Back in September, I attended two bridal
expos on back-to-back weekends. This was a little out of character for me, but
I was really there for the dress sales! (Spoiler alert: I eventually found my
dream dress at Wishahmon, obviously.)
The
first weekend, I attended the Bliss Bridal
Show at the Carriage House Inn with two of my bridesmaids. Immediately we
were greeted by some hefty swag bags! I know I razzed on bridal magazines in my
previous post, but in the end I must admit I did flip through them for some
inspiration, so perhaps they're not so bad after all. Anyway, Bliss Bridal Show
is actually quite small compared to other bridal expos in the city. There
didn't seem to be many brides there, so I was able to easily wander from booth
to booth without elbowing anybody. Despite its small size, there seemed to be a
good variety of vendors there, from florists and limos to photographers,
personal trainers, and travel agents (for the honeymoon!).
The Bay was on hand with some makeup
artists as well as their gift registry people, so you could kill two birds with
one stone. There were also a few smaller outfits, like Bee Vintage Theme Rentals, which rents out
vintage decor and furniture for weddings and other events, and Lollipop Girl Accessories,which
makes custom bridal headpieces and hip flasks for a fairly reasonable price.
The dress sale at Bliss Bridal was run by Tafetta and Tulle Bridal from Airdrie.
Brides signed up for appointment times that were set 30 minutes apart, with
three brides per slot. As I mentioned, the show itself was quite small so we
had lots of time to kill between hitting the booths (though admittedly I did
not linger as much as I could have) and my appointment time. We sat out in the
lobby, looted through our loot bags and flipped through our bridal magazines
until my appointment time, but were still waiting outside for another 30
minutes before we were let in.
I was hoping that since we had set
appointment times that we would be assigned a specific salesperson, but
unfortunately that was not the case. My bridesmaids and I were left to sift
through the racks on our own and pull out dresses to try. I tried on a few but
none of them were for me, which was OK because I knew I would be looking at
more dresses the next week!
Trying
dresses on at Bliss Bridal Fair
The next weekend was the big Bridal Expo at the BMO Centre, which I attended
with my sister (one of my bridesmaids) and my mom. I was forewarned that it
would be a little chaotic, but we got there in the morning/early afternoon so
the crowds weren't too bad at that point. Unlike the Bliss Bridal Fair, where
the dress sale was separate, the bridal shops at the Bridal Expo were out in
the open, so you could wander in, look through the racks, and hop in a change
room if you found something to try on. I tried on one dress that I liked, but
just didn't feel like "the one".
Not
“the one”
The Bridal Expo was definitely huge - the
expo hall at the BMO Centre was filled with vendors and elaborate displays, and
there was a separate hall where fashion shows were held twice a day. There were
stations set up near the entrance for brides to print a sheet of labels for $7 with
their name, contact information and wedding date, for ease in entering draws.
You could pretty much find anything wedding-related there, from venues (there
are some golf courses out there with really delicious food) down to your flower
girl’s shoes!
Impressive
display by Lynn Fletcher Weddings
At the end of the day, I would say I didn’t
find the bridal shows to be particularly helpful for me. Thanks to the
internet, I went in already knowing where/when I was having my wedding, who my
photographer was, and where I was going to get my accessories and décor.
However, if you’re recently engaged and have no idea to start, going to a
bridal show can definitely provide inspiration (and maybe you can snag a deal
or win a draw!) It was also a good reminder of some things I hadn’t thought a
lot about, like AV rentals and transportation.
The winter/spring bridal show season is
just around the corner! If you’re looking for some wedding inspo (or just want
a fun day out with the girls), here are the upcoming dates:
Bridal Fantasy Calgary
January 11, 2015
The Wedding Fair
January 18, 2015
Bliss Bridal Show
February 22, 2015
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