Several weeks ago the Seattle area held their Fall Wedding Expo. As usual, I planned to scour the booths in search of quality vendors at reasonable prices. My party (Maid of honor and sister Rhissa, bridesmaid and cousin Ashley, and Junior bridesmaid and cousin Mikaela) and I avoided the entrance fee by arriving an hour before closing. Most of the dedicated vendors were still in attendance and we didn’t have to fight for the attention of any sales associates. Samples were just as good, and deals were as readily available as any.

The Seattle Wedding Show offered several hundreds of vendors in all different aspects of the wedding planning process. However, I’ve found that most of the smaller wedding shows consist of Pampered Chef reps and travel agents. You’ll want to do some research on the big wedding shows in the area if you are ready to do some real “vendor shopping.” The smaller shows are great for “ideas.”

In the case of larger shows, consider going both days of the weekend. Take day one to collect information on prospects and taste some food. Just basically peruse. Go home, look at your material and decide who you’d like to talk to in depth. Spend most of day two creating the relationships with your potential vendors.

Don’t forget to bring water! There are so many varieties of cake and food to taste, in addition to the heat of the crowd, that you’ll be VERY thirsty.

In any case, always immerse yourself in your “wedding planning” hat and have fun! Remember that they are there for YOU! They’ll make it work.

Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.