5 years

The big 5...for me this was a huge deal.  5 years ago I found myself thinking why not plan my own bridal show. I had plenty of reasons why not to plan one but none of them seemed like a good enough reason.  I reached out to a few great local wedding professionals who had become friends with and pitched the idea.  No one laughed, (well except my mother but she said it was a supportive laugh:) the idea was born and forward I went. 

From the tented affair of about 65 or so to hosting over 200 guests this weekend, I really can't complain.  It seemed a bit unreal to be honest.  I love this different part of my business, and I love the vendors I get to meet.  We always have a mix of vendors who have been with us before and others who are trying us out for the first.

 The point is never to be the huge expo style event, since I've taken many of clients to these style events and really did my best to listen to what they liked and hated.  From there I took these ideas and created them into my show.  It doesn't work for everyone of course, but for the ones it does, it works well.  

There were a few delivery issues and a few missing vendors due to lack of power and damaged trucks but overall an outstanding turnout.  I thank everyone for their support, for coming out and the amazing vendors I get to call friends. 

From a simple idea, this part of the company has really grown.  We have wedworks, which are just networking nights for the vendors, a spring show, and now working on a Winter show at the Mark Twain House for 2012.  I hope to continue.   

CT Bridal Event

My CT Bridal Event email has been filled with requests for the show. It is always a hard call to know when to start to allow vendors reserve their spots. I always want a good mix of vendors for my Connecticut couples and I still like to offer new ones. 

We try to offer an environment where our wedding professionals and couples can actually meet and speak to each other without a hard sales pitch. I always find it funny because I can tell which vendors are comfortable with this type of setting and which ones aren't. It makes a huge difference but I do my best to guide and help the vendors find their way in the world of bridal shows.

It will be interesting to see how this year comes together. I have requests for sponsorship spots, and lots of requests from wedding professionals I never worked with before. I'm looking forward to bringing this together in the fall.