take pre-made labels with you! Make sure to have your name, FI's name, address and cell phone #'s b/c just about every vendor will be giving away prizes and filling out those cards over and over and yes, over again, can get tiring. Having the labels makes it a lot quicker for you
Wear comfy clothes and especially comfy shoes! You will be exhausted by the times it's over b/c of walking for 2 days straight. The grand prize drawing for the dream wedding was around 4 or 5pm on Sunday, so plan on getting home late. I went in 2011 and the cocktail hour on Sat night was at the covered pavilion at Pirate's Cove. They had walls up on the sides and it was heated....almost too warm actually, but don't overdress in an actual cocktail dress and heels for this. I wore a nice pair of jeans, a sequined top with a wrap and boots. Just something cute but comfy. David Tutera came last year and those tickets were sold separately, but that event was more dressy since the big wedding gu-ru was there. I heard the tickets were much pricier and that it wasn't worth it in the long run. Not the expo part, but his whole meet & greet thing he did.
Anyways.....Sat is a self-guided tour so feel free to skip over any places that don't fit your needs. You can make the day as long or as short as you want too. Some vendors will be set-up at select venues, but don't stress if you miss out on speaking with one of them, b/c they will ALL be at the main expo on Sun, which is between the elementary and high school in Kitty Hawk, btw. Take your time and try not to get too overwhelmed. Of course, breathe it all in, but try to have a game plan down before you go. Maybe photography is the big thing you want to get crossed off, so focus on that more than hair & make-up for example. Then again, if hair & make-up is a big thing for you, you could actually have a trial done right there on the spot. Just have an idea of what you want to accomplish and that will help make it easier for you.
I will say, that you will be on wedding overload by the time it's over with and you may need a day or two, like I did, to decompress. You will have tons and tons of flyers and brochures, so sort them out and toss the duplicates you get. I used an old photo album with the sticky pages and put all of the cards and flyers in there so I could see them all in one place.
Hope this info helps some of you and if I think of anything else, I will add later
Knotties--anything else you would like to add to this based on your experience?