One of the floral sculptures made by MMD Events for the bridal show.

Lets start with the different types of brides that I met. There was the bride who was in shock, overwhelmed, and didn’t know where to start. The brides prepared with huge binders full of ideas, magazine clippings, and pictures. And the most common brides, in the middle of the extremes, who were calm, enjoying themselves, and there to find ideas and possible vendors for their wedding.

So amidst making these observations, I realized that there are many things brides should consider before attending a bridal show to make their time worth while.

• Have an idea of what you NEED. Do you need everything from a venue to a cake baker? Have at it and peruse the show to your liking. If you need a cake baker only, focus on those vendors and get the most information you can. Feel free to of course go to other vendors as well, because you never know what you’ll find!

• Have an idea of what you WANT. If you’ve been toying with the idea of a planner, it doesn’t hurt to talk to one. Talking to planner could make you aware of all of the things that you haven’t yet thought of, including things that you would have to worry about on the day of your wedding. Use the bridal show as the chance to do that! If you would like ceiling draping in your ballroom venue, talk to an event design company. You never know, you might just get a complimentary consultation out of it! It’s your wedding, and you want it to be the best it can be. Get all of the information that you need to make decisions wisely.

• Have an idea of your VISION. Almost every bride has some sort of vision of what she wants her wedding to be like. It could be the colors, the time of year, the venue, or a specific theme. If you don’t think you have a vision of what you want, just think hard about the previously mentioned things (colors, time of year, venue, specific theme), and it will come to you. Sometimes just the colors or time of year will end up being the “theme”, such as Rustic Autumn or Romantic Garden Party. You can even mention some of those things to different vendors and I’m sure they will have ideas to provide you with.

It’s quite alright if you’ve just recently gotten engaged and go to your first bridal show with no ideas or plans whatsoever. It could be helpful to you and give you a plethora of ideas. However, be aware that it may be overwhelming. Wedding talk (venues, dates, dresses….the list goes on and on) can certainly be intimidating.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend going to bridal shows. Try to go to more than one, since different vendors attend different shows. Definitely do your research, collect business cards, meet the vendors, and get a feel for the personalities of the different vendors too. Also, don’t forget, there are usually GIVEAWAYS of all sorts at bridal shows! And the most important thing is to have fun!

And now, a few pretty wedding-related things to start off your week!

DIY Tissue Paper Flowers

Via The Bride’s Cafe, by Leo Patrone Photography

Photo by Angela Anderson Photography

Santa Barbara Chic

Via Bride’s Cafe Blog, by Stephanie Williams