A Vendor's Guide to Booths at a Bridal Show or Wedding Expo
Learn all the tips and tricks you'll need to have a successful presence at a wedding or bridal expo or show.
Bridal Show Tips for Vendors
Whether you own a boutique, entertain at weddings, or provide any type of wedding services, bridal fairs are a cost-effective way to reach your targeted wedding customer base. Most bridal shows will bring in hundreds of brides, friends, and family members. These brides are ready to plan their wedding in its entirety, which means they are ready to book your services. Because bridal fairs are the best way to reach potential customers, it is imperative that wedding vendors get as much as they can from the bridal fair experience.
For those vendors who have not attended a bridal fair, here is a description. At most bridal fairs, vendors will rent a booth (usually 10x10). The price for booths can range from $150.00 to thousands of dollars, depending on the size of the booth, the market, and the bridal fair.
The booth is typically decorated in a fashion consistent with the vendor’s wares. The vendor, along with a couple of employees or family and friends, stands in the booth, speaking to brides and their entourages. Often, the vendor will hand out a coupon or brochure. That is it in a nutshell, but to make the most of a bridal fair, careful thought and planning should be a part of the process.
Bridal Show Booth Ideas
As soon as the deposit is paid to the bridal fair, the planning process should begin. First on the list should be the booth layout, including decorations. A great place to start is to create an underlining theme for the booth. From that point, determine the services to emphasize. For example, a disc jockey may want to highlight their ability to create a romantic atmosphere at the reception. The booth could be decorated in flowers and low lighting, with soft music flowing from hidden speakers.
This would be the perfect time to use a bubble machine and mirror ball, giving the bride ideas to use at her own reception. If the disc jockey is concerned about losing the party brides, a laptop playing party clips can be included in the decorations. All of a sudden, the booth provides the romance while hinting at the fun, party side of the disc jockey.
Designing Tips for the Perfect Bridal Fair Booth
- Create a warm, friendly atmosphere where the brides feel comfortable.
- Do not provide room for the booth workers to stand behind a table. This does not allow for engaging the brides. Place the table at the back or side of the booth. If in a corner booth, place a table on the inner side next to your neighbor.
- The best booths are the corner booths. They provide two directions to catch brides.
- Try to have one focal item that brings all brides to your booth.
- If electricity is required, confirm it is provided. Some bridal fairs charge for it. If they do, it is usually less expensive to book it in advance. Also, it is difficult, if not impossible, to have it hooked up on the day of the fair.
- Remember to consider the pipe and drapery (the curtains separating the booth) when designing the booth. A few bridal fairs offer color choices to their vendors; this will need to be requested in advance.
- Do not clutter the booth. People are more comfortable in an open atmosphere.
- Utilize your logo and logo colors in your booth as much as possible.
What to Hand Out at Your Booth
When a bride enters the area of the bridal fair, she receives a bag with the wedding show’s logo on it. As she walks through the fair, the bride will use it to hold all the items she receives at the fair. Usually, the bride will then take the bag home and examine all the items. Because of this routine, it is best to create an advertising piece that will stand out from the other items in the bag. In fact, to receive the most attention, create multiple pieces. A brochure or flyer, a coupon, and a small giveaway will put your information in front of the bride three times during her bag exploring.
When designing the handouts, be creative. Try a die-cut design or bold colors. Referring to the above-mentioned disc jockey example, the disc jockey may want to create a flyer with the company information on one side and a list of wedding songs on the other side. The bride will, most likely, keep the list of wedding songs and, by default, the disc jockey’s information. Please, please, please, remember to place your name, logo, and contact information on every item given out.
Ideas for Bridal Show Giveaways
- Writing pens or pencils
- Calendars or datebooks
- Note pads
- Hand sanitizer
- Candy, logo on wrapper or tie
- Water bottles
- Sample of your work, such as a CD (for musicians) or a cookie (bakers) in a wrapper
Advertise Your Participation
A few weeks before the bridal fair, begin to advertise your participation in the bridal fair. Contact your current customers by mail, email, or phone to announce your participation. Place the signage provided by the bridal fair in your store and verbally remind customers to “come to see you there.”
