Happy Wedding Wednesday, friends! How is your week going so far? I feel like I’m getting a TON of thing done and still have TONS more to do. How does that work? Doesn’t getting things done mean that your list gets smaller? Ha!
Well, it’s that time of year again. What time of year, you may be asking? Christmas? But it’s February! Hehe no not Christmas… bridal show season! Last year I was perusing these shows as a bride, looking for vendors and ideas. This year I am a professional at the shows! Quite a change! Although I will say that my experience at bridal shows has made me sensitive to what people want and need at these shows. As such, I brought three cases of water with me to give away! I remember being SUPER thirsty, and we couldn’t find water anywhere. So brides don’t worry, I’ve got your back. Come see me at the shows! ;)
This past Sunday I had the opportunity to be a part of the Enchanted Garden Bridal & Special Event Show at the Sherman Event Center in downtown Denver. This was my first bridal show as a professional, and man I was stressed about it. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t do things half way. I’m not going to just show up and have a table with papers on it because it’s my first time. HECK no. I spent HOURS going through information, articles, webinars and seminars on tips and things to remember for bridal shows and trade shows. I wanted to make sure to have a booth that was pleasing to the eye, but even more so, welcoming and fun. And I’m very pleased to report that we accomplished that! At least, based on feedback from people that visited us!
For those of you wondering… YES, the winners in the drawing will be at the end of this post. So if you’re REALLY impatient, you can scroll down. But if you can wait, I have a few photos!
When we first arrived it was a flurry of activity, and I just tried to keep cool. The entire box of brochures fell on the ground, and of course they didn’t fall in one little neat place – they scattered ALL over the place, right in front of the only elevator in the building. Awesome, right? No worries. We had people around us pick them up, and moved right along!
Disclaimer – I just had my little camera because I didn’t want to carry the biggies with me, and when you ask a passerby to take a photo you take what you can get, right? ;)
We were on the balcony, and had quite the view of the main ballroom!
You may be asking, who the heck is WE, Brooke? My mother and husband came with me too! My mom made a beautiful floral arrangement for the table. Yes, she is a florist! And she was SO helpful in putting the table together. I can compose a photo and set things up like no one’s business – but I’m decorating challenged! This is why I have professional stylists with me when I shoot. ;)
It was really difficult for me to decide whether to show more wedding or boudoir work. After all, this was a bridal show. But boudoir makes a fantastic gift for grooms… so I was torn. In the end, the slideshow on the TV was engagement, wedding AND boudoir! And let me tell you – the ladies were loving the boudoir!
We had the perfect view of the fashion show!
My beautiful friend Dana came to help out. Dana and I… we are quite a pair. Wherever we go, fun follows. We are loud and obnoxious, always laughing and having a good time. I think that people wanted to see what the heck we were laughing at so much, they kept stopping by! Dana grabbed one of the boudoir albums and called her “me” book when she showed it off, it was hilarious. She had a great scenario for when the book would be necessary… but that is a story for another time. I promise though, it was awesome! I really, REALLY wanted people to feel welcome and comfortable at our booth. I wanted them to feel like they were talking with an old friend – because that is what I end up becoming, a friend! Dana is the same way, and I’m SO blessed that she was able to be there with us. It was kind of funny – my mom isn’t always as open as I am. She’s not super conservative and uptight, but just not QUITE as open as I am. I think though, as the night continued, that between Dana and I, she relaxed and was definitely more comfortable. She started talking about doing her own session with girlfriends! She and Dana both wanted to get the more “mature” ladies together for a shoot! It was so much fun.
Overall the day was a ton of work. The week leading up to it was SUPER stressful because it was my first show ever, and I was putting a TON of pressure on myself. But in the end – it turned out wonderfully. The table looked great, and we had a lot of fun! Thank you to everyone who visited us, I loved hearing your stories!
By the way – I can’t believe you all didn’t eat the chocolate. There was a WHOLE BOWL that is now living on my counter. And probably my hips. Thanks a lot! So schedule a boudoir session and come over and eat some! ;)
See I told you the wait wouldn’t be too long right? So NOW, the winners of the two photo packages that I’m giving away for the people who entered at the show! Drumroll please… (I feel like I should have one of those super skinny microphones like Bob Barker…)
The winner of the engagement package is CHRISTIE ROBINSON!!!
The winner of the boudoir package is REBECCA COOLEY!!!
Congratulations ladies, I will be contacting you directly with instructions on how to redeem your prize. For anyone who didn’t win, stay tuned, just in case the prizes are not collected! And if you still have that card from the show, there’s a special something in there for you as well!