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Janice Kleinschmidt
Where love blooms, bridal shows flourish.
Whether you think of it as one-stop shopping or a ball(room) of confusion, a bridal fair attracts many future brides - and a surprising number of future grooms, as well as bridesmaids, maids of honor, bride’s mothers, sisters, aunts (grooms notwithstanding, females do outnumber males), and other assorted friends and family.
Photographers, florists, pastry bakers, caterers, event planners, destination promoters, entertainment providers, and other wedding-related vendors set up shop at bridal fairs in convention centers, hotel and casino ballrooms, and in Coachella at the Corona Yacht Club (a popular wedding locale).
At Brides and Beyond’s show there in March, Michelle McCambly of San Ramon - marrying Doug Harris in November at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in La Quinta - was accompanied by her betrothed, as well as her mother and her mother’s sister-in-law, Kathy Spates of Bermuda Dunes, who was providing the flowers.
Watching McCambly at a cake vendor’s table, Spates said the bride and groom’s decisions on other wedding arrangements would dictate her flower design.
Harris’ reason for attending exhibited an element of what bodes well for a successful marriage: "I wanted to be a part of the decision-making," he said.
Another November groom, Aton Wilson of La Quinta, was an eager attendee with his future wife, Melina Jimenez, also of La Quinta, at their third bridal fair. In fact, Jimenez said, "He talked me into coming.
"We’re looking for photographers, caterers, decorating, and entertainment," she continued, adding that they wanted to find "better direction" for the Big Day. Wilson pointed out that bridal fairs presented "the little things you didn’t know about, like table settings."
Often those paying the wedding bill (typically parents) accompany brides. But there’s a 40 to 60 percent chance the groom will attend a bridal fair, says Linda Jenks, who owns Palm Springs-based Brides and Beyond and has been developing and promoting bridal shows since 1996.
"It’s amazing how many men do come to these," she says. "If they don’t get involved at the beginning with [planning], then they waa waa that they didn’t have any part in the say of the wedding." Jenks recommends entire wedding parties attend bridal fairs, though in some circles a bride may not want that much potential input.
To keep from overwhelming otherwise happy couples, Brides and Beyond keeps its shows on a small scale. Jenks recalls that a bride she sent to one large bridal fair called her after 15 minutes there almost in a state of panic because the show was so busy and distracting with multiple vendors vying for her attention at the same time. She says the best thing brides (et al.) can get at a fair is ideas.
"It educates the bride what is available, why things cost the way they cost, and how to work on her wedding," Jenks says. "I always tell the brides to bring their budget, calculator, pen, and paper."
She also suggests that they not spend time looking at a service they don’t need and, when they do see a vendor for a service they need, that they use the time wisely.
"Make sure you are talking the same lingo and [the vendors] are aware of your budget," she advises.
Particularly at larger bridal fairs, attendees may want to make the rounds once, sit down and take a break, figure out which vendors most appealed to them, and then revisit those tables or booths.
With ideas, business cards, flyers, brochures, and magazines aplenty at a fair, there’s no reason to feel compelled to make an on-the-spot decision. Materials can be sifted through leisurely at home. At the same time, Jenks says, there’s nothing wrong with brides and grooms making a decision if the moment is right.
"They have the opportunity to sample cakes, the opportunity to see the work of someone," she says. However, "90 percent of the time, people do not book right there at the show unless it’s something they have got to have. They generally set up appointments with people and go from there." Vendors, she adds, sometimes give certificates for a discount good for a set period of time after the fair.
In addition to ideas and discounts, bridal fairs offer fashion shows, seminars, and prize drawings. Future newlyweds may even win a honeymoon package, such as the four-day, three-night trip to Jamaica or the Bahamas offered by Coastal Synergy Group of Palm Desert as a grand prize at the Corona Yacht Club fair.
Stephanie Paramore of Palm Springs was in the market for a honeymoon destination when she attended the fair. Paramore, who had just moved to Palm Springs from the Bay Area in February and whose bridesmaids live outside the Coachella Valley, cruised the booths solo, not minding her fiancé’s absence during March Madness ("NCAA championships? No way!" she said, laughing).
Paramore was also in the market for a photographer, but she found something else she liked.
"I’m feeling good about some jewelry," she said.
Bring these things
• Someone to bounce ideas off of (preferably the groom)
• A tote bag for cards, brochures, catalogs, etc.
• A calendar for scheduling appointments
• A pen and paper
• Your budget and a "shopping list"
• A calculator
• A color swatch to match
• A checkbook and credit card (just in case)
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