Bridal shows--are they all this bad?

Grits8812

They are all prett horrible, really.  Just vendors trying to sell you their service over everyone elses.

And as for these boards being for brides planning weddings, no.  There are a lot of girls here that are already married, have been for a while, just hanging out.  They help unmarried brides a lot though.  There is no rule that married girls can't post here, or unmarried, unengaged girls for that matter.

Heck, there is even a board for unengaged girls 

tanyanubin

It would be great to hear from helpful, already married brides. Any around? lol 

GreenEire

I've been married for four months and still get emails from vendors.  "Keep us in mind for your big day!"  Um, too late.  The only things I enjoyed about the one wedding show I went to were the fashion show and voting on the best-looking cake.

AlmostMrsStrong

This is why I'm glad I set up a seperate e-mail address for just wedding stuff. That way, I can delete it after and never have to deal with wedding vendors again. 

tpender13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bridal-shows-this-bad?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:4d2ee012-de95-4cc0-a9a1-e2d180df9442Post:c344f5de-32d9-413e-9c83-40768198546b">Re: Bridal shows--are they all this bad?</a>:
[QUOTE]It would be great to hear from helpful , already married brides. Any around? lol 
Posted by tanyanubin[/QUOTE]

You got plenty of helpful responses. Don't get your panties in a bunch.

Rosie109

I AM HELPFUL DAMNIT. I SAID BRIDAL SHOWS SUCK WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME

tanyanubin

Great tip, AlmostMrs.Strong! I'll pass that one along to my daughter!

hoffse

Honestly I'd ditch the bridal shows.  If you already have a reception venue picked (I think you said that you did?) then they should have lists of good, local vendors that they work with frequently and who get good feedback from brides.  Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want a vendor who had never been to my church or my reception site because then it takes just that much more time for them to get things figured out.  ESPECIALLY for photographers and DJs/bands.  You don't want your photographer wandering around looking for a picturesque spot or your band bringing the wrong equipment because they've never seen the set-up of your reception venue.

The things you should be doing, somewhat in order are venues, then band/DJ (especially if your daughter is getting married around prom season like I am), then photographer... cake, invitations, and florist can all wait a bit.

Here are a couple other tips, since you were asking for our experiences (though I'm not married yet):

Keep in mind that a lot of vendors don't go to those things.  The photographer that I've found makes his living doing local events, and he does beautiful work.  I would be stunned if he ever stepped foot into a bridal show - he's a real man's man if you know what I mean.  Another place to look for photographers is local colleges that have art departments - the vast majority of the good portfolio's I've seen have been from young people either still in school (they give you great rates) or fresh out of school who are doing some really cutting edge stuff with their art and their technology.  They create absolutely stunning works.  The older photographers tend to be stuck in the circa 1990 style where posed photos with blurred edges were all the rage.  I'm generalizing here, but that's been my experience.  The single most important thing to look for in a photographer is whether they give you printing rights.  A lot of photographers make their money by charging you per print and not handing over the negatives - somebody who is $1000 might seem like a deal compared to somebody who is $2000, but they aren't a deal if they don't give you printing rights.

For DJ's or bands, you can also check online to hear sound clips - just search "bands in ___ New Jersey" and see what comes up.  Gigsalad.com lets them list preivous bookings, and I found a local 7-piece band that gets booked and REBOOKED (super key) at country clubs and prep school proms all around my area.  They gave me a great quote because I'm local and they won't have to travel.  I also realized that an acquaintance of mine had used them for her wedding, so I got to talk to her about them.  I figure that when she said they were good, my venue said they were good, and they keep getting rebooked by groups that host swanky events then they must be good.  Again, though, I doubt they've ever been to a bridal show because they don't have to book weddings at all if they don't want.  They're popular enough in my area to avoid those sort of recruting events.