My First Bridal Fair

I showcased my items at my first bridal fair last weekend. Wedding items are some of my biggest sellers, so I've known for quite some time that I wanted to participate in one. I checked out a couple locations last year, but the prices are so high for these events that I hadn't taken the plunge to attend one yet. The fee for this fair was high compared to my normal craft shows, but much cheaper than the other bridal fairs I had seen advertised, so I gave it a chance.

For this being my first show and it being the first time this venue had hosted the event, I think it went pretty well. The location is in the country at a glass chapel. My wood items fit the theme really well as do my  mason jars and wine bottle candles/table numbers. We had fairly good attendance considering the weather didn't want to cooperate at all. I handed out several cards to interested couples and now the waiting game begins.

Unlike craft shows where you generally know how well you did at the end of the day, with the bridal fair you don't actually sell anything, just hand out cards. So I just have to wait and see if anyone contacts me about my items. I put a coupon code on the back if people reference the show, so I'll know if they found me through the event.

The best part of the day was that my mom came to help me. She drove 6.5 hours home just to help me with my first bridal fair :) She knows all about my products and that I can customize anything, so she was able to talk to people and explain everything if I was helping someone else. She was even nice enough to bring all my stuff inside for me...in the rain and through the mud...so I wasn't a mess before the show. She really is the best!

There were a few things I'd like to see done differently next year like the lighting. We were set up in the reception hall and the lighting is set more for night time dancing than a day-time event. One vendor mentioned having us face outward instead of inward so we would get good use of the windows for lighting. Another thing I wasn't impressed with were the owners. They weren't there to greet us and show us our tables and they didn't come around at any point and ask us what we thought of the event and how the day was going. I hope they send an email asking for suggestions and how to improve for next year.

All in all the show went well and time will tell whether I will attend next year. But I'm glad I got my first bridal fair under my belt and know what to do differently on my end for next time.