Yeah, sure, we know wedding planning can be crazy but do yourself a favour and go to a wedding fair. It’s not as tulle and meringue filled as you’d think (although that’s all there too)
If you need to make some snappy decisions – you’ve got some great options all in one room. Plus, you’ve got a bunch of skilled wedding veterans on hand (this might be your first time, but they’ve been round the block a few times!)
TOP TIP – don’t over think it. If you like it – it’s the right thing for the BIG DAY
A lot of the wedding planning process can be quite stress-inducing (especially if you’re bad at making decisions, like I am) but one thing that shouldn’t be is attending a wedding fair. Honestly! Here us out:
Sure, there’s a lot to take in, but it should first and foremost be an enjoyable experience for you to bask in the glory of engagement, and hopefully nail some bits for your dream day! There’s no right way of doing a wedding fair – you don’t have to buy any VIP bags full of slimming diet crap, you don’t have to attend any meringue wedding dress catwalks, and you don’t have to try every dry, crappy cake sample in the room – but there are some tips that can help make the best of the experience. So, how do you make the most of a wedding fair whilst still enjoying yourself? Behold…
DON’T PANIC YOU GUYS
It’s sound advice in life too, to be fair, but not panicking at a wedding fair is definitely key. We like to keep ours as chill as possible to minimise the stress, but the idea of wedding fairs can be totally overwhelming. Think of it as an inspo and info reconnaissance, scouting out potentials – you’re not obliged to book anything on the spot. If you find the perfect person, though, you totally can – that’s the beauty!
TAKE PEOPLE YOU TRUST
In the process of assembling the dream team of wedding suppliers, it helps to have your very own dream team assisting you in doing so. Who this is varies from person to person, so whether it’s your mum and aunty, your partner, your best friends or your children, take people who know you and whom you can trust. Don’t take people because you feel obliged, or because they might enjoy it – and on the other hand, think twice about taking people who categorically won’t enjoy it. Those guys are gonna be no help at allllll. There’ll always be something else in the planning they can lend a hand with if need be.
GO IN WITH AN OPEN MIND
Now, we’re not saying disregard every decision you’ve made previously and mentally go back to square one just before you walk through that door (that’s no help to you or the suppliers), but do get your creative thinking cap on. It’s entirely possible that you’ll walk in and just see, literally, exactly what you’d been planning in your head but couldn’t get into words, but in the absence of that, look for the suppliers who’s vibe you really like, who you could work with to create that genius bespoke. And on that note :
GET INSPIRED!
Wedding fairs can be an absolute hot spot for gathering inspiration. Suppliers showcasing wares, decorating their space, showing off new work, hinting at new trends – hit a good wedding fair and you are for sure going to see some creativity – from colours to flower arrangements, table settings, paper designs – inspo round every corner to get your wedding head ticking over with fresh ideas for your own celebration. So take note! Take pictures. TAKE IT ALL IN.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO APPROACH SUPPLIERS + ASK THEM QUESTIONS.
There is literally no better time to initiate first contact with suppliers than at a wedding fair. For one, you can describe your vision and what you’re looking for in person, without having to try and type it out and backspacing 34 times on your lunchbreak. Another plus to meeting suppliers at fairs is that you can quickly get a feel as to whether you like them AS HUMANS and would feel comfortable with them being part of your wedding day. Find out about their signature style and favourite work to create to see how it fits with your feels for your day. You gotta find that connect!
We can’t stress how important it is to have people you trust working on your wedding day, and how would you know that if you never meet up with them? And it benefits the suppliers to meet you in person all in one place too, so definitely don’t feel bad about going and striking up conversation. We pride ourselves on having a bunch of no-bully, no-bullshit wedding suppliers on our books, so they’re all totally friendly and approachable. And while on the subject…
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SUPPLIER CHATS
Our markets are exclusive to TWC members and because of that, we can 100 guarantee they are at the top of their game – handpicked for their forward thinking style and creative prowess. use them! Working together often, our suppliers are always keen to share recommendations and give insider tips
– no competitive feels here! Just a bunch of real friendly fountains of knowledge. So get chatting with them and ask for advice and feedback on anything from venues to clever timelines. After all these guys love weddings, love what they do, and want to be part of real smashy, personal celebrations – so will always be keen to help out and share expertise!
TAKE YOUR SWEET TIME
It’s simple: treat it like a military operation and you’re going to feel like you’re in a warzone, pals. Instead, take your time and don’t rush it, and you’ll be under much less pressure and enjoy it a whoooooole lot more. Don’t be afraid to go round twice! Maybe do a real casual once round the block, scope the place out, get a feel for it – then hit back round geared up for some sweet chats with the Suppliers that caught your eye! Our markets are super chill relaxed hang outs, with plenty to see – so don’t feel you have to rush it!
DO YOUR RESEARCH
If you don’t do this stage, it’s totes fine, but if you want to get a headstart, check out who’s exhibiting at the fair and make a note of the guys you’re really keen to see. (You can check our market line-up here!) If a Supplier seems busy when you pass, you’ll intend to go back, THEN get caught up tasting a cake and forget – don’t miss the chance to chat with a Supplier you have the wedding-hots for! It’s the perfect time to catch that chat and see their work in person.
DON’T TAKE STUFF HOME FOR THE SAKE OF IT
Taking literature or business cards home from suppliers you have no intention of ever booking doesn’t do you or the supplier any favours. If there’s any shred of potential that you’ll book them, then go ahead, by all means take some stuff home to investigate further – but if it’s a flat no, you’re just cluttering up your own mental space by bringing that back.
To sum up… COME SEE US
Cos we’re the best of the bunch, we promise, we’ve done our research and everything is based around the style of event we’d like to attend and the kinds of suppliers we’d be excited to meet!
We’re are a doors open, all welcome, #loveislove, no sales pitch, fun-time kinda thing – have we convinced you yet? If so, we’ll see you Thurs 26th at the beautiful Briggait, 5-9pm. Tkts available in advance here (£4) and on the door too(£5) – See you there!
