This is a guest blog that I wrote for weddingdates.ie in 2015
The Wedding and Honeymoon Show in the RDS is approaching us and in light of that, here is my wedding fair survival guide!
It’s that time of year…..Wedding Fair Season! To an innocent novice, these wedding events can be very daunting. So much choice, hungry sales people, all sorts of bells and whistles you didn’t think you needed for a wedding, a bored husband to be, cheesy dance routines in the fashion shows, other brides elbowing you in the ribs to get you out of the way and of course……free cake…………ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
Ok don’t panic, a wedding fair can be really enjoyable if you follow these steps:
- When you walk in, coordinate your route – never walk straight down the centre, start from the left or right wings and make your way through the aisles as if you were in Tesco’s shopping.
- Know what you are there to look at. It’s very easy to get information overload so try and keep a filter of key priority information. You don’t have to do all of your wedding planning at once.
- If the people manning the stands don’t acknowledge you as you pass or don’t ask you if you are looking for what they supply, they are not interested in your business. The sales people that make this effort and who are standing up waiting for you to pass are more interested in your wedding. I know it can be scary with so many people asking for your business but if you are not interested, all you have to do is say “no thank you”. Avoid the stands where the attendant is sitting in the background playing with their phone.
- If your partner is not really enamoured with the prospect of going to a wedding fair, don’t bring them, you WILL end up having a tiff (trust me you will – I see it all the time). Bring your bridal team instead and you will all have a blast!
- There are a lot of great deals available on the day, always ask suppliers what deals they are doing for people they meet at fairs.
- Its very hard to have a good chat with suppliers about your wedding so if you like the basic information you get, make an appointment to follow up for a longer discussion after the event.
- Look at the hotel and event stands, they are always working hard to come up with creative table settings and décor, they make for great inspiration for your wedding décor.
- There are a lot of random products that can be bought at the fair, if you didn’t have it mind before you entered the door, don’t buy it on impulse, go home, think about it and 5 days later if you still really want it then buy it. Avoid impulse buying.
- If you are wheeling and dealing, make sure to find out if there are any hidden costs that may come up and bite you later on. Get every quote in writing as the sales people are meeting so many people that they may forget your special deal.
- Finally, enjoy every second of this as once you get married you won’t get to enjoy this fun after the big day….well you could keep going but that’s just a bit weird!
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