Did you get engaged over the holidays? Don't know where or how to start planning your wedding? Good news - it is 'wedding show season'!
Attending a wedding show provides you with the opportunity to get your friends and family together to meet local wedding vendors and kick-off your wedding planning process. Time to call in your besties and plan a day-long outing where you meet photographers, wedding planners, videographers, caters, venues, bridal shops, and florists to help you orchestrate your special wedding day.
Wedding shows are easily the best way to meet multiple vendors in one space, which saves you time and energy!
Here are some tips to get the most out of your wedding show experience:
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Arrive at the wedding show with a priority list. Which type of vendors are you most interested in visiting? This will help keep you on track during the busy day.
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Have all your wedding details ready. Vendors will be interested to learn more about you and your wedding, so having your wedding date and other solidified details memorized will make your wedding show experience seamless!
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Do you have a vision for your wedding day? Keep your personal vision of your wedding day ready to share. If you don't have a vision, don't worry! Wedding vendors are more than happy to provide ideas and their expertise to assist you.
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Budget. If you are working with a budget, this is good information to share with potential vendors.
Now that you are prepared to walk in the door of a local wedding show, what type of questions should you be asking the vendors? Each booth you visit with have talented staff ready to ask you a lot of questions and it's equally as important for you to ask questions of these potential wedding vendors.
What questions should you ask vendors at the wedding show?
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Do you have availability on my wedding date? After you make your introductions, it is good to cut to the chase - "do you have availability on my wedding date?" Nothing is worse than falling in love with a vendor and later finding out they don't have availability on your wedding day.
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Do you require a deposit? If you are interested in working with a wedding vendor, ask if they require a deposit to save your wedding date. Additional questions you can ask include inquiring if they have a contract for services, if the deposit is refundable and other policies in place for customers.
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What makes you different than other 'photographers, etc.'? It's good to have a connection with your vendor and share styles! Your wedding day is going to be one of the biggest days of your life, so you want to make sure the wedding vendor you are picking meshes with your personal style or vision for your wedding day.
Florists will pull out all the stops to prepare for wedding shows!
"Highly sought-after florists are often booked out months in advance, so it's best not to wait to select your wedding florist of your dreams."
Because this is our area of expertise, here are some floral focused questions to ask prospective wedding florist:
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What type of arrangements do you offer? It's good to ask a florist what types of arrangements they can handle, especially if you are looking for something special for your wedding - like florals on an arch, hanging floral installation, flower wall, etc. You want to make sure the florist is able to help your floral vision come to life on your wedding day.
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Do you deliver? Never hurts to double check to confirm your florists service area and if they have a delivery fee.
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Do you offer set-up, take-down, flip? What day-of services does your florist offer? Will they deliver and set-up all the floral arrangements? Will they take-down the arrangements at the end of the night? Will they move your arrangements from the ceremony to the venue and set them up correctly? It's good to double check!
- Rental items? Does your florist offer any rental items, such as: welcome signs, seating charts, arches, pedestals for centerpieces, vases, garlands, or other statement pieces? If they do offer rental items, make sure you understand your responsibility for returning those items.
At Archer & Bliss Floral, we take pride in offering personal consultations to all of our brides. If you've met us at a wedding show, we immediately reach out to schedule a time when we can meet in person, talk on the phone, or connect virtually to discuss your ideas for your wedding day.
First things first - we want all of our brides know the mission of Archer & Bliss Floral, because this is what makes us different.
Our mission is to provide the arrangements of your dreams for your wedding or special event. We combine inspiration from your ideas and offer a creative, artistic perspective. What makes Archer & Bliss different is we take pride in sustainable floral design:
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Growing a beautiful assortment of flowers on our Shawano County farm and sourcing blooms from local growers
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Utilizing nationally trusted floral wholesales for traditional flowers and greenery
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Incorporating natural greenery, grasses, and dried elements
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Reducing waste through sustainable practices
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Taking pride in modern and practical design techniques