Hi to all our This Is The One readers!
Wedding fairs....... exceptionally well-planned events hosted by a huge selection of event organisers such as Unveiled Magazine, Belle Bridal Magazine and Wedding Fairs North East, to name just a few, with numerous dates and locations to choose from. All providing newly engaged couples and their wedding parties the chance to submerge themselves in the unmissable party filled with all things wedding related to wedding photographers, wedding cakes, wedding entertainment, wedding decor, to where our sweet-scented bubble floats, bridal wear!
Selecting our first events was like the cinema pick and mix dilemma, what ones to choose??? Have we chosen wisely? Will we enjoy the sugar-coated strawberries more than the huge coca-cola bottles?! Unfortunately, we cant fill the bag with all the sweets available as a full paper bag costs a small fortune!
Our decision made and our first event was upon us. Sunday 23rd September 2018 hosted by
Brides Up North and Unveiled magazine, the Big Bridal Super Show at Ramside Hall was the
destination punched into our sat navs.
Looking back we laugh so much reminiscing about the two inexperienced duos we were! We
packed up the WHOLE boutique, not a sparkle left in the Epernay shell that stood empty, all its contents in our BULGING car! Balloons, flowers, dresses, rails, accessories, even the freelance MAC makeup kit and stool to offer mini makeup!
Arrived super early to unpack and set up our first Epernay Bridal wedding fair stand.
Putting our visual merchandising skills into practice gained after many years of following strict
VM guidelines at the MAC & Jo Malone counters. Meticulously posing the mannequins, propping them at perfect angles the Ivory & Co and Halo & Co accessories, assembling our portable rails to perfectly hang our "ONE OFF" Wedding dresses. Our stand looking out of this world we were ready! Ready to engage in conversation with every bride, welcome them to our stand and let everyone know a little bit more about Epernay Bridal This Is The One. Our newly printed "Epernay Bridal This Is The One" leaflets and business cards in our hands, to start the promoting of OUR business.
Harrogate bridal fashion show only happened two weeks before Ramside (another blog
entirely) we had struck gold with a new supplier Cizzy Bridal Australia. Taking immediately from Harrogate the trunk show full of the 2019 Cizzy Bridal dresses (to save the Cizzy team unnecessarily packing up the bridal dresses at Harrogate and for us to only wait 4 months for our order to arrive) Do you have a car??? Asked Cizzy? ...... Why don't you take the wedding gowns today??? Alright, then we will! What a fantastic idea.
Since part of the package for Ramside Hall wedding fair was to appear in the fashion
show we knew the brand new Cizzy Bridal Australia 2019 City collection will be the wedding styles we would showcase. Strutting down the catwalk our wedding designs looked sensational! We were proud parents graciously admiring our well-received brood! The models LOVED them as did the audience. Our stand was constantly packed. We recorded details for every bride we spoke to and personally invited them to our wedding showroom for their exclusive bridal appointments.
Not only did we engage in conversations with new brides we spoke with other bridal business
suppliers. One, in particular, was a stand opposite our stand. The most stunning creative vision bursting with eye-catching decor was The Whole Sch Bang. Took us a while to build up the courage to strike up a conversation with the talented, experienced and utterly trendy owner Kat. Turns out Kat was admiring our stand too, imaginary rosettes pinned to our chest and a quick pat on the back at the compliment from someone so clearly AMAZING!
Birth of Collaboration no 1. Since we have a large shop window with the capacity to be dressed to impress we asked Kat if it would be something The Whole Sch Bang could be interested in? Result! Kat agreed and we exchanged details to arrange our first wedding shop window installation. Our working collaboration with The Whole Sch Bang has blossomed with seasonal window displays and creative photoshoots at Ellingham Hall and Charlton Hall. With even more exciting partnerships in the pipeline....watch this space.
So to sum up wedding fairs, they are the best source of help in finding your ideal wedding
suppliers....whatever creative unique wedding idea you have you'll find your perfect match at a wedding fair. For us, it's a super exciting time to get creative, setting up our stands, build working relationships with other wedding business owners but ultimately we look forward to playing an early role in a brides wedding journey by introducing every bride to Epernay Bridal and inviting them to visit our gorgeous boutique, to help them start their wedding gown search and share their 'This Is The One' moment.
We look forward to seeing you at all upcoming wedding events, fairs and open days.....
Love
Judith & Laurie xxx
Thursday 5th September 2019 Wedding Open Evening The Vermont Hotel
Sunday 15th September 2019 Rainton Meadows Arena
Sunday 22nd September 2019 Ramside Hall
Sunday 6th October 2019 Tyne Bank brewery
Sunday 13th October 2019 The Wedding Show at Newcastle Racecourse
Sunday 27th October 2019 Alnwick Tree House