You never really realize
how MUCH work goes into the planning of a wedding until you’re in the “thick”
of it. From the first day you start the journey to the altar to meet your groom
until the last song is played at your reception, there are hundreds of details
to manage. Most brides know, one of the best ways CENTRALIZE all the
information leading up to the big day is a Wedding
Website.
Wedding
websites can be more than just a “cute” embellishment or a trendy thing to do. Many
know they can actually simplify how you relay information to your family and
other guest. More than just telling your love story or posting dates and times,
wedding websites can be an extension of the planning process by layering
information for them relevant to airline/hotel, special activities planned, and
gift registry links.
If you’ve researched this,
you know several are free, easy to use and update, as well as FUN. Many also
allow you to keep the “branding” for your wedding by uploading the same design
you use for your invitations or images that correlate with the theme of your
wedding. Sites like those you find on WeddingWire.com also have elevated the product to include a free mobile
app. You can make your wedding a “virtual”success before the big day even
arrives!
I love the concept, but I
also want you to keep a few things in mind:
Brides are always excited to see and hear the latest trends
in weddings. Whether it’s through a popular bridal magazine, wedding industry
website, or even bridal reality show, brides are in search for great ideas and
experts to help make their wedding reality a dream come true. Aside from these resources, bridal tradeshows
also can be a valuable outlet, IF you know how to make the most of the
experience.
Often, I hear that bridal tradeshows can be “overwhelming”
to brides. Trying to process all the information thrown at you from perspective
vendors, might be daunting. Neverthless,
I believe, if you carefully craft your time and who you give attention to while
at a tradeshow, you can find “vendor gems.”
Here are a few things to consider:
Map out a plan of
attack. It would be great if you
could spend hours visiting with all the vendors at a bridal tradeshow, but the
reality is you can’t. Avoid getting
overwhelmed by the temptation to “see it all” by deciding well in advance the
particular services you KNOW you NEED. Research which vendors related to your need
will be at the tradeshow by visiting the shows website, then the vendor’s
website, and weed out the list to determine
your top three. From the tradeshow
vendor map, locate the both numbers for those vendors and mark them on the
map. Determine you will not get
sidetracked by the “lure of crowd” and spend the time you have at the tradeshow
investigating their ability to provide the services you need.
