It's that time again!

It's bridal show weekend again and due to our crazy schedule we regret that we are unable to attend, but you really must stop by and meet some of the wonderful facilities that we partner with:

Regency Garden
Villa Siena
Stonebridge Manor
The Castle at Ashley Manor
The Boojum Tree Hidden Gardens

And don't forget the food:

Heidi's Events and Catering

You will see hundreds of companies during your visit to the show (it's overwhelming, I know) and when you get home, many of them will start to blend together in your head... so how do you choose? I will offer a few pieces of advice:


1. Check reviews on everyone at WeddingWire.com. Companies that have been in their respective business for a while will usually have reviews from past brides. Review sites can be an excellent resource! Be aware, these types of sites can be manipulated, so look for reviews from brides that have reviewed a number of other vendors as well as the vendor you are looking at. If a vendor has a handful of reviews that were all posted within a couple of days of each other and their brides haven't reviewed any other vendors... be wary.

2. If the company is a caterer or a cake company, also visit Maricopa County Food Establishments site and type in their name. If they are legal and licensed, they will appear and you can find out a little bit about them. If they don't appear, be careful. It is illegal in this state to operate a foodservice business out of an unlicensed kitchen and each company requires their own permit. Due to liability issues, some reception sites will turn away a delivery of a cake or catering food delivered by a company that has no permit. That could be really bad news on your wedding day.

3. If you already have a vendor or 2 selected that you feel really comfortable with, ask them. You can ask about companies they would recommend or ask about specific companies that you saw at the show. The AZ wedding vendor community knows each other pretty well and people that are really good at what they do tend to work with others that are good at what they do.

4. You've heard this before, but I will say it again. You're probably a nice person (I said probably) so if a vendor that you don't particulary care for hands you a brochure, you probably aren't going to set it ablaze and toss it back in their face while chanting "burn baby burn".
In all likelihood you will politely put it into the big plastic bag you have been carrying all day... along with the brochures of the vendors you loved! This is what helps cause "vendor confusion", so I suggest you do something different to the brochure of the vendors that you really liked. Fold a corner, mark on it with a pen, leave a lipstick mark on it, whatever will help signify to you "these guys rock".


The Phoenix Metro area is blessed with some of the most amazing wedding vendors in the country, all here to help make your day perfect, and the Bridal Fashion Debut puts a lot of them in the same place at the same time so while you want to take advantage of it... don't stress if you can't talk to everyone (trust me... you can't).

For more tips on getting the most out of the bridal show click here

Have fun and happy planning!