Bridal Shows that Charge Admission

niolani21

I've gone to a few smaller/local bridal shows that were free.  I've seen ads for other shows that charge for admission.  It's not much, but I guess I wonder if there's a difference between the free and paid shows.

Have you gone to both?  Did you find the paid shows more helpful for some reason?

mrsR12

i have only gone to free shows.  they were great in meeting people and looked around but all our vendors (except venue) we booked thru knottie rec'd and not from the shows.  

cindyn9178

I've never heard of a paid show and I personally wouldn't pay to attend one. There is plenty of information you can get from a free show.

rlavach

I went to 2 shows. One was free & the other was $10. The free one was pitiful. There were <10 vendors & only crackers & soda. The $10 one was massive. Multiple floors & a whole lots of food/drinks. There were 3-4 of every type of vendor you could think of. 

jcg98

I went to several free shows over the course of planning, I declined to go to any of the ones that charged admission.  The free shows vary greatly in scope and size.  Some held at venues had full cocktail hours available (Hilton Short Hills, Neshanic Valley Golf Course, Twin Brooks Golf Course, Olde Mill Inn), some held at conference sites had individual vendors with food (Rutgers, Jets practice facility, Garden State Conference Center), some had desserts (Bernards Inn).

I never booked a vendor at a bridal show, but followed up with some.  I got a lot of ideas just by going to different shows so in that sense they were helpful.