All brides know that there are bridal shows and brides in droves attend them, but not all brides realize what the differences between the big shows and smaller elite shows are. Here’s what the smart brides know and why they attend the elite shows far more than the bigger shows.

First let’s start with big shows. Highly visible, everyone knows about them, several vendors from each category all of which are killing themselves to attract your attention. There’s no real investigation as to if the vendor sending in their money and application to be included in the show is an outstanding vendor or wedding professional. DIY brides are there to see what the newest trends are so they can try to re-produce them on tighter budgets. It’s a big show and brides flock because they’ve heard about on the TV, radio and it’s been in the paper, shows up in on line searches etc.

Then upon arriving the excited bride wanting to get the needed materials to help her plan her wedding… is thrown into this sea of hundreds of other brides and their group of friends and mothers with 20-50 vendors giving her a rushed sales pitch and sending her out the door, head spinning, overwhelmed and with a bag of paper materials. The bride typically feels like she and the other brides somehow been turned into cattle at a cattle call and now has no idea what to do next. She didn’t get to spend any time talking to any of the vendors, just given info, talked to not talked with and then pushed down the aisle to the next table.

Then let’s discuss what an elite bridal show means. The biggest difference, it’s far more laid back, instead of hundreds of brides, at most there’s 100-150. There’s 1 wedding professional and their company per category, the vendors and wedding professionals have been in some cases hand-picked to be there and if not hand-picked then there’s been an extensive interview process to ensure that they are of great quality and deliver again and again exactly what they’ve promised and in most cases exceeded their clients expectations.

Additionally an elite show usually includes categories that come before your wedding day, your actual wedding day and after your wedding day and each and every wedding professional is one of a kind, completely unique in their field, meaning that they offer not just the regular wedding services but truly customize their services to their clients and the needs of that client. So it’s your wishes, your vision and you that gets the attention all the way through the planning and on your wedding day. You get to spend the time to get to know the wedding professionals and the wedding professionals get to know you.

What exactly does that mean? It means that you’ll get to actually sit down with your glass of champagne and talk to the owner of the rental company that carries the glasses you’ve been dying to have at your engagement party. You can talk to the owner of the salon that specializes in bachelorette parties. You get to really discuss with the honeymoon professional your trip and which bells and whistles you want. You can spend time to really meet and see the quality in the photographer’s pictures. You’ll get to see a fashion show in 95% of the cases by a designer who custom designs wedding gowns. You can discuss your wedding gown vision with the professional who would actually make your gown to your measurements and to your vision.

So in re-cap, there’s a few brides in comparison to the big shows and their guests in attendance verses the massive show. If you’re a busy professional or student with very limited time, you can hire all of the professionals, including the high quality planner and coordinator to help you pull together all of the details. You can spend a few hours and actually leave with a minimum of 1/2 your wedding professionals hired and feel really good about your decisions. When you leave, you feel great, far less stress and still very excited about your wedding knowing that you’ve met the best of the best, high quality wedding professionals who consistently deliver on their promises and have your best interests in heart….and they’re working with you on your wedding to make your wedding day as you’ve envisioned.

Now that you know the difference, I’m sure that we’ll be seeing you at an elite bridal show soon. Regardless of if you attend a show hosted by us or another wedding professional, please remember to pre-register. It’s the way that the host makes sure that there is plenty of champagne, appetizers and has the high quality wedding professionals for you to talk with who care about you. Now you’re one of the smart brides too.

Most bridal shows occur in spring and fall, or summer and winter. Look for bridal shows in surrounding areas. The larger the city, the more extravagant the bridal shows tend to be. The purpose of a bridal show is to show the bride and groom some of their options. Whether or not decisions are made, consider this a place to gather information and see what works and what doesn’t. Everyone’s taste is different.

A bridal show should be an open, calm atmosphere. This isn’t about pressure sales; it’s about showing the goods. Food vendors will have nibbles of their dishes for tastings. Bridal venues will have staff on hand to help couples decide if this is the place they want to get married. From the first introduction to good-bye’s the staff should be setting the stage for what their service will be like.

Sampling the different varieties of food will also let you know what style the company cooks in and how formal their service will be. The reception should reflect the same style as the wedding as far as formality goes. Confectioners will have cakes to taste and pictures of the different styles of cakes they make. It’s amazing how extravagant a wedding cake can be.

Bridal shows help create ideas for bachelorette and bachelor parties. They let brides view some of the hottest gowns on the market and weigh their options between a handmade dress to recreate a vision the bride has had since childhood or one of the latest fashions available.

No dress is complete without earrings or a necklace to compliment the dress, which is why jewelry companies are also at the show. Rings need to be picked out for the exchanging of vows. Flower arrangements need to be decided on – not only what flowers, but also what colors. Photographers can make or break the memories of the day, so be sure to choose someone who has experience with wedding photography and shoots in a style you like.

Party gifts and favors can be found and can usually be ordered in a variety of colors. Favors can include anything from candies, to seeds for flowers, to engraved champagne glasses. Transportation companies also attend to showcase the types of limos, Rolls Royces, even horse drawn carriages that are available.

Bridal shows are tailored to brides and grooms, so the men can enjoy the day as much as the women. And if the groom has an interest in making decisions, include him as much as possible. There are registries to choose. Meeting a dance instructor may change the couple’s mind as to whether or not they want a choreographed dance. No matter where you are in the wedding planning process, wedding shows can help.