Choosing your wedding venue with photos in mind.

 

How to Get the Best Out of a Wedding Expo

I recently attended the Goods Shed Wedding Expo in Toowoomba as a wedding vendor.

I've been to many wedding expos over the years. They're a great opportunity to meet couples face-to-face and catch up with other wedding vendors. They're always a lot of fun. We swap war stories, talk about weddings we've worked on and catch up with people we haven't seen for a while.

But I've noticed something that happens at almost every wedding expo.

As soon as the doors open, couples rush in.

Sometimes it's just the couple. Sometimes they bring Mum. Others arrive with sisters, bridesmaids or what seems like the entire family.

Everyone wants to get there early.

Sometimes I wonder if they think that if they don't get in first, the vendors will run out of weddings.

The first hour can be pandemonium.

From the vendor's side of the table, you're trying to talk to several couples at once. Someone has a question, another couple is waiting to speak to you, and somebody else is looking through your work.

You can answer basic questions, but it's difficult to have a proper conversation about someone's wedding when five other people are waiting behind them.

And that's a shame, because having those conversations is one of the best reasons to go to a wedding expo.

So, when should you arrive at a wedding expo?

My advice is simple:

Don't be first through the door.

Try arriving an hour and a half to two hours after the expo opens.

By then, the initial rush has usually thinned out and vendors have more time to actually talk to you.

Instead of quickly asking, “How much are your packages?” and moving on, you can tell me about your wedding.

Where are you getting married? How big is the wedding? What sort of photographs do you want? How much photography do you actually need? Are there things you're worried about?

Those conversations matter.

I know I'm not going to be the right wedding photographer for every couple who walks through the door, and that's perfectly fine.

A wedding expo gives you the chance to meet different photographers and other vendors face-to-face, ask questions, compare what they offer and work out who you actually feel comfortable with.

Take your time

You don't need to race from table to table collecting brochures.

Talk to people.

Ask questions.

Look at their work.

More importantly, pay attention to how you feel when you're talking to them. You're potentially choosing people who are going to be around you on one of the biggest days of your life.

If you give yourself enough time, a good wedding expo can also save you an enormous amount of planning.

In one afternoon, you can meet photographers, celebrants, florists, venues and other wedding suppliers. You can compare ideas, get answers to questions and potentially find several of the people who will help put your wedding together.

Collect the brochures — but bring two bags and a pen

Every vendor will have business cards, brochures, price lists or something for you to take home. My advice is to take them — but bring two bags and a pen.

Have one bag for yes/maybe and another for no.

As you walk around the expo, put the brochures from vendors you like into the yes/maybe bag. If you meet someone who clearly isn't right for you, put their information into the no bag.

It sounds simple, but after talking to dozens of vendors, it can become surprisingly difficult to remember who was who.

The crowds, noise and excitement of a wedding expo don't help. By the time you get home, you might remember having a great conversation with a photographer, celebrant or florist but have absolutely no idea which brochure was theirs.

That's why the pen is important.

If you like someone, write a quick note on their brochure while the conversation is still fresh in your mind. It doesn't need to be an essay. Something as simple as “really liked him,” “great photos,” “good package,” or “call next week” is enough.

When you get home, throw the no bag to one side and sit down with the yes/maybe bag.

Now you've got a much smaller group of vendors to look at properly — and your own notes will remind you why you liked them in the first place.

Follow up with the vendors you like the next day

This might seem a little backwards, but if you meet a vendor you really like at a wedding expo, follow up with them the next day.

You might think, “They have my details. They can contact me.” And they probably will. An organised vendor will be going through their enquiries and following up with couples after the expo.

But if you've found someone you really want for your wedding, don't wait for them to contact you.

I've spoken to brides on the Monday after a wedding expo and booked their wedding photography for September, October and November — some of the busiest months for weddings.

This is particularly important if you're planning your wedding at short notice, have left some of your vendors until later in the planning, or already have a particular wedding date in mind.

Most wedding vendors have limited availability. A photographer, for example, can generally only photograph one wedding on a particular day.

So if you walk away from the expo thinking, “That's the photographer I want,” contact them.

You don't necessarily have to book them immediately. Ask whether your date is available, continue the conversation you started at the expo and get whatever information you need to make your decision.

If you've found a must-have vendor, don't wait for them to chase you.

Make the wedding expo work for you

A wedding expo should make planning your wedding easier, not more stressful.

Arrive after the initial rush. Take your time. Talk to the vendors. Ask questions. Collect the information you need, make notes about the people you like and follow up with the vendors you really want for your wedding.

And most importantly, don't feel you need to be first through the door.

Have a sleep-in. Let the rush go through first, then arrive when we actually have time to talk about your wedding.