Everything You Need to Know About Bridal Shows!

It is no wonder bridal shows can seem a little overwhelming!  Not only are there hundreds of vendors to see but thousands of other brides in attendance.   You may wonder why you should go?  Well there are so many reasons to attend a bridal show and I strongly encourage you to give it a try!

www.watlantadowntown.com The W Hotel in Downtown Atlanta pictured above.

One of the biggest reasons to attend a bridal show is to save money!  So many vendors are discounting their services significantly to encourage brides to book their services at the show.  Another advantage to bridal shows is that you get a great opportunity to sample a variety of vendors work at one time and one place.  You can sample food, view albums, talk to the vendors in person and you also receive tons of free goodies and advice.  My favorite reason to attend a bridal show is to see new and fresh ideas you never thought of before.  You may see design trends for inspiration, unique favors or wedding entertainment you may have never thought of without the show.

If you are attending a bridal show there are a few tips to remember:

-First, bring a digital camera or make sure you have a camera phone with you.  That way you can take pictures of vendors work for future reference.

-Bring address labels with you to enter for prizes and gifts.  This way you don’t have to fill out the paperwork at every booth!

-Do your research and know ahead of time which vendors you want to see.  That way you can map out which booths to visit first before they get too crowded! And make sure to bring a notepad and paper to take notes.

-Make sure you don’t forget your checkbook! This way you can potentially get discounts for booking at the show! Most vendors book on a first come basis, especially venues, so if you want a certain facility or vendor it would be wise to book them at the show!

-Have fun!! Bring your bridesmaids and make a day of it enjoying the planning!!

When the girls at Glendalough Manor participate in a bridal show, they try to not only show off their beautiful facility but show you new and exciting design trends.  They do an incredible job of painting the picture from the table decor, to the cake, to the passed signature drink, showing you what a wedding at Glendalough Manor can look like!

If you attend a bridal show that Glendalough Manor is at you can usually spot the booth.  I don’t mean to brag but it is usually the best decorated booths there with some of the best wedding inspiration! 😉

Here are some of the bridal shows that Glendalough Manor will be attending in the future:

The Bridal Extravaganza on Aug. 19th at the Mart

The Autumn Bridal Ball on Sept 23 at the W Atlanta Downtown

We would love to see you there!

Tea Party Bridal Shower

If you are deciding on a bridal shower theme don’t overlook the classic tea party.  Brides are using inspiration from the Mad Hatter tea party in Alice in Wonderland to give a new twist to the traditional party.  For most of us, we don’t get together and drink tea often and it is nice to treat everyone to a girlie and fun party.

Start with a great invitation to let everyone know it will be a tea party to remember.

I still like the idea of having all of the girls wear ridiculously big hats or for a modern twist you can ask them to wear vintage inspired headpieces. Gloves are also a fun addition to a tea party bridal shower. Putting on these small accessories gets everyone involved in the feeling of a traditional tea party and makes everything more fun.

To me, the easiest party of planning a tea party is the decor.  Think about the long estate table in Alice and Wonderland and mimic your decor from that table. You can use different colored pastel linens with lace overlays and any type of chair.

Of course use teapots, saucers and teacups with roses or blooms of flowers as the table centerpieces.

One of my favorite ideas is to ask each guest to bring a vintage saucer and teacup for the bride and groom.  At the party you can have each guest decorate their teacup using a beautiful gold writing.  A gift the bride can treasure forever and use for years to come.

The food can be traditional with cucumber sandwiches and scones.  You can have teapots at the table with different teas and serve sparkling champagne or cider.  A cookie station or dessert table with cookies and cupcakes can add to the lunch.

Give guests a tea inspired favor for attending.  This is an easy DIY project your guests will love to take home.

Hope this has inspired you to plan your own tea party bridal shower.  Let us know what you think of these ideas.  We would love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Planning!

Picture Sources: www.marthastewartweddings.com, www.greenweddingshoes.com, www.bridesmaid.com, www.thesweetestoccasion.com, www.kinsereventcompany.com, www.projectwedding.com, www.weddingbee.com, www.weddingwindow.com, www.papertastebuds.com, www.preownedweddingdresses.com, www.peachblossompartyideas.com

Carnival Themed Bridal Shower

Have you ever been to a carnival themed wedding?  For most brides, a carnival inspired wedding is a little too untraditional for their taste, but a carnival themed bridal shower might be the perfect fit!  Who doesn’t love carnivals and all that they entail?  If you are unsure how to plan a carnival themed bridal shower or are scared it sounds cheesy…don’t worry!  Here are a few ideas to help put together a slammin’ carnival themed shower.

First choose a carnival inspired invitation to give guests a glimpse in to the theme of the shower.  This particular invitation is for a baby shower but would look great as a bridal shower invitation as well.

Whether you decide on using multiple colors or a more muted color scheme, almost any colors you choose will look great with this theme.  This theme works best in an outside venue or backyard.  Use banners and lanterns to decorate the space and give it a “carnival” theme.  You could even rent a small tent for the food or guests to sit under.

The food is one of the best parts of the carnival theme! Any food you can think that is at a carnival would be perfect.  Corn dogs, popcorn, peanuts, cotton candy, etc. (you get the picture)!

A candy and/or dessert buffet is a great way to display all of your sweet treats!

How awesome is this ticket cake?

Don’t forget about the carnival games! You don’t have to go all out with the bouncer (however that would be a fun touch) but you can have DIY games like bag toss or coin toss.  You can set up bowling pins and have guests knock them over for tickets and “win” prizes.  I think guests would have so much fun!

 You can set up a photo booth station and have a ticket booth with props.  A great theme idea for a couples shower is to have a “kissing booth” to take pictures in instead of a ticket booth!

 

I hope these pictures have helped you in planning a carnival themed bridal shower!  We would love to hear what you think about this bridal shower idea! Let us know what you think!

Happy Planning!

Picture Sources: www.ohsobeautifulpaper.com, www.100layercake.com, www.beau-coup.com, www.joliejoliedesign.blogspot.com, www.bridalpartytees.com, www.celebrationsatthehome.com, www.theknottybride.com, www.engagedandinpired.com, www.bellagracepartydesigns.com, www.pizzazerie.com