As promised!
1. Bring at least 2 people with you. The Houston Bridal Extravaganza Show is apparently the largest in the US and had around 600 companies and 900 booths. You’ll need the extra hands for holding stuff and the extra moral support. It was a 3 person job, one to check out the booths and talk to people(me!), one to be in charge of the labels and door prize entry tickets (sis, see #2), and one to hold the literature (mom).
2. Address labels. Make your own at home and include both the bride and groom’s name, address, phone number, email address and wedding date. At the end of the very first row they had someone selling labels. If you tried to hand write all the requests for information and the giveaway entries, your hand would probably, literally fall off.
3. Set up a new email address. For all the responses and/or junk you might receive. Or you could just use one of the fiancé’s least used, fantasy football email addresses.
4. Be wary. It sounds like a great deal when (Insert name of Large Budget Bridal Wear Store here!) wants to give you a $100 gift card…yeah, for signing up for X number of bridesmaid dresses and putting a deposit down, and scheduling a fitting THAT DAY!
5. And be ready to say “no thank you.” Just remember, there are thousands of other people who will be talking to them throughout the day, so they won’t remember you or take it personally if you aren’t interested in what they are offering.
6. Don’t get too overwhelmed. You could book yourself a $100,000 wedding in no time between the table linens, invitations, DJ, venues, bride & groom tshirts, honeymoons, ice sculptures and especially photography. A lot of things will seem SOOOO GREAT, and a $5,000 photography package will begin to seem reasonable, but don’t let it get to you.
7. Bring a stapler. It sounds dorky, but will come in handy when you realize every place gives you at least a business card and a flyer. Keep everything organized by stapling it together. (This is where the extra person would come in handy!) Or if you don’t want to bring the stapler to the show, staple everything right when you get home.
8. Make notes of things you like on the flyers or brochures. It will help you later when you are trying to sort through the mess (remember we came home with 16.5 pounds of wedding related literature!)
9. Wear comfortable shoes. This one sounds obvious, but we were there for 4 hours and walked 18 aisles. Your feet WILL start to hurt by the end regardless of what shoes you wear, but your feet will thank you if you start out in something comfortable.
10. Have fun! Don’t be afraid to try get in the photo booth or try out air brush makeup.
Andrea Unplugged 