Bridal show poll

kate51485

There's a wedding expo thingy in my town this weekend.  I've never been to one and am wondering what you all think of them.

[Deleted User]

I have only been to one and it was in London where I live, however my wedding is in Philadelphia.   So mostly it was pretty useless for me.  It was the only one I attended.  

betrothed123

I didn't go to one.  I figured I shouldn't have to pay to be bombarded by advertising.  Also by the time one came around here I had the majority of my vendors figured out so there was no point.

sarabellam

If you do decide to go, don't put your real name, phone number, or email address on anything.

kate51485

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bridal-show-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0b12b0e6-7c8d-4a05-b0b3-7c11bc9320faPost:82457c3b-0b07-4883-848c-13a85ea5cd51">Re: Bridal show poll</a>:
[QUOTE]I figured I shouldn't have to pay to be bombarded by advertising.Posted by betrothed123[/QUOTE]

That's kind of how I feel too.  It's only 10 bucks but I could probably look things up on the internet instead and put that 10 bucks toward my wedding.

betrothed123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bridal-show-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0b12b0e6-7c8d-4a05-b0b3-7c11bc9320faPost:0b12a3ef-adcf-413f-bef3-14ccbccf158d">Re: Bridal show poll</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Bridal show poll : That's kind of how I feel too.  It's only 10 bucks but I could probably look things up on the internet instead and put that 10 bucks toward my wedding.
Posted by kate51485[/QUOTE]

There's most likely  very little to gain from going that you can't get from the internet.

SarahPLiz

FI and I and a friend of mine are going to one today just for fun. We want to be able to narrow down cake choices and may get a good deal on his tux. I am armed with a fake email address for all their spam.

I went to one a long time ago with a friend for her wedding, and she and her late husband won a honeymoon.. without having to listen to a condo-buying speech first. Score!

kate51485

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bridal-show-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0b12b0e6-7c8d-4a05-b0b3-7c11bc9320faPost:0414954e-f68a-45d3-9d18-235f7cd1db98">Re: Bridal show poll</a>:
[QUOTE]If you do decide to go, don't put your real name, phone number, or email address on anything.
Posted by sarabellam[/QUOTE]

Seriously.  It's already begun.  I tried on dresses at DB several weeks ago and they started calling me once a week "just checking in".  It was always while I was at work so I'd miss the call on my cell.  Finally I called the store and told them I had purchased a dress elsewhere (the truth) and they could stop calling.  Hopefully it works.

kate51485

Oh and I'm not getting married in this town either, so there's that too, like NCV said.  If it's all local vendors then it'd really be pointless I suppose. *Smacks forehead*

[Deleted User]

Kate, I was so excited I just wanted to go.  We did get free food and booze though so all was not lost!

laurenclaire1386

I've never been to one. I honestly can't say. I've also never wanted to go to one.

kate51485

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bridal-show-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0b12b0e6-7c8d-4a05-b0b3-7c11bc9320faPost:47c2a8c1-3b2a-4e08-a1da-d97138ece006">Re: Bridal show poll</a>:
[QUOTE]We did get free food and booze though so all was not lost!
Posted by NCV2[/QUOTE]

Hmm these are highly motivating factors for me! ;)

Loopyseven

I went in... signed up for the tux discount at the place i was interested in.. talked to someone briefly about honeymoons and left.  It was crowded and nuts!

Nebb

I planned my whole entire wedding without going to one. Some people like them, I didnt think they were necessary. Im more of an internet searcher.

[Deleted User]

I went to one and it was incredibly lame.

psichick

we went to one just to see what they were all about. it was a free one, i would never pay to go to one of these. it was a waste of time. did give us a new place to look for tux's, but that's all we got out of the day. i would suggest going to one just to make up your own mind, but most people find them to be a waste.

and do not give your phone number out to anyone lol

SaraAndrew2010

I'm going to one (my first) in a few weeks. I wouldn't have paid to go to one, but I got 4 free tickets through TK so I figure I might as well check it out. I don't have all my vendors yet, so this might give me some new ideas.

ThePinkSuperhero

I've been to two- one in Queens that was very small and kinda lame (except for the bridal fashion show, which was silly but still fun), and a huge one in Manhattan that had lots of free stuff.  They were probably both a waste of time, but I had fun.  Just don't give out your real e-mail address!

lyndausvi

my wedding was OOT, so I didn't see the point in going to a show here when my wedding was in NJ.

When I was dress shopping in DE, I went to David's Bridal and filled out a card.  On  the card I put I was getting married in SJ.

Well they must sell their names because about 6 months before the wedding I started getting information about buying our 'first home' in New Jersey. I'm mean I got a lot of letters from realtors.   I guess they do not pay much attentiion to the fact that my address was in Virgin Islands, so a home in New Jersey would not be very practical.

lauralaur

I found my photographer at one and would never have known she existed if I hadn't seen her there. I didn't have any vendors booked at that point and there were a couple of venues that I had wanted to look at that I knew would be there. I also hadn't started dress shopping yet so the fashion show was really fun. I "won" that three-day two-night trip that everyone wins, but other people did win some really nice (and for real) stuff.

Some of it was annoying though, I wasn't even thinking about DJs at that point and I had some grabbing me and pulling me over and making me talk to them and I just wasn't interested. So, I guess you could say it helped me narrow down some of my vendor choices as well by eliminating the ones that annoyed me at the show.

anna.oskar

I love going to them and am actually going tomorrow with a friend that just got engaged.

However, the only reason i go to them:  Free Cake

P.S. I did win a $500. GC to Greenberg's at one show.

tidetravel

I went early on in planning.  It was a waste of time - most of the vendors there were the "big" vendors in the area and were all pretty expensive.  I found much better and affordable vendors through the local message boards.

If you do go, create a fake email account and make up labels with your name/address/email so you can sign up for drawings (if you want) without having to fill out individual cards at each station. 

arbolita

I went to one because I had a coupon for free entry - I found my DOC, which was awesome, and got a CD from a ceremony musician for free and I used that to make my own ceremony playlist.  I also got to eat lots of yummy cake and eat snacks from a chocolate fountain. Mmm...

sarah0725

I went to a free one at my venue, and rather enjoyed myself. I took my mom, and we enjoyed the free cake and got some ideas for things we might like to do for the wedding. One thing is that I came away really wanting a photo booth... so beware of people trying to convince you that you really love lots of expensive stuff that you don't need. Otherwise, go, have fun, and don't tell any of the vendors who you really are unless you actually want them to contact you!

SarahPLiz

I just got back. It was very crowded, and the DB people were SOOOO annoying. But there was lots of free cake and I got lots of flower inspiration, which is what I went for,

jasmineh7777

I just went to one today, and it just made me feel stabby. Small town bridal shows are just sad.

pooh8402

I went to the one in Houston last January. I was just starting my search for realz when I went, so it was actually helpful. I had consultations with some of the venues and photogs. I had price lists for cake and caterer and car rentals. it ended up being moot since we're not getting married in Houston and the photog I booked (though not as a result of the bridal show) backed out on me.

oh well, there was very yummy cake and food samples. and we got a recipe from one of the caterers for a Mexican-inspired cheesecake that was awesome!