6 Wedding Show Tips for Couples 2022

Getting the Most out of Your First Wedding Show

Newly engaged?  Overwhelmed?  Going to a Bridal Show or Bridal Expo is a great start.  However, you can walk out more confused than when you walked in!  Here are some guidlines to help make your trip to Cincinnati's Bridal Shows fun and productive!  

Wedding Shows are a great way to meet a lot of potential wedding vendors such as Wedding VenuesWedding Photographers, DJs, Cakes, and pretty much anything you can imagine for your big day all in one room.  To make the best of it, you should prepare yourself BEFORE you arrive at the Wedding shows. 

The value in a wedding show is not to do research and get pricing; that should be done at home before and/or after the show.  The most important thing is to make a note of who stands out and get a sense of how they make you feel.  That's one thing you cannot research from home.

  1. Wedding Email:  Everyone including the show host will want your contact information.  Every vendor will receive a copy of this information which means you will get a lot of Emails!  Creating a wedding email helps organize your wedding email seperate from your regular email.  And after your wedding, you can close down that email.
  2. Sharpie:  You will talk to so many vendors at the show you will forget who was who and what made them stand out to you.  With your sharpie, you can mark notes or even just a checkmark to remind you to take a good look at them when you are doing your research at home afterwards.
  3. Pre show research:  Inevitably you will have already done some homework on the vendors for your wedding.  Look at the wedding show's website and see which vendors you want to target.  Make note of who they are so you can make a point of stopping to talk to them.
  4. Do not waste your time:  If you are not interested in a vendor, do not stop to talk to them.  You don't have time and neither do they.  As salespeople they will try to talk to you but in reality you may be keeping them from talking to someone who may actually hire them.  Don't stay and talk to be polite.
  5. Carry two bags:  You will likely collect information from most of the vendors who say hello to you even if you don't like them.  Have one bag for those you are not interested in and throw that in the trash when you leave.  Have another bag for those you are interested in.  This works with bringing a sharpie because you can distinguish your favorites in that bag with the sharpie.
  6. Starting Price:  The most common mistake when trying to find out price is to ask for the "starting price".  You're encouraging them to quote a low package that is not relevant to your wedding then followed by up selling and pushing your budget.  The proper question to ask is "What is the average couple's total investment with your company?  I once saw a photographer advertise $200 wedding packages.  By the time you had a full day with two photographers and copyright it was nearly $3,000.

You will find Images by Daniel Michael Photography at:

Wendy's Bridal Show at Duke Cincinnati Convention Center 
Saturday January 1th, 10:00-5:00, Sunday January 2th 2022, 11:00-5:00

A Bridal Affair at Marriott West Chester
Saturday January 8th, 2022 Time TBD  FREE admission

Bridalrama at Duke Cincinnati Convention  
Saturday January 22th & January 23rd 2022, 11:00-4:00

A Bridal Affair at Holliday Inn Eastgate
Sunday February 20th, 2022 Time 11:00-3:00  FREE admission

Ohio Wedding Shows at Manor House Mason
Sunday March 20th, 2022 Time 11:00-3:00  FREE admission

Getting the Most out of Your First Wedding Show

Newly engaged?  Overwhelmed?  Going to a Bridal Show or Bridal Expo is a great start.  However, you can walk out more confused than when you walked in!  Here are some guidlines to help make your trip to Cincinnati's Bridal Shows fun and productive!  

Wedding Shows are a great way to meet a lot of potential wedding vendors such as Wedding VenuesWedding Photographers, DJs, Cakes, and pretty much anything you can imagine for your big day all in one room.  To make the best of it, you should prepare yourself BEFORE you arrive at the Wedding shows. 

The value in a wedding show is not to do research and get pricing; that should be done at home before and/or after the show.  The most important thing is to make a note of who stands out and get a sense of how they make you feel.  That's one thing you cannot research from home.

  1. Wedding Email:  Everyone including the show host will want your contact information.  Every vendor will receive a copy of this information which means you will get a lot of Emails!  Creating a wedding email helps organize your wedding email seperate from your regular email.  And after your wedding, you can close down that email.
  2. Sharpie:  You will talk to so many vendors at the show you will forget who was who and what made them stand out to you.  With your sharpie, you can mark notes or even just a checkmark to remind you to take a good look at them when you are doing your research at home afterwards.
  3. Pre show research:  Inevitably you will have already done some homework on the vendors for your wedding.  Look at the wedding show's website and see which vendors you want to target.  Make note of who they are so you can make a point of stopping to talk to them.
  4. Do not waste your time:  If you are not interested in a vendor, do not stop to talk to them.  You don't have time and neither do they.  As salespeople they will try to talk to you but in reality you may be keeping them from talking to someone who may actually hire them.  Don't stay and talk to be polite.
  5. Carry two bags:  You will likely collect information from most of the vendors who say hello to you even if you don't like them.  Have one bag for those you are not interested in and throw that in the trash when you leave.  Have another bag for those you are interested in.  This works with bringing a sharpie because you can distinguish your favorites in that bag with the sharpie.
  6. Starting Price:  The most common mistake when trying to find out price is to ask for the "starting price".  You're encouraging them to quote a low package that is not relevant to your wedding then followed by up selling and pushing your budget.  The proper question to ask is "What is the average couple's total investment with your company?  I once saw a photographer advertise $200 wedding packages.  By the time you had a full day with two photographers and copyright it was nearly $3,000.

You will find Images by Daniel Michael Photography at:

Wendy's Bridal Show at Duke Cincinnati Convention Center 
Saturday January 1th, 10:00-5:00, Sunday January 2th 2022, 11:00-5:00

A Bridal Affair at Marriott West Chester
Saturday January 8th, 2022 Time TBD  FREE admission

Bridalrama at Duke Cincinnati Convention  
Saturday January 22th & January 23rd 2022, 11:00-4:00

A Bridal Affair at Holliday Inn Eastgate
Sunday February 20th, 2022 Time 11:00-3:00  FREE admission

Ohio Wedding Shows at Manor House Mason
Sunday March 20th, 2022 Time 11:00-3:00  FREE admission