Following a pretty mad Scottish Wedding Show at the SECC in Glasgow at the weekend, I thought I would pass you on my advice. Wedding Fayres are great at raising your awareness to different suppliers, getting ideas on what you want (and what you don’t) and getting yourself some discounts. So here is my advice on surviving a Wedding Fayre!
The Scottish Wedding Show
Know who is going to be there
Always take the time to research who will be at the fayre and look at their websites to see what they offer. Then prioritise who you NEED to see and who you want to avoid! With those you want to see have a list of questions you’d like to ask, for example prices, when you need to order and how long it will take to be produced.
Think about what you might like before you get there… but be prepared to change your mind!
Go through EVERY element of your wedding and think about what you might like to have. Think about your dress, your colour scheme, your wedding hair accessories if you are having a theme and any entertainment. It makes talking with the suppliers much easier if you know what you are looking for or what the rest of your wedding will be like.
Dress Sensibly… and light
Think flat shoes and light clothing! You will be crammed into a room with LOADS of other people and there will be lots of walking and standing around involved so really plan your outfit before you leave. You will also be handed lots of leaflets, magazines and freebies so maybe not take your Mary Poppins handbag as you will have lots to carry!
Go down every aisle
There will be a lot of people to go and see but make sure you at least walk past their stand. You may not want to speak to them, but you will not know until you go past their stand to see. make sure you look through all the suppliers and see all you want before you leave.
Have your contact details and wedding date written out
project-wedding-logo
You be asked all day about your e-mail address, mobile number and address so if you can have them written down for someone to copy down or have sticky post-its prepared it will make it much easier and quicker to pass on your details.
It is also a good idea to set-up a wedding related e-mail address or website so you can get all the offers in one mail box but not bombard your personal account.
Bring your credit card
This is especially important if your wedding is soon. You can get some great deals if you book on the day so definitely worth taking your card with you in case you see something you really like.
Go to a fayre which is local to your venue
Look at sites such as Wedding To Plan, Scottish Wedding Directory and For Better For Worse to find your local suppliers. Go to the bigger fayres for the fun and excitement of it as well as to get some general ideas and advice, but you can often get a better deal from local suppliers as delivery etc will not be as high. Also, local suppliers are likely to know your venue so you can speak to your venue about them to hear if they were good or not.
Well that is my advice to all you lovely B2B’s (bride to be) out there and I hope it will be of use to you! I wish I knew this before I went to my wedding fayre! Happy shopping!
Have you been to a wedding fayre recently? What is your advice for future B2B’s? Let us know…
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February 22, 2012
Weddings