‘Tis always the season for bridal shows. And a question that I get asked somewhat frequently is “Will I see you at XYZ Bridal Show?” and chances are no, you won’t. But I want to explain is why your perfect fit might not be at the bridal show (or they might, just showing you the other side of the fence).

Before I go any further, I want to say that bridal shows can be an opportunity to meet some vendors and get ideas. Bridal shows work very well for some vendors and may be a huge source of their clients. It’s just not the case for a real band and those amongst the creative side (photographers,  videographers) and I know I’m not alone, so I wanted to share some insight with you.

 All shows are different, but most require an application to be involved. Sometimes they limit the amount of vendors per category (photographers, caterers, florists, etc.) other times there are a million photographers and just one florist. It depends on the individual show.  Now you are in a world of the stereotypical “used car salesman” vying for your attention.

Secondly, the cost to be a vendor at most shows is upwards of $1000. Yes, that’s THREE zeros. It’s usually around $600-$1200+ to be a vendor in the shows. On top of that cost is the cost to decorate your booth, make handouts or takeaways so you have something to remember us by, and we’re often asked to donate an item or service for a raffle. This is very big chunk of change for a small business and one that can be used for a lot of different things. Granted, it gives vendors the opportunity to see MANY brides and grooms, but I find that it’s not the type of environment that allows for actually “meeting” anyone (at least not how we like to). The shows are usually very hectic which means we (as vendors) can’t really get to know you. We can really only ask you a few questions (“when is your date?” and “where is your wedding?” are the popular ones) and neither of us  really have the time to really hear your vision, see if we’re somewhat a good fit and schedule something further.

On top of all this – a band has 20 minutes to perform. This can never be indicative of what a truly great band can do

Who we truly are- . Most times, a vendor is given a table and the same pipe-and-drape that every one else has. Without investing MUCH MORE into creating a unique space, you won’t really see a vision and who we are as creative musicians. So we end up spending a lot of money to get our face in front of a lot of brides but we don’t really get to interact with you and how do we know if we want to chat further unless we can do that?

Our advice-Do some real digging and when you find a vendor you like, talk to them. We WISH to get to know you. You will like our style!!