Bridal Fairs? Worth going?

[Independent Gal]

Are bridal fairs they worth going to? I got a free pass for four people to go to one. But I have no one to go with since my bridal party are abroad! I don''t mind at all going alone. But is it worth bothering? Are they fun?

 

[Haven]

Meh.

I''ve been to quite a few for all the weddings I''ve been involved with, and I''m sure they''re really great for brides who need vendors, but as a member of the bridal party they all just seemed like long, cheesy commercials from which there was no escape.

Okay, they''re not that bad, and I actually think I''ll go to one since we don''t have any vendors yet. Just be prepared to move very slowly through a mass of people who would very much like to get your personal contact information. And your credit card number.

 

[HollyS]

Go if there is one close to home; definitely. I went to one in January, and eventually in June used the bridal shop featured at the fair. The ladies had been so intent on helping me -- at the fair -- that they remembered me six months later when I walked into their shop! These events are a great way to make some connections with your local vendors. Don''t just walk around collecting brochures; stop and really talk to the vendors and get a feel for them on a more personal level.

 

[Miscka]

Well, do you like cake?? I went with an engaged friend and I had fun trying all the cakes....

It was good, we found her a great florist and some other ideas. You should try one!

 

[april diamonds]

Oh good question, Indy Gal! I wanted to know the same thing. A bit of a thread hijack, but can anyone recommend any good bridal fairs for the NY/NJ area.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I liked them, we got a much better idea of photographers in the area and a lot of free food. I learned most wedding cakes in my area have no flavor which actually saved me a lot of trouble.
Don''t enter any contests or give anyone your address. I signed with one florist I liked and have since gotten mailings from different wedding locals and christian pre marriage counsaling which is funny becuase my FI is a secular humanist and I am a neopagan dianist.

 

[ladyciel]

We''re going to one on Sunday, so I''ll report back after that!

 

[sumbride]

I went and took 2 of my bridesmaids. It was torture! Really. Of course, since I''m getting married in a different part of the country, the vendors weren''t really applicable. We did eat a lot of cake. And I got a LOT of spam and phone calls. It''s aimed at the younger, more traditional bride generally... or at least the one I went to. I would not recommend it unless you just don''t have any vendors yet.

 

[ladyciel]

Sorry for the delay, but I went to a bridal show on Sunday and wanted to report in.

The Pros: I found 2-3 potential photographers, a very real possibility for a cake (SOOOO YUMMY!), and met a florist who seemed like he would be really great to work with (friendly, creative, seemed to really listen and be willing to work within/for your budget and vision). I might have also found a potential venue, but that requires more research before I can say one way or the other. Free local wedding magazines (sadly, already bought one of them, but the other 2 were new to me). Had the chance to win great prizes the big winner got a honeymoon package (among other things).

The Cons: Sales pitches, high pressure from After Hours (after I got through the BS it came down to "give us 20 bucks now and you can have all these savings, promise! Oh, and if you ask, we''ll give you your 20 bucks back. No, really, we will!", greasy (figuratively and literally) photographers that just gave me the willies, event hosts who thought they were leading a pep rally (all I could do was pray they would shut up....it didn''t work), follow-up calls from numerous businesses, the same 5 David''s Bridal dresses that you see plastered everywhere, crowded, didn''t win anything

The Verdict: If you still need vendors, give it a shot. If not, don''t bother. I''m glad we went; we found some great vendors we might never have come across otherwise.

 

[april diamonds]

I went to one this past Monday. It was a 2008 collection fashion show debut/bridal soriee. And it was fun since I had never been to 1) a fashion show 2) a bridal event but I wouldn''t say it was HELPFUL all that much. They had one makeup artist, one florist/event planner, one cake person, one videographer/lighting/music person, some accessory designer, and one or two other vendors. The cake samples and food samples were yummy as was the alcohol they provided.

However I found that most of the vendors were QUITE expensive and it was difficult to actually SPEAK to anyone because some of the brides were pretty pushy. But my friend and I just walked around, ate, and enjoyed the fashion show. Plus the goody bag at the end was kinda worth it. But overall, I wouldn''t say that I would actively try to find another one to go too, because this one was small compared to the other ones I''ve heard of and the crowds at those just don''t sound that attractive.

 

[Independent Gal]

Well, our wedding is abroad, so we don''t need vendors here except possibly a cake baker. One of our friends in town is throwing a party for our friends here, since we''re not inviting many of them to the wedding. We thoguht, since we''re not doing cake at the actual wedding, it would be fun for our friends here to get to see something wedding-y to differentiate it from any old party.


So, maybe I should go taste cakes? Sounds kinda not worth it though. Hmmm...

Thanks Ladyciel and everyone else!

 

[Pandora II]

I went to 2 here in London. One was a very high-end vendors event and quite small, the other was more mass market and massive.

The Designer one was fantastic, I met some of the vendors I had already picked out online (one of whom I''m now using for my work), the dresses were gorgeous and the general atmosphere very calm and pleasant. I am booking tickets in February, not because I need to go anymore, but so my mother - who has MS - can come and do the ''mother of the bride'' thing that she has been unable to do this year due to her illness.

The other one was hell on earth, seriously tacky and enough to make you run for the hills!