Top tips for attending a wedding fair
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Wedding fairs are a brilliant opportunity to have a look round a venue, meet the team and suppliers or to check in and catch up on your planning, but if you’re heading to your first wedding fair it may all seem a bit daunting. Never fear, Becky (Wood Farm at Everdon’s wedding planner extraordinaire), has pulled together her top tips to help you get the most out of any wedding fair.
Do your wedding fair research ahead of time
Some fairs are larger than others. National shows in exhibition halls will tend to have hundreds of suppliers whereas small venue fairs will have less and more localised suppliers. If attending a larger scale fair, try to obtain a floor plan so you can properly plan your visit and make the best use of your time. Don’t forget to check out where you can get a coffee or snack, it’s a great excuse to have a break and chat through what you’ve seen so far.
Always bring a notebook or device to make notes on
Write down any questions that you might have before the event so you don’t forget anything or get distracted at the event. Popular questions include:
– pricing – what do you get for your money, is VAT included, is a deposit required,
– set up/delivery and pack away/collection times.
Try to bring someone with you so you can bounce ideas off each other.
There’s a lot going on at a wedding fair, from checking the layout and feel of the venue to the suppliers and preferred caterers, so it can really help to have someone to talk through ideas with. Often friends and family will offer honest advice!
Take photos and videos (if permitted)
Building on our previous point… being able to look back through photos and videos can really help when you get home. If you’re viewing a venue, try and get a video of the layout and the flow of the rooms, it makes it easier when you get to planning where things might take place or where you’d like to place props or treat stations etc.
Follow venues and suppliers on social media
We know that social media is a hub of information and inspiration so give the venues a follow and let them share their knowledge and ideas with you. Venues have built great relationships with their suppliers, and they know the latest trends so you can keep up to date with their offerings. They will always post ideas and inspiration which will help with planning your big day! Following a venue on social can also give you a great insight into their personality and you’ll find comments from previous clients or couple that are due to get married.
Talk to people!
Try to engage with suppliers as you will get a true understanding of their services. If there are caterers offering food, then try the samples! It’s really the best way to gauge if you will like the food or not, suppliers are there to answer all your questions, so don’t feel like you can’t ask or take a sample.
There are often couples attending wedding fairs that have already booked, get chatting and find out why they’ve chosen the venue, they might be able to offer a view that you hadn’t thought about!
We hope that our top tips have helped you get into the wedding fair headspace and that you’re ready to get planning however, we have one last bonus tip for you…
Have fun!
The planning should be as much fun as the day itself so make the most of the cake tasting and chatting through your ideas with the team and suppliers. We’re all here to make your big day as special as possible and as stress free as possible!
You can find out more about our wedding fairs by contacting us here or visiting our calendar page.