Everything You Need To Know About Attending A Wedding Show

Planning & Advice

A wedding show (or showcase, fair, or expo) is an event hosted at a wedding venue or convention centre. There are several types of events of this nature:

  • A wedding venue showcase, where the venue opens its doors to couples. They will often set up the venue as if they are hosting a wedding and they often have other wedding suppliers on site.
  • A wedding fair or expo, where hundreds of wedding suppliers have a stand or display. You can walk through the stands and catch glimpses of different types of suppliers.

Regardless of the type of wedding show available to you, we highly recommend you attend at least one while you’re engaged! Take a peek at our top tips for what to expect while attending a wedding show and how you can make the most of this experience.

Pictured: The Wedding Show at the RDS, taking place on 25th and 26th January in Dublin (find out more here).

 

Here’s why you should attend a wedding showcase:

  • You’ll have fun – Freebies, samples, discounts, competitions, entertainers, cake tasting and bubbly… and just the buzz of being surrounded by wedding suppliers and engaged couples!
  • You’ll find suppliers – A great reason to attend a wedding fair is to connect with suppliers, see their work, ask questions and make some bookings.
  • You’ll get inspiration – Looking at inspiration online is one thing, but nothing compares to seeing decor, dresses, venues and other wedding things in real life.
  • You’ll get discounts and freebies – Lots of suppliers offer discounts for making a booking with them at, or just after, a wedding showcase. Make the most of this!
  • You’ll be able to ask questions – Whether you are attending a wedding venue showcase or a wedding fair with several categories of suppliers, you’ll meet people and ask them all the questions you have about their services.
  • You’ll find out what you don’t want – Similar to finding inspiration, being able to see things in real life will help to understand things you love and don’t love.

 

How To Make The Most Of A Wedding Showcase Experience

Of course, simply booking a ticket and attending a wedding showcase is great, but if you want to get the most out of the experience, you need to be prepared. Here are some top tips:

  • Wear comfortable shoes – If you plan on trying dresses, bring your heels in a bag. Your feet will thank you.
  • Choose your company wisely – Whether you take your partner, mother, sister or best friend, make sure they actually want to be there. You want someone with the stamina to explore all the suppliers and chit-chat, the samples and tasting as well as watching wedding gown fashion shows.
  • Eat before you go – You want to have energy! So eat before you go and bring a bottle of water with you. This won’t deter you from sampling the food and cakes.
  • Know what you want – Arrive with an idea of which suppliers you want to prioritise. If you are after a photographer, you’ll be able to make a bee-line for them and you’ll have purpose.
  • Take notes – Keep a note on your phone of which suppliers you’ve met and connected with. Jot down what you loved about them, because you’ll forget.
  • Take photos – Same reason as above. If you don’t document it, you’ll forget. In this instance, you could take photos of business cards instead of collecting flyers.
  • Ask questions – Have a list of questions you want to ask – anything from vegan catering options to naked flame policy and how many weddings a venue hosts per day. Ask it all!

 

Every week, we share a list of wedding showcases, fairs, and events that take place across the country. If you follow @weddingsonline on Instagram, you can join our Exclusive Offers broadcast list, where we’ll share these details weekly (along with competitions, special offers and other exclusive wedding things).