If allowed, hold a drawing for two free tickets to the bridal fair. Another option for a drawing is to have brides preregister for the drawing that will be held in your booth at the bridal fair. If they preregister and attend the fair, they are given two chances to win.
The Week of the Bridal Fair
The week of the bridal fair, start organizing all items needed for decorating and running the booth. Create a list of all needed items. Then, designate a loading area.
Throughout the week, place items from the needed list into the loading area. Check them off the list. Be sure to include water and snacks, such as trail mix, for the booth workers. Most bridal fairs will supply one or two bottles of water and a small snack, but it is best to bring extras. If possible, load the supplies the evening before the bridal fair. As items are loaded, cross them off the needed list to confirm everything is loaded.
Extra Things to Bring
- A handcart or pushcart for carrying items to and from the loading area
- Extra power cords if electricity is being used
- Bottled water
- Small snacks
- Extra scissors, tape, pens, and paper
- A small first aid kit
- An item close to a Tide pen for spills or marks on clothes
The Day of the Event
Finally, the big day has arrived. Everyone working the booth should be well-rested and ready to go. Get a good start by arriving at the venue as early as possible. Quickly and professionally assemble the decorations for the booth.
Once the booth has been completed, step back and survey your booth. Look for items that could be tripped over or messes that should be cleaned up. Then begin speaking with the other vendors at the bridal fair. Do not, of course, bother anyone still finishing up their booth. Many vendors will network during the time between set-up and the start of the fair. Be sure to have plenty of business cards handy for the customary business card swap.
The Dos and Don'ts of Running a Bridal Show Booth
- Do smile and have fun.
- Do greet everyone in a friendly manner.
- Do give a discount for anyone booking or purchasing at the show.
- Do not let everyone working the booth sit down at the same time.
- Do take breaks one worker at a time.
- Do not leave the show early.
- Do not speak negatively about the competition.
- Do praise your own work.
Follow-Up
Follow-up is an extremely important part of the bridal fair experience. A vendor’s success at the bridal fair is in part determined by the follow-up. First, send a postcard or note card to every vendor you spoke with at the bridal show. The card should say something similar to “It was nice seeing you again” or “it was nice meeting you.” Other vendors, even the competition, are potential customers and referrers of your service.
Second, contact all brides who booked or set up appointments to meet, thank them and confirm the booking or appointment. It is best to have as much contact with customers and potential customers through email or snail mail as possible. The more often your name is before them, the better the chance they will remember you. Finally, utilize the mailing list provided by the bridal fair to its fullest potential. Create an advertising campaign that uses the information provided. Once the campaign has been created, stick to it.
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
Comments
Sandara on June 20, 2019:
Attending a wedding fair is really fun! And the vendors should be ready cause this event will be lots of people to interact and first impression last. Make the first impression for your potential customer amazing! And for the participants here are some tips to make your wedding fair experience amazing. Check this http://juanserbisyo.com/how-to-prepare-and-get-the...
Mike Fried (Sonacity Photography) on December 29, 2017:
Amazing article! I'll be working my first bridal show in 2 weeks and I'm very excited!
"I Do!" Vows on August 10, 2016:
Do you have anything specific to suggest for wedding officiants? Much of what you suggested about booth setup I was able to do at a bridal show I participated in this past January. I benefited from having a corner location near the stage area where bridal gowns and formal wear were presented and next to a photographer and cupcake maker. Lots of traffic, open spacing, locally made chocolates, a drawing for my services and discounts to anyone attending the show. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Thanks in advance and thank you for an informative article.
Lara on July 26, 2016:
Great article! Thank you :)
Ashley Dawkins on August 04, 2015:
This is a great article for helping wedding vendors prepare for a bridal show. If you are in NJ, NY, or PA and would like to participate in the top bridal shows in those areas then you must check out Rock the Aisle Bridal - http://www.rocktheaislebridal.com. Check out their site and contact them for more information. You'll be glad you did!
Dusty Snoke (author) from Chattanooga, TN on November 15, 2012:
Thank you mariasial. I always loved doing bridal fairs when I was in the industry. I am glad you enjoyed the article.
maria sial from united kingdom on November 14, 2012:
nice hub! very detailed information about a rare topic ... good tips
