Top Tips For Attending Wedding Fairs

We are in the midst of wedding fair season and I thought I’d put together my top tips for couples, friends, family and bridal parties attending wedding fairs up and down the country. While some people go to wedding fairs for a browse, inspiration or to gather information on suppliers and venues as a starting point, but for those of you who are a little further along the line, here’s my top tips on how to make the most of each fair and save money.

Do your research & your homework

If you already have an idea of what venue and suppliers you would like for your wedding, then you can find out what wedding fairs they will be exhibiting at and then decide which ones you want to attend. If you don’t yet know which venue or suppliers you might go with for your wedding, then you can either go to local hotel & venue fairs, or the larger fairs in Dublin, Belfast & Cork. These are two very different types of fairs, the wedding fairs at hotels host a more local, preferred list of suppliers, whereas the larger fairs such as The Wedding Journal Show or the Bride of the Year Show, showcase exhibitors, venues and suppliers from all over the country on a national level – that being said, let’s face it, we live on a tiny island and almost all suppliers are willing to travel the length and breadth of the country, and often do. Due to the costs involved at exhibiting at these larger shows, the exhibitors are typically the bigger players in the wedding industry.

Feature image taken by me, of Vintage Affair‘s stand at The Bride Of The Year Show in the RDS.

Bring your Partner

It can be tempting to make it a girls day out; with your bridesmaids, friends, mum etc. However, if you are serious about making decisions about your wedding day and booking venues and suppliers, then they are all decisions that you really need to make together as a couple. By all means, bring a few friends along, or your parents, but definitely go together as a couple, even if you have done your research before hand. If you are serious about decision-making and money-saving, then treat it more like an actual shopping trip rather than window shopping or a casual browse.

Bring Cash

Most of the exhibitors at these shows have some fantastic deals and savings on offer if you book with them {and pay your deposit} during the show. Not all exhibitors have the facilities to take payment by card, so cash is still king here. Even if you have pretty much decided on your wedding venue and suppliers such as your photographer, wedding band or cake maker, it would be financially worth your while to hold off on booking them until the day of the show to avail of their on-the-day-discount.

Have an Open Mind

It’s always best to approach anything with an open mind. If you come across a wedding supplier who you haven’t heard of or seen before and weren’t able to do your research before the show but you really like what they have to offer, find out all you can about them, their packages, their prices, what they offer, the service they provide etc. Then go for a coffee together and talk about it, check out their website and Facebook page and if you are happy and feel comfortable, go back to them before the end of the show to book your date and pay your deposit.

Your Date is Key

The first thing all the venues and suppliers are going to ask you is, “what date is your wedding?” Your wedding date is the single most important piece of information. If your wedding is on a Saturday or Sunday, then you are going to have to book things well in advance if you want the top wedding suppliers. If it’s on a bank holiday or in peak wedding season, then you’re going to have to start booking really far in advance. If you know you want to go with a particular supplier but you’re not yet sure which one of their packages to go for, you are better off booking the date while it’s still free and pay the deposit to secure that date – that’s the most important part. You can decide and finalise the package details in the following weeks after the show. But to secure the date and avail of any show offers they have, book your date!

Relax & Enjoy

And finally, relax, enjoy and take it all in. This is part of the journey! Enjoy the experience of walking around and shopping together for your wedding day. I’ve heard before that the best way to test a relationship is to go around Ikea, then get all the stuff packed in the car and assembled at home; if you’re still together by the end of all that, you’re good for life. Hopefully by the end of the wedding fair you still love each other, want to get married and haven’t blown the budget!

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it informative. Best of luck! You can always check out my Little Black Book to see who my preferred wedding suppliers are or read the posts I’ve done on wedding fairs I’ve attended, like this one.