really peeved me off is that all the vendors that were set up were all trying to market their most expensive services and for gals on a budget it''s a waste of time and money. It''s like window shopping only much much more depressing! The only thing i liked is when they gave out free magazines, they at least were somewhat helpful

 

[SarahLovesJS]

I liked eating the cake..went specifically to meet some vendors. I''ve been to three I think now, but noooo more. I enjoyed some of it, but overall I ended up feeling pretty overwhelmed by all of the people and tired by the end of the day. The best things are the cake and the freebies (some useless, some not), otherwise eh. If you''re starting from scratch and don''t mind crowds I''d recommend one, but DO NOT sign up for anything even if they offer prizes and DON''T give them your info! They will NEVER leave you alone and you are literally authorizing them to give your info away.

Which means endless spam.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 1/29/2009 2:42:36 PM
Author:mayachel
Have you been? Why did you go? Are they worth the time and energy? Are they about spending more than you bargained for by showing you all the great things you hadn''t considered?

-I''ve been to a couple and enjoyed them.
-I went to get ideas and to meet vendors face to face.
-I think that they are worth the time and energy if you go to have fun and gather info and aren''t too serious about everything.
-I don''t think that they are about spending more than you bargained for by showing you all the great things you hadn''t considered. You can go and have a full day and lots of fun and not have to spend a cent. You can gather info, take it home, digest it and contact people at your will.
-The only thing that I ensure to do is to check the box that says that I do NOT want the vendors to contact me. I have heard that if you don''t do that that you are inundated with all kinds of wedding related spam.

If you are considering attending one, I say go for it and take your FI or some friends and make it a day!

 

[honey22]

I find them good for inspiration, you never know what kind of displays, vendors etc you will come across. You can also get a lot of discount coupons etc, but who knows whether these equate to real savings anyway.

They often have back copies of mags for a heavily discounted price, always worth the trip, don''t forget the grandma trolley.

I went to one expo where they were free chocies and cake at nearly every stand, and then the last stand was:

A liposuction clinic

Good on ya, shove cake and choccies down my throat for the first 200 stands and then I can make an appointment for some lipo before I leave

 

[galvana]

Date: 1/29/2009 5:09:26 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Ugh. Not a fan. I went and ever since then I get random calls from Wisconsin about something I''ve won, and mailings all of the time, etc.

Not to mention it was absolutely worthless for me because I''m getting married in Vegas and the only vendors that were there were:
cake bakers
florists
tuxedos (FI will be wearing his suit)
photographers

the hotel had a representative
1 bridal shop

And that was it. It was a waste of my time. I didn''t eat any cake, and I''ve been getting harassed since then. I wish I hadn''t gone...

I am SO with you Freke, both FI and i wish we had not gone, they keep harrasing us! lol

 

[mayachel]

Wow so many experiences. It seems that it depends a lot on the quality of the particular expo.


fieryred33143-Yay! Free cake!
honey22 LIPOSUCTION? No way!

That''s great sunnyd that you found your dress at one. I wouldn''t have even thought about expos as a place to dress shop.
luvthemstrawberries-Even though I''ve been on-line looking at things like I have OCD, we are basically at the very beginning of our planning still. (Though I do have a guest list from my mother complete with addresses

) That was partly why I thought now might be a decent time to go. But I also totally hear you on the overwhelmed part.
iloveprincesscutsgot...no giving out our real phone number or e-mail.