My First Bridal Show

Word of advice to future brides: Do not go to your first bridal show alone!  Even if it's a smaller show!  Use the buddy system!  You NEED the buddy system!

I went to my first bridal show this past Wednesday.  N-Joy! Weddings & Events hosted a Wedding Soiree (fancy name for bridal show) this past Wednesday at the Lyceum Dean Reception Hall downtown.  It was a good show to go to as my first because it was a manageable size.  It was a lot to take in at once, but not so much that I ran home and hid under my bed.  And I did use the buddy system!  My mom (and co-planner) and my bridesmaid Elyse met me at the show.  However, my buddies were not able to make it to the show until later in the evening.  So I arrived at the show right when it began, collected my complimentary bag (for being one of the first 150 brides to arrive) and cashed in my free ticket (that I won through a facebook status contest from the business throwing the show—it pays to follow wedding vendors on Facebook!), and entered the show.

So many vendors.  So many sights.  So many sounds.  Sensory overload!  Luckily, I eyed a caterer's table and quickly made friends with the chef giving out bowls of shrimp and grits. Yum! (I also made a mental note that, no matter who my caterer is, I want them to make shrimp and grits for my wedding.  I love me some shrimp and grits!)  I decided to pass on the champagne and began to wander around the show.  I quickly established my routine.  At every booth I stopped at, I would smile, sign up for whatever drawing they were offering, listened to their spiel while stuffing my face with whatever food they offered (so many cupcakes!!), took whatever brochures or business cards they had for me and went on my merry way.  Every now and then, I was able to think of some questions and got some really helpful answers (for example, the type of flower that I want in my bouquet is called a "Picaso Calla Lilly" —Thanks, lovely gentlemen from "Jakes on the Avenue Florists!"), but for the most part, I smiled and listened.  My bag was getting heavy from brochures, so I must have a lot of information, right?

Source: Uploaded by user via Stephanie on Pinterest

Picasso Calla Lilly Bouquet.  I would love to have some of these in my bouquet!

Thank goodness my mom and Elyse arrived!  My mom remembered to ask all of the important questions that I didn't think to ask.  For example, how many tiers does the baker recommend for a certain size wedding?  How soon before the wedding should I have my invitations made?  What is the cost for your DJ services? Duh! Why didn't I think of this??

Because I didn't have my buddy.  Like a said, wedding shows present a big sensory overload to us brides.  We need our buddies to be additional eyes and ears and to help us look past the performance that the vendors are putting on (they don't call it a show for nothing!) and help us remember the logical questions and important information.  If I didn't have my buddies, I would have passed by some great vendors because they didn't have the flashiest or largest display.  For example, I would have completely missed a graphic designer and her beautiful invitations if my mom hadn't stopped at her table.  I can't guarantee I'll use her services, but she gave us some wonderful ideas and was able to quote us her prices so that when the time does come to design invitations, we have a quote to compare other designers too. Thank goodness for Mommy and her eye for good quality and design!

My one complaint about the bridal show I went to is that I wish that more venues were represented at the show.  The only venue that was represented at all was the Lyceum Dean Hall and the only thing they had was a table in a corner with some brochures on them. There wasn't even a representative from the Lyceum Dean there to answer questions.  I imagine the reason there weren't more venues represented is that the Lyceum Dean Hall had a monopoly on that category due to being the host site.  But there was barely even any information about the Lyceum Dean!  I feel like this was a big missed opportunity for reception venues in Baton Rouge.

Overall, I really enjoyed my first bridal show!  I did get a lot of information.  I ate a lot of shrimp and grits and cupcakes.  I had a lot of fun with my mom and Elyse.  And I left with a better grasp on the options that are available for brides in Baton Rouge.  I even won a set of really nice (and expensive) candles!

I can't wait to go to my next bridal show—The New Orleans Bride Magazine Bridal Show on June 19th.  And you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll have my buddy with me!