Wedding fayres... Love them or hate them.... January to April is prime wedding fayre season as couples who got engaged at Christmas, New Year or Valentines begin making plans for their big day!
There will be at least one wedding fayre taking place every weekend (mostly Sunday’s) between January & April in your local area, so there are more than enough to choose from.... although a piece of advice, as much as they can be exciting, don’t go to all of them as this will just simply confuse you and you will just bump into the same suppliers over and over again!
My top tip would be to choose at least 1 large fayre to attend such as the NEC or the I Do Shows – go as a group and make a day of it! (Guys you might want to steer clear of this one unless you are feeling very brave as these fayres are very busy and predominantly full of ladies!)
If the venue where you are getting married hosts its own wedding fayre, make sure you add this one to your list as it’s likely to be full of trusted suppliers who know your wedding venue well.
Then choose another 2-3 local wedding fayres that are taking place at hotels or venues near to where you live or to the area you are planning on getting married in... This will ensure that the suppliers you are talking to are local and hopefully know your wedding venue, as this is always a bonus!
Choose carefully; think about who is hosting the fayre and where it is taking place, this usually reflects the type of suppliers who will be exhibiting... for example, a beautiful stately home will have suppliers exhibiting who are traditional and offer a high end quality service.
Before attending any wedding fayre, think about what you want to get out of it, is it to...
A) Find and book certain supplier(s)
or
B) Find inspiration & Ideas
As you are walking around looking at all the exhibitions, keep focused on why you are there... it’s very easy to get caught up watching the fashion show and tasting cake samples (even though you already have your cake maker booked!)
Remember that ultimately the suppliers are there to try to sell their product or service to you... As lovely as something might be ask yourself, does it fit within the theme/style of your day, do you need or want it and most importantly can you afford it?
Do try to come away with something from every fayre that will contribute towards your big day, even if it is as simple as a decision made that you do definitely want chair covers for example!
But most of all, remember that planning a wedding is fantastic fun and visiting wedding fayres is just part of that fun.... so enjoy!
