It’s that time of year again, when guys wake up and ask that special girl in their life (YOU!) to marry them! Once the ring is on your finger, the wedding planning process begins, but where to start? Bridal shows are a great way to explore the wedding world and find out what your local area has to offer. The shows bring in top wedding vendors for couples to meet and learn more about. This year A Southern Soiree will be participating in two local wedding shows.
The first one coming up at the end of this month is the ever popular Carolina Inn Bridal Showcase. The show is on Sunday, January 26th from 1:00-4:00pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at The Carolina Inn Bridal Showcase Website.
Our second show is The Wedding Affair at North Hills on Sunday, February 23 from 1:00-4:00pm at The Renaissance Hotel. Tickets are $12 for single admission and $20 for double admission and can be purchased at The Wedding Affair at North Hills Website.
Be sure you check out our booth at both shows this year! They’re going to be great events! You’ll have the opportunity to meet many different vendors such as photographers, DJs, florists, bakeries, bridal gown shops and of course independent wedding planners. You might be thinking, “I already have my venue and it comes with a coordinator, so why hire someone else?” That’s a good question, and one we get asked a lot by couples and their families. What is the difference between our role and the venue coordinators role during the planning process? Although your venue coordinator can help you have the wedding of your dreams, there are some aspects to the planning process that their role does not cover. We were recently featured in Kayelily Middleton’s blog explaining the difference in the roles of a venue coordinator versus an independent planner. You can check out the full article here, but listed below are some key differences between the two:
- A planner will attend all of your initial consultations with you and will help you select your vendors. A planner will also help you with putting together and sticking to a wedding budget.
- If you have an off-site ceremony, a planner will work with you (and your officiant) closely on all of the ceremony details including the processional, recessional, special reserved seating, dealing with unique family dynamics and current ceremony etiquette.
- A planner will be a second set of eyes at the event and will make sure every detail is covered – even the little things like making sure the champagne is poured before the toasts start or loading your gifts into your family’s car at the end of the night.
- The planner is the “go to” person for the event (so that you or your close friends and family do not have to be this point person).
We hope this information is helpful to you! Please make sure you check out our blog post from last years events and read our tips for attending the bridal shows. We know how overwhelming it can be with all the different vendors present, so we put together a list of how to spend your time wisely at the shows to make sure you get the BEST experience!
See you soon 🙂
xoxo,
Southern Soiree ladies
