What Brides Are Saying?

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Comment by Stacy Andrews on March 17, 2010 at 2:31pm

I just did a bridal show. Spent a pretty penny I might add, this is my third one. One I ended up with one wedding, the others nothing. " It is fun" a lot of work goes into it. You need to have your booth decorated just right, or other wise people won't stop. So there is more money to be spent. Needs to be eye catching. I have some friends in the Cake business, and we all pretty much agree it is not worth it all in all.

Comment by Sheryl Finnerty on March 17, 2010 at 1:40pm

I agree with Emily, there is nothing like personal contact and for my modality flowers, brides get a much better idea of what they want by looking at what is in front of them and spin it into what they are looking for. Photo's are helpful but the real thing or silk samples help them to focus.

Comment by Calligrapher - Printdelights.com on March 17, 2010 at 1:22pm

Nothing will ever replace PERSONAL contact with the bride, not email, not websites, not radio, TV or print ads. Get a list of brides and call them. All the other things are ways to warm the brides up to the product or the need of the product. Shows are great ways to connect with brides but the brides are often overwhelmed with the sheer volume of choices and information. Because of Internet then we, as vendors, are competing on a global scale with many other products and services. LOCAL services with "add on value" in a market with longer sales cycles and shorter product- life spans, these will win the bride's business through PERSONAL contact.

Comment by Enamour - Fine Art Provocateurs on March 17, 2010 at 12:55pm

What avenues have been the most effective marketing for you besides referral? We are trying to tap the wedding market for bachelorette parties (boudoir parties for the ladies) and aren't sure what else is effective. Already doing the FB/Twitter thing. Would be great to hear what's working for you guys!

Comment by Rhythm N Ritmo Music & Ent. on March 16, 2010 at 1:48pm

I totally have stopped the bridal shows because although the promoters sell it that they ask the bride and groom's income and perhaps a budget, they are still looking to get more for less. I've incorporated 2 "value" packages for my DJ services and hope to intise them. The catch here is that instead of me going out of my way for everything, they will also carry part of the duties, like meetings at my office instead of me visiting them at their homes. Less options like intelligent lighting, plasmas or projection, smaller sound system. What do you think?

Comment by Matt Faber on March 16, 2010 at 1:40pm

I have been shooting weddings for over ten years and during that time have shown at virtually every wedding show going (UK only). In the last few years however, I have seen a reduction in the conversion rate, to the point where one has to ask whether they are viable any more. This has also been my experience with magazine advertising. My marketing now consists entirely of SEO and social networking.

Comment by Enamour - Fine Art Provocateurs on March 16, 2010 at 1:25pm

Thank you so much for the input. We looked at a smaller fair but the demographics were not so great. We'll see how this one goes and see if we need to re-evaluate. It's all a new adventure for us so it will definitely be interesting. I appreciate your insight!

Comment by Michelle Posey on March 16, 2010 at 1:18pm

It's hard to tell if bridal fairs are worthwhile, especially looking at this kind of time frame. I did okay at one earlier this year. I think it could actually work better for boudoir, especially since some brides don't even know that boudoir exists. I actually sought out a smaller bridal fair this year to participate in. Not only was the cost lower, but I think it will pay off more. The brides had more time, it's been easier to follow up, and I actually got more leads than I did from the gigantic bridal show in January. Definitely consider a show that has a limit on the number of vendors in a certain category.

Comment by Enamour - Fine Art Provocateurs on March 16, 2010 at 1:04pm

Michelle, that's good to know. We have a booth at the Chicago Bridal Expo in May and we only shoot boudoir photography, not weddings, so it's really geared toward bachelorette parties and groom's gifts. I'm thinking many of the brides will not be looking to this spring/summer for their bachelorette parties, so it will be next year. This will have to be a longer term marketing plan for us. What did you think of the fair in general? Worthwhile?

Comment by Michelle Posey on March 16, 2010 at 1:01pm

An observation from the bridal fair this weekend: A LOT of brides are planning their weddings a long way in advance. At least half the brides we met were planning for May or June 2011, and even a few for 2012! Last year it seemed as if the opposite were true, that the brides who came by our booth were leaving ridiculously short amounts of time to plan their weddings. I'm wondering if this is because many couples are trying to spend more time to save for their wedding.

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