Thinking about visiting a local wedding fair? This super useful blog will give you some of our top tips when visiting so you can make the most of the experience!
At The Word on Weddings, we have been hosting wedding fairs throughout the South West and South Wales for a number of years in a range of different venues (from castles to stadiums!), so we were thinking about what top tips we could give to our brides and grooms that would really help them get the most out of the experience.
If you have any questions, please get in touch and we would be happy to help you.
Top tip number 1:
Who are you taking with you? Just your other half ( or should we say better half?! ), maybe your bridal party, or even family and friends? This is really a personal choice and there are pros and con’s on all sides which you should consider! We think it is more about the purpose of why you are going to the wedding fair.
If you are going to have in-depth conversations with specific suppliers, pay deposits, or are wanting to use the wedding fair to make some firm decisions about your big day, we would highly recommend just taking your partner along with you. This way you can really take your time and won’t have any additional pressures or opinions making things more challenging – after all the last thing you want is a moaning bridesmaid who is there for the free prosecco hurrying you along!
However, that being said a wedding fair can also be a brilliant way to include your bridal party and family, so they also feel included in your big day.
Wedding planning in general can be stressful and overwhelming at times for some people, a fun wedding fair can be a great way to actually get excited about the big day with your bridal party. You can enjoy the free cake and entertainment as you wander around envisioning your perfect day.
A wedding fair can also be a good way to include any family members who could be contributing to your wedding in some way, possibly parents or grandparents. It is an easy way for them to feel a part of your special day. If the wedding fair is at a beautiful venue or even the venue you have already chosen to have your special day located, you can make a whole day out of it by booking an afternoon tea or grabbing some lunch!
So our top tip is to really think about why you are attending the fair and what you want to get out of it – then think about who you want to have with you.
Top tip number 2:
Take your time! It sounds so obvious but we see so many brides and grooms that will rush through the fair and miss some real gems!
Visit on a day when you have time to relax – especially if the fair is busy, you want a time when you can just enjoy the fair at your own pace.
It is so interesting the number of brides and grooms we speak to that book a supplier that just adds that perfect touch, that they would have never considered if they hadn’t met them at a wedding fair. An example of this would be meeting and hiring a wedding magician or wedding caricaturist. It might not be something you previously considered, but actually could be the perfect entertainment and unique twist on your wedding day for your guests!
Top tip number 3:
This is one for the brides who are on the hunt for THE dress! Did you know that sometimes a wedding fair can be the perfect place to get a designer dress at a discounted price tag? If you visit one of The Word on Weddings Big ICC Wales Wedding Fairs, there are fantastic wedding dress boutiques that will bring dresses for you to try on at the fair so you could walk away with the dress of your dreams at a bargain price, sounds amazing right?
Our top tip is that if this could be something that might catch your eye, wear what you might wear to a normal wedding dress try-on.
What we mean by this is if you like makeup, or thinking about having your hair up on your wedding day for example, then wear makeup or bring a hair tie to the wedding fair. This way if you do try any dresses on, you will get a better idea of the final look. We hear so many brides saying that this helped them to really decide if the dress was right for them. The same goes for underwear – it can be hard to decide on a strapless dress if you have bright red bra straps showing if you know what we mean!
Top tip number 4:
Think ahead of time about the suppliers you want to speak to! There will usually be a wide range of wedding exhibitors at the fair, and some shows will even advertise which suppliers are attending. So our top tip is to think prior to the fair if there is anyone you specifically want to meet. Then, you can make sure you haven’t missed anyone!
Also, if there is anyone you really want to make sure you meet, contact them prior to the fair. For example, if you have a photographer in mind that you know is exhibiting at a local fair you are attending, try popping them a message before you go. This way they can make sure they look out for you and save some time to have a chat with you.
When fairs are really busy, exhibitors may not get the chance to speak with everyone, so this way you can make the exhibitor know ahead of time that you are interested in their services.
Top tip number 5:
Our final tip is to visit multiple fairs at multiple venues! Every fair is so different! Usually, fairs have different exhibitors attending so by visiting multiple ones, you can speak to a range of different suppliers!
If you have not yet picked your venue, waiting for the venue to hold a wedding fair is great because most of the time they will set up different areas so you can see an idea of what it would look like when a wedding is hosted there. For example, they may decorate a table for the wedding breakfast, or decorate their ceremony room. Whilst the intimate wedding venue fairs are brilliant for showcasing the venue, it is also a good idea to visit some of the larger wedding shows too!
The larger wedding shows usually have over 80 exhibitors so you get to see a huge range of different wedding suppliers all in one room. You will see everything from suits and wedding dresses to wedding cakes, photographers & videographers, wedding cars, ice cream carts, wedding stationary… the list goes on (and on!).
Our final top tip is to visit a range of different fairs, from small intimate fairs to large-scale exhibitions. Most fairs are free to enter too! So, there you have it! Our 5 top tips when visiting a wedding fair in 2023. If you have any questions about attending wedding fairs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! To check out The Word on Weddings’ upcoming fairs, head to our “UPCOMING EVENTS” page for all the details!