by August Veils

Congratulations on your engagement. This is a wondrous time that will  involve a tremendous amount of time, family, friends and of course money. With your newly bedazzled finger, you will be on the hunt for all of the things needed to make your wedding day a DAY to remember.

This will be the one moment that you are the QUEEN. All eyes will be on you and your husband ! Let’s make your decision making on your vendors and services a bit easier. Below you will find a bullet point list of what to expect and what you should do when you attend a bridal show. Attending a show is the best opportunity to see a large amount of wedding professionals without having to make an appointment or do tons of travel. Good luck and we hope that all of your dreams for the Big Day are realized!

- research where the shows will be located and when they occur. There is no need to attend a show if it is after your wedding date or if you have completed everything on your to do list. Unless you are attending with a friend that is just getting started. Then you can be her guide!

- Decide on how many people you would like to accompany you to the show. It is important to bring those that will help you in making an informed decision. If you are receiving monetary help from parents or family, bring them as they will want to see what you are considering. If they live out of town, ask them to schedule a visit at the same time as the show. Or if that is not a possibility, you can text them the info right from the show! Bringing the entire bridal party because you think it will be fun is not always the best idea. More often than not, the comments from too many people become confusing.

- Eat a very good breakfast packed with protein and fiber. You will be walking quite a bit . Conversing with many people. You will need the energy to sustain your stamina. There is usually tons of cake and sweets to sample at the show. If you do not have a good meal in your belly, a sugar crash will soon follow.

- Stay Hydrated. Bring or purchase water at the show. When your body is not properly hydrated, you become loopy and irritable. Save yourself the embarrassment of apologizing for erratic behavior and drink plenty of fluids.

- Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. It’s important to be comfortable when you are walking for what seems like miles. You will be gathering much information and most likely carrying it in a tote bag. This bag becomes ridiculously heavy a few hours into the show. The lesson here is to leave your 4″ pumps for date night and don your sneakers. Bring a shoulder or messenger bag to collect information so that you can free up your hands.

- Be prepared to talk to the professionals. Take a moment prior to the show and write down which services or products you need. For example, if you already have a venue chosen and booked, there is no reason to stop and speak to pros representing venues. Unless your wedding requires multiple locations then of course, stop and ask questions. They are there to provide you with answers. And let’s be honest, they are there in hopes that you will choose their company to be a part of your wedding. When one of them approaches you to give you info, politely let them know that you already have a venue booked . Thank them for their time. This is just one example. The businesses representing their product and services are wanting to talk to you. This is the best time to visit and decide if you like them. Do you like their personality? Their price point? Their flexibility? It’s all right there for you.

- Bring your wallet and be ready to book the day of the show. This at first sounds crazy. What you want me to make a decision today? Yes is the answer. Many of the businesses will be offering a SHOW SPECIAL. What is that you ask? It can either be a coupon for a percentage off on their services/product. It could be an added value item if you book with them. We’ll use a bridal store as an example. In Seattle, the shows there have huge gown sales. The brides know that the prices will be way lower there than if they went to THAT store on any other day. So a gown that would be say $1000 would be offered for sale that day only for $800. One store offered free shoes on top of that. A value of $70. Another offered a free garter set and pressing. Value of that upgrade was $100. What we are trying to get across is that you can save substantially on taking advantage of a promotions offered at the show only.The best way to prepare yourself for this is to do research on which Wedding pros will be at the show. Make a list of those people you are interested in and go them right when you get to the show. The things that book up immediately will be venue (church and reception site), photographer and wedding coordinator. If any of these are on your radar keep in mind that the best pros and places get booked sometimes a year in advance. Do not be shy and ask if they are offering any promotions. If they do not offer any, still consider them as with or without a special, that person could be exactly what you are looking for. Be kind when they offer you their best deals. Keep in mind that they are in business for themselves and like you have bills to pay. Additional haranguing will only be demeaning to your character as well as insulting them. Moral of this story …..is to be fair and respectful.

- You will walk away with a literal BAG of information. Most brides NEVER go through the bag. It becomes too intimidating. If you are attending a show, it’s because you need info. Devise a system that works for you to help you quickly find the pros that you like. For example, “dog ear” the corner of business cards or brochures. Bring a bag of paperclips to put on their info. Have two bags or totes. One for those people you LOVE and one for other information. These are just examples. Find one that works with you.

- Once you get home weed through the bag and only keep the info that you are interested in. Offer your leftover collateral to a friend that may be getting married who did not have the chance to attend the show. Recycle the rest to be kind to Mother Earth! Organize them in your wedding binder (c’mon I know you have one). This makes it easier to refer to and everything will be at your fingertips.

- Cross off your list anything you got done after the show. Pat yourself on the bag for a job well done. And then…. move on to the next thing you need to get done on your TO DO list!

Sign up for the Bravo! Wedding Affair on Feb. 20th at the Embassy Suites Downtown Portland Hotel. Register here: www.bravowedding.com/weddingaffair