Wedding Fayres - a 4 part beginners guide

Part 4 - When you get home

Following on from part 3, where we looked at how to get the best from your visit, we'll now look at what to do once you get back home.

  • Put the kettle on!

Visiting a wedding fayre can be quite an exhausting experience; especially if you've got little ones in tow, its been very busy, you've not spoken to everybody you wanted to and you've done more than one in a day! So when you get home it's important to take stock of who you've seen, what you've heard and what you want to follow up on, so you'll need that cuppa!

  • Dive into the Goody Bag

Here's where the Goody Bag comes into it's own. Go through all the flyers, business cards, magazines and other info that's in the bag, perhaps sorting it into groups by venues, photographers, bridal wear etc. Then match these against your budget sheet and any notes you took at the event to work out which suppliers you want to follow up on. 

  • Wait for the supplier email

If you provided your contact details as part of the registration process when you arrived at the wedding fayre, then within 7-10 days (or perhaps less) you should start to see 'follow up' emails from all the suppliers at the fayre. This is their chance to jog your memory about their products or services and your chance to ask any questions you didn't get chance to ask on the day.

  • Get Quotes

Once you have settled on 3-5 suppliers for a product or service (never settle for the first one, even if it is your preferred choice, without doing a comparison) and exactly what you want from them then it's time to get quotes. This is where the basic budget sheet I mentioned in part 2 will come in handy. You'll have a rough idea from this as to what you can expect to pay, but don't forget that cheapest isn't always best, and make sure that the supplier has included VAT in your quote if they are VAT registered.

  • Don't Rush!!

Give yourselves a good couple of weeks to work through the goody bag, supplier emails and any additional internet research you've done along with your quotes.  Then when you're ready you can start to make some bookings.

  • Unavailability

If you are unfortunate enough to find your first choice supplier or product is not available for your wedding day, then consider going back to them for a recommendation of another supplier.  Whilst the wedding industry is huge; on a localised level the network can be quite small, and many suppliers will be able to provide alternative recommendations.  Another option is to ask the organiser of the wedding fayre who they would recommend as an alternative if your chosen supplier is unavailable.

 

With these hints and tips from itoast2you you should be well on the way to getting the most from your first visit to a wedding fayre, and on your way to planning your perfect day. Don't forget, with a Toastmaster from itoast2you, we'll be with you every step of the way before and during your Wedding, to do your worrying for you!