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Navigating bridal expos with savvy

Wedding experts encourage couples to have a game plan before attending shows.

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By Robin McMacken, Staff Writer 6:19 PM Sunday, January 22, 2012

Bridal fairs, shows and expos allow newly engaged couples to gather insight and advice from wedding professionals, as well as shop and compare pricing on a wide variety of products and services.

Depending on the venue, there may be fashion shows, food samples, music and entertainment, discounts and giveaways.

To help couples navigate these shows, we talked to area wedding experts for their suggestions.

Kellie Daab, of Hand in Hand Bridal in Springboro, suggests couples definitely have a plan mapped out before they attend these events.

“The first thing is to do is a pre-game and get on the Internet and look at the vendors who will be attending the bridal show. List the ones you will want to talk with,” she explains.

Celia Rose, of Eventurous Inc. in Cincinnati, agrees, adding a pre-show strategy is essential because the expos can be “incredibly” overwhelming.

“They should go in with a plan of what vendors they may be looking for because there are going to be a lot of vendors there,” explains Leah Brown of My Bride’s Aide in Urbana. “If they know ahead of time what vendors they are interested in, then they can spend more time with those vendors and get more information.”

The planners also suggest going online and printing out a list of the exhibitors as well as the layout of the show, if available.

And Daab also suggests talking to vendors beforehand to see if they can offer free or discounted tickets.

The women advise attending bridal shows with one person — preferably your fiance, mother or maid of honor — and not a posse of pals in order to stay focused and calm.

Although bridal fairs typically hand out plastic bags to attendees, Rose prefers brides bring their own sturdier totes to better manage the weight of any information gathered — and also to keep things eco-friendly.

The planners say comfortable shoes are essential for a stroll through an expo. Daab recommends showgoers wear pants with pockets into which they can tuck business cards or brochures of vendors they may consider hiring.

“If you are going to try on dresses, then wear clothes that don’t take 5 minutes to get in and out of,” adds Rose, and bring the proper undergarments if choosing a wedding gown is part of your day.

Don’t forget to bring a checkbook if you want to actually book any services, according to Daab, or hold dates with a deposit.

To stay organized, create a separate wedding email address for vendors, which will help manage your contacts and save precious email space.

Keep in mind there will be an abundance of enter-to-win opportunities. To save time, bring preprinted self-adhesive labels with your name, email address and street address to easily sign up for services or enter contests.

In addition, Daab recommends using such cellphone and tablet apps as Business Card Reader, Dropbox and CalenGoo that you can sync with your wedding-planning tools. “This way you can take photos of displays that inspire you, store business information of vendors you want to check into, and schedule appointments with vendors right on the spot.”

“Bring a notepad to write down the answers for your questions,” says Brown.

Area bridal shows

FEBRUARY

Winter Wedding Showcase: Feb. 4, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Event Connection, 4140 Linden Ave., Dayton, (937) 254-6930 or www.daytonwedding connection.com; $10.

The Dayton Premier Bridal Expo: Feb. 19, 11 a.m. to  4 p.m., Marriott, 1414 S. Patterson Blvd. (937) 748-0247, www.ohiobridalexpos.com; $8.

MARCH

The Experience: The MANual: March 11, 2 to  5 p.m., the Event Connection, 4140 Linden Ave., Dayton, www.daytonwedding connection.com, $10.

APRIL

The Experience – Dress the Part: April 22, 2 to  5 p.m., the Event Connection, 4140 Linden Ave., Dayton, (937) 254-6930, www.daytonwedding connection.com; $10.

MAY

The Experience – A Taste of Entertainment: May 20, 2 to 5 p.m., the Event Connection, 4140 Linden Ave., Dayton, (937) 254-6930, www.daytonwedding connection.com; $10.

JUNE

The Experience – The Look: June 24, 2 to 5 p.m., the Event Connection, 4140 Linden Ave., Dayton 45432, (937) 254-6930, www.daytonwedding connection.com; $10.

AUGUST

Dayton Bridal Spectacular: Aug. 12, 11 a.m. to  4 p.m., Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St., Dayton, (937) 748-0247, ohiobridalexpos.com.

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