Bridal Shows

Morrowal · December 2010

I just got engaged, the wedding looks like it will be next fall, pending venue availability. I am deciding if I should go to bridal shows and if so when I should start going.

What are your experiences with attending bridal shows? Worth it, not worth it, enjoyable, not enjoyable etc...
If you feel like you got a lot out of it, how so?

emarston1 · December 2010

Waste of time and money. I'd much rather trust a vendor that was recommended by brides here on the knot over one I found at a bridal show.

larzhope · December 2010

agree with Emarston

Gwenwhyfare · December 2010

I went to the big one at Rock Financial when we first got engaged and was very put off by what went on at that show. I literally got pulled into the Mens Warehouse booth after giving the Rock employee my ticket to get in. I am still getting junk mail/e-mail from them.

I went to a total of three bridal shows, including the one hosted at our venue and agree that I got more reputable vendors from here than the shows I went to.

emarston1 · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_bridal-shows-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:88Discussion:48bda6de-8bc0-4d06-8c93-d8ad14038b60Post:69b63486-0b0a-4606-ac87-efdf231c2bcc">Re: Bridal Shows</a>:
[QUOTE]I went to the big one at Rock Financial when we first got engaged and was very put off by what went on at that show. <strong>I literally got pulled into the Mens Warehouse booth after giving the Rock employee my ticket to get in. I am still getting junk mail/e-mail from them. I</strong> went to a total of three bridal shows, including the one hosted at our venue and agree that I got more reputable vendors from here than the shows I went to.
Posted by Gwenwhyfare[/QUOTE]
This. I walked by their booth and they tried to convince me to put a deposit down (only $20!). When I explained that my wedding wasn't for another year and a half and we hadn't even chosen our wedding party yet, the girl got really b!tchy saying, "Well this deal will only be around until the end of the month. We will <em>never</em> have a deal like this again. Your loss." No lady, your loss because you just lost a potential customer for being so damn rude!

Also your fantastic deal is around every.single.day.

andreab11 · December 2010

I've only been to one, it was my first and most likely my last (at the rock financial showplace also). It was cool to go and check it out once, but I didn't get any good deals or anything out of it, and had to pay for parking and admission costs. The only thing I really got out of it was a bag of brouchures and never ending e-mails! lol

MMRoberts11 · December 2010

I created a new email address just for when I go to bridal shows so I can just delete the account after my wedding or set them all to spam when I do not need a photographer or something else. I like going to them though for the discounts that are available. If you talk to vendors you are seriously interested in you can talk down a price (in addition to the show price) sometimes to get the best deal.

lcsnowflake · December 2010

MMRoberts11 - that is seriously smart! I am shutting down an email account because I can't unsubscribe from things as fast as they are sending me emails!

jamenyha · December 2010

I think that they were helpful, although can get annoying. However, I did get some great deals from a couple vendors. I always check the knot before deciding just to check their reputations, but I was able to get considerable discounts for several things. The snail mail doesn't bother me much b/c you can just throw it away, but definitely set up a separate email account for the emails that you will be bombarded with. I think they are definitely worth going if you can deal with the craziness!

rcj2rcd · December 2010

My sister described it as "welcoming the perfume ladies into your house" (no offense if anyone here is a purfume distributor at the mall...). My sister and I were immediately attacked by vendors as soon as we got into the show (at the Palace) and I have been getting annoying telemarketer calls ever since.

Don't waste your time, money, and sanity. You'll get way better (and honest) advice on the board.

jhawthorne85 · December 2010

Just beware of who you give your phone number too! Your email and phone will get stalked for 2 months after the bridal show! Be prepared to know what is a scam!

Im going to the bridal show on Jan 9th at the Palace, just to get a discount our DJ that we've chosen.

AND the free ballroom dance lessons!

MrsBarstool2011 · December 2010

Don't give Demtrios Bridal your email. I still am unable to unsubscribe to their mailing list and then send 3 or 4 of the same emails each time. I have marked them as spam so I don't see them unless I go through my spam mailbox. I think they are the worse for the emails.

mattnjosie · December 2010

I think bridal shows are actually helpful to a point... I went to the show at the Palace of Auburn Hills this past September. I went only looking for particular vendors because I had been planning since January.

My recommendation when going to the show is to take a flyer from every booth. Also, create mailing labels on your computer with your name, address and email (create a new one just for wedding planning)... this way at each vendor booth, you can just slap a sticker on the form, rather than standing there and filling it out each time.

When I went to the show, I got a great deal on my tuxs and our limo bus. I also found a vendor who was highly recommended by girls on TK to use for chair covers and linens. I just liked having all the information to look through to ensure I was getting the best deal!!!

nicolegia · December 2010

they are helpful, and good for the budget minded. I found alot of "up and coming" people there that were great, and cheap at the time because they were just getting into their business. I got married a few years back, and now most of these cheaper vendors are more pricey.

I'd say go, and wear good walking shoes.

mikeynkrib2011 · December 2010

If you don't like crowds, you might not like bridal shows!

I personally am a zoom zoomer and if I feel constricted by people being in my way I get crabby. But if you can gather the patience to take a breath, walk around and actually talk to the vendors, you have a better chance of winning the 'free stuff'. Also, you typically have to be present to win any prizes and they call out winners at the end of the event. So if you don't mind missing the free gift (which is usually just a reusable bag) don't show up until the end!

I found it really helpful that you got to taste cakes. Bakers, in my experience, were hard to schedule tastings with.

Also, there isn't a lot of pressure to 'buy'. Sure, vendors are looking to score, but they have a tendancy to get so distracted by other potential customers that you can easily decline their sales pitch.

And a side note......there are usually mimosas! If you drink, enjoy a few and peruse. For me, it made my time a lot less claustrophobic!

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