Congratulations on your impending wedding! Now it is time to get serious about your planning. Where to start? How do you know if a large wedding show or a smaller open house is where you need to go to get your planning done?
What is a Showcase or Open House?
A wedding professional will open their venue, studio or showroom to wedding couples as a means to introduce them to their work. This will give the couple a chance to meet the professional, learn more about their work and products in a relaxed setting. Sometimes the professional will invite other wedding professionals to participate. This allows the wedding couple to see other vendors and know who is used to working together. A showcase or open house is a smaller event where fewer couples are present. It allows greater, deeper interaction with the vendors. Admission is free.
What is a Wedding Show?
Wedding shows are organized by promoters. Many wedding vendors are gathered in one location, usually a convention style center or a large venue. Often there are many vendors in the same category. You can taste food from many different caterers, see the decorating skills of many decorators, talk to videographers and see the styles of photographers or talk to different officiants to see whose style fits with yours. This allows couples to make informed decisions. Due to the number of couples present and the size of the show, there is limited time with each vendor. Admission charges are usually waived for the wedding couple while their guests pay.
There are benefits to attending both! At the Open House or Showcase you often have more time with the venue owner, a tour of the facility and an opportunity to talk to other vendors who have worked there.
