That Happy Day: Our First Wedding Fair - The Before I Do Bridal Expo

We survived our first wedding fair! Aleq and I bravely ventured into the world of wedding suppliers earlier, when we attended the Before I Do Bridal Expo at the Megatrade Hall in Megamall. As it was our first time, we didn't know what to expect, so we just dived in.

The entrance to the event - had to take a quick pic with my phone

When we got there, it was a breeze. We showed the registration booth our e-tickets, they stuck a paper bracelet on our wrists, and we were good to go. Registration was so easy because we got a tip from our friend Geli that we should register online before going, to get in for free and to lessen the hassle of registering at the event itself. If she didn't tell me, I wouldn't have known about it, so thank you Geli!

Inside, it was just booth after booth after booth. The wedding suppliers literally swarm you instantly, handing you brochures and rates leaflets, telling you about their services. Tip: follow a path so you end up passing through all the booths. Don't go about it in a random manner. It's best to see everything so you know what's out there - you don't want to miss out on good suppliers! Aleq and I pretty much lost ourselves in wedding stuff for a good two hours.

The highlight of the expo for us was that we got to speak at length with this florist/event stylist that came highly recommended by friends. The guy was surprisingly so easy to talk to and he showed us their portfolio. We liked what we saw, and the guy was very accommodating, so we'll see. We got to see several photographers, a photobooth service, and a few invitation and souvenir printers that piqued our interest as well. There were also a lot of suppliers, from gown and tux designers to mobile bars, caterers, and cake-makers.

It was true information overload though! I tweeted earlier that to say we were overwhelmed was an understatement. There was just so much digest! Still, it was a great idea to attend an expo this early in the game. We weren't ready to book suppliers just yet, but now we have a fairly good idea of the price ranges for every service we need. This makes it easy for us to further refine our wedding budget. Tip: Make sure you ask all the relevant questions. Think specifics - the price; the features they offer for a particular price range; the price of the add-ons; if they have set packages; where their offices are; and if they offer expo discounts, among other things. Don't just ask about how things are going to look, and if they can do certain things. Unless you are deep in talks with a supplier and you have a specific vision in mind already, it's best to leave these things out of the initial discussion. Also, always ask to see their portfolio or samples of their work, of course, and make sure you get the contact details of the suppliers that caught your fancy. We were also able to formulate our own ideas about what we wanted just by looking at all the portfolios. Everything was a source of inspiration! Overall, it was such a great learning experience for us, and we got a lot of useful information out of the event.

Catatonic after the expo

As soon as we stepped out of the Megatrade Hall, the boy and I immediately felt exhausted and famished! I guess it was because we were so engrossed in looking at booths and talking to suppliers that we forgot about everything else. Tip: Take a full meal before heading to a bridal fair, and make sure you're hydrated! You won't be able to come out of the event for at least two hours if you want to see everything, so it's a good idea to prepare yourselves.

We quickly hightailed it to Eat & Go afterwards for a very late lunch. Our time at Megamall today ended with full bellies and an armful of fliers to go through. It was a such a productive Sunday. We're now ready to take on the bigger expo at World Trade (or is it PICC) that's coming in a few weeks!