I hear you’re getting married, eh? Awesome!

You know you have to attend a wedding show, right? No, but really – you probably should. They are THE place to find a ton of different vendors all in the same place, at the same time. It’s a phenomenal way to get a better idea of who you’d like to hire and work with for your big day.

But, let’s be real – while wedding shows, expos, etc. are pretty great… they can also kind of suck too. Yes, I said it – wedding shows can totally be a pain in the neck if you don’t know *how* to attend one. They’re overwhelming, daunting, packed with too much information and just plain crazy!

Have no fear, I’m here with 3 tips that I think will banish all of the negative effects you might feel from a wedding show – AND let you walk away from your time there feeling like you’ve actually accomplished something!

Ready? Let’s jump in!

1. Don’t Be Scared

SOOOOO often, people assume that wedding shows are like the insanely massive corporate expos that last for weeks and gross billions of dollars in large contracts. Not the case. While they ARE an incredibly valuable time for wedding businesses, they are filled with regular people… Small business owners that have one goal: to make your day better by offering you the service they’re experienced in.

We’re just people. We won’t bite and we aren’t there to corner you and pressure you into booking with us – we’re simply there to meet you and see if we can help make your day better by being a small part of it. So, don’t be scared. Stop by and say hello!

2. Ask The Questions

This is vital. When you’re talking with vendors at a wedding show, make sure to ask the questions YOU want answers to. Don’t just search for a list of “must ask questions,” but rather focus on getting answers to the things that worry or bother you about that specific part of your wedding day. Truly, there is no stupid question – I promise! The worst part of a show, from a vendors perspective, is when someone has nothing to say or no questions to ask… Because then we’re not able to start a conversation that makes sense for YOU.

One of the biggest goals of a wedding show is to help couples find vendors that match the budget and style of the wedding they’re planning – so asking the exact questions that you’re thinking is THE best way to get the answers that will truly help YOU! So, go ahead and ask away!

3. Go Through Things the SAME DAY

I’m about to give you a tip that will revolutionize how beneficial a wedding show can be for you. Prepare yourself, it’s pretty amazing!

When you get home from the wedding show, take your bag(s) of stuff gathered from the day and dump ALLLLLLLL that stuff out on the kitchen table. Then, go through everything one piece at time. (Yes, piece by piece) As you pick up something see if you remember anything about who handed it to you, or try to remember something that was said in your conversation with them that resonated with you. If you can’t really remember anything memorable about them or their business, toss it in the trash and move on to the next piece. Do this the exact same day while things are fresh on your mind, and before that bag full of cards and candy gets shoved to the corner of your desk and becomes one more thing of clutter sitting around.

Taking this approach to the information you gathered at the show helps not only highlight the really good connections you had at the show, but it also helps you narrow down your search for the right vendors. AND it keeps you from wasting your time looking up their website trying to remember if you liked them in the first place!

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There they are, my top three tips for getting the most out of a wedding show! If you have found these helpful, pass them along to someone you know planning a wedding…

Happy Friday, friends!