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Dedicated September 2021

Bridal shows

Ali, on January 22, 2020 at 1:09 PM Posted in Planning 0 3

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Sooo crazy idea here, my future mother in-law wants to throw her own bridal show.
Reason being a lot of the bridal shows we’ve been to have been a little disappointing in a couple aspects. Most of them are in the neighboring county and vendors are either from that county or the ones next to that one (not mine) meaning travel expenses for either the couple or the guests will come into play. Also we feel like there are a lot of the same types of vendors at the main ones which are great until you start to book and you no longer need the option of 7 photographers.
We actually went to a more “armature” bridal show and I feel they had the best variety of vendors with a fashion show and we overall we were more impressed than the bigger “better” ones in the area. I know most of you aren’t in my area but either as a bride or a wedding professional I’d love some input: 1. What did you like/dislike about bridal shows you’ve been to?2. What type of vendors would you like to see? Which ones did bridal shows link you to?3. Have you ever done anything like this? Pointers, tips, thoughts, ideas! Anything helps. Side note: I’m multitasking and I’m on the treadmill as I write this so sorry if they’re are typos!!

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Latest activity by Cherry, on January 28, 2020 at 11:36 AM

Expert February 2020
Cherry · on January 28, 2020 at 11:18 AM
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I had to read this twice because I thought you were talking about "showers" but you really did mean "show". I think the benefit of a bridal show is that you get ideas. Sure, you might book something, but it's also a great place to get pricing and speak with someone one-on-one. It's also a great place to consider what you don't want to be a part of your wedding, so it's good for narrowing things down.

Bridal shows can also be unnecessary, as you can save a lot of ideas on Pinterest. LOL. I went to one bridal show when I was a bridesmaid and didn't feel the need to attend one as a bride. I saw everything I needed to see. It's vendors pitching to become a part of your dream day. It's a wedding industry tool. No offense to those vendors who use it as a tool - it IS a great tool to grow a business. But it's not necessary unless there's a vendor there you, personally, are interested in speaking with, and it's also a great place to get a feel for how your event can look (like you can see floral arrangements in person, view someone's complete photography catalogue, listen to how a DJ spins, etc.). If you need those things, go to the show.

Also, I am trying to picture a homemade bridal show in my head and it doesn't sound appealing to me, but this is why: Will it be like... in a church basement with tables set up and just you and your family are in attendance? That's what I'm picturing? IDK lol.

I guess I love the glam and glitz of bigger events though. But honestly, in my opinion, if you've seen one bridal show, you've seen them all.
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Dedicated September 2021
Ali · on January 28, 2020 at 11:24 AM
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Thank you for your thoughts! My cousin is engaged as well and is definitely on the same page regarding bridal shows as you are; more or less just not for here. Ideally what my the “homemade” bridal show would be an event. Renting out either a very large venue or convention center to allow the larger scale and then inviting the public. Basically what they bridal industry puts on but inviting more local vendors to bring more local vendors to the brides in my area.
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Expert February 2020
Cherry · on January 28, 2020 at 11:36 AM
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OK, gotcha. That sounds like a HUGE undertaking, but I'm glad it's not in a church basement.

I guess the first question you'd have to ask is how much money would you need to make back to recoup the cost of the rental space? What would you be providing (tables, chairs, music, decor, etc.), and then how many vendors and how much you'd have to charge each vendor to recoup those costs and make a profit. If you're inviting more local vendors (who may be smaller), they may not have as much money to put into it as the bigger box stores do. And you'd likely have to prove to many of the vendors that the show would be a success for them, which could be hard to do if it's the first time you're doing it. But eventually, it would get easier.

Best of luck to you guys! I otherwise wouldn't know the first thing about arranging a whole bridal show. It gives me a headache just thinking about it. LOL!
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