Going to a wedding expo can be a really fun and exciting thing! It can also be a bit overwhelming and tiring if you’re not careful. As long as you plan accordingly, a wedding expo can be a great opportunity for you to find some or all of the vendors you want at your wedding. Here are some things to keep in mind to make sure you have an enjoyable experience.

Create a Wedding Email

This one definitely helps throughout all of your wedding planning, but it is especially helpful for wedding expos. You’ll be able to hide away all of the emails you’ll be getting, and it’s nice because everything is in one place. And you can also share that email with your future spouse if they need any of the information as well!

Create “Wedding Info” Stickers

If you have the time, I would highly recommend pre-writing or printing some stickers with your wedding information on them. You’ll likely have to write some information down to be able to get their perks. These stickers saves you time when you’re actually there from writing down the same information 100 times for all of the vendors! I would add your name, email (preferably that wedding email), phone number, wedding date, and maybe the location if you have it in mind already.

Check for Free Admission

If you haven’t already, you likely will have to get tickets to attend the expo. Often, companies will have the opportunity for free tickets if you sign up ahead of time. Otherwise, you can potentially pay at the door. I would recommend getting the tickets ahead of time though so you don’t have to wait in long lines from the start.

Bring a Few Friends

This environment may be really overwhelming if you’re going in alone. I would recommend bringing your future spouse, your parents, and/or your friends to come with you for some support. They may just end up following you around or you may have them write down your information, but it’s just nice to be wedding planning with those important people.

Come with a Plan

When you’re scouring through wedding vendors, it may be really overwhelming to try and find all of them in only a few hours. Write down a few vendors you would like to walk away with booking and try sticking to those first. And don’t feel like you have to book them right then and there - it may be better to get their information so you can set up a more formal time to talk and get to know them better!

Arrive at a Good Time

If you’re an anxious couple, I would recommend waiting until about 1 and a half hours after the expo start time so the crowd dies down a little. This will also give you the opportunity to actually talk with the vendors a little more too! I wouldn’t wait too long after that though, because you don’t want to miss out chatting with people by arriving too late.

Book Appointments with Vendors

If you want to make sure to hit more vendors and have more options to choose from, I recommend asking them to book a consultation with you. Otherwise, you can get their information and book it yourself when you get home and have time later. You’ll likely be in a better headspace and really can make sure you like them as people and ask them questions before you move forward.

Ask for Expo Perks

Many vendors will have some advantages for you for attending the expo. Make sure to ask them about this before you leave their booths! It could be a raffle for a discount, freebies items, or additions to their packages. I would recommend only asking for the vendors you’re actually interested in - typically you’ll get added to email lists and that may be a lot of extra emails you’re not looking to get!

Expect lots of emails afterward

Usually the day or two after the expo, vendors will likely be sending you lots of emails about deals, their company, and other promotional things. Remember, you can usually unsubscribe or tell them directly you aren’t interested so they can take you off.

Wedding expos are really busy, but can be really beneficial for finding vendors in person that you can get to know. It’s really the only opportunity that you can meet them face to face before booking, so definitely take advantage of it! And even if nothing comes of it, hopefully you’ll have at least had fun while hopping around from booth to booth.

Reach out to me at hello@firmlyrootedevents.com to see when I am attending expos! I would be happy to meet you there and hear about your wedding!