First Ever Wedding Fair

Sorry about missing last week but I was so busy preparing for my 1st ever wedding fair I just didn't have time! I'll post what I should have last week after this one - a bit back to front but that is the way my head is today!!

I have been doing the balloon décor for a couple of years now but had been deliberately putting off venturing into the weddings market for 2 very good reasons. Firstly I wanted to build up my skills and confidence as your wedding day as a Bride is the biggest day of your life and the last thing I wanted was to go in a do a sub-standard job. I am sure naff balloons wouldn't ruin someone's reception but nonetheless I have no intentions of doing anything less than an excellent job for all my clients regardless of how big or small their booking is.  The other reason is because I knew that once I ventured into the wedding market I would have to attend wedding fairs and "sell" myself and for anyone who knows me that is way outside my comfort zone.

Anyway I decided to bite the bullet and booked in to exhibit at the wedding fair yesterday held at the Mecure Hatfield Oak Hotel. I booked a while ago so around all my other jobs I've been preping for yesterday. Not easy when you don't really have any printed promo materials in place and you don't have a clear plan of what you need, what you are doing and what you need to do.

As I have been very busy booking wise lately (not complaining by the way) it has been fun fitting everything in but I managed it. I didn't, however, get the new website, even in it's paired down state, up in time but there just was not enough time unless I wanted to forgo sleep to finish it. Hopefully, that will happen this week but I do have a lot of housework to catch up on that has been neglected over the last few weeks.

In a bid to be organised I arranged to drop off some bits the night before so I took along Bessie the life-sized bride and a couple of columns I had made that day.  The hotel were so impressed with Bessie that they offered her a room for the night! Here she is resting before her big day.

Bessie getting her beauty sleep!!

After helping my friend Roger of iGlobo based in Billericay (just in case anyone over that way needs a balloon artist at all) at his wedding fair 2 weeks ago, I roped him in to help me yesterday. We arrived around 8am at the hotel and set to work creating not only my stand but also some décor for the fair itself. Here's what we managed.

Our stand

Entrance way to our stand

  

Start of the Bridal Show

As you can see Bessie was rather popular and had her photograph taken a few times throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the turn out was not fantastic and my stand (although chosen by me out of 2 positions) was not in the best place. We were on the main route to the bedrooms and tucked round a corner a bit so I think we perhaps got missed by some of the brides who did make it. I am sure losing an hour's sleep had some effect on the turn out.

However, despite the lack of Brides I learned an awful lot and have not been deterred. I am already thinking about which fairs to attend after the summer.