Since I have been with Plaza Lecea, I have worked 20+ wedding trade shows and have seen the overwhelmed faces and sheer exhaustion from most of the attendees. It’s hard on everyone attending and showing at these events, but you can do a few things to help take the stress off of yourself and so that you are really able to make the most out of your experience.

-Preregister! By going to http://www.weddingfairshow.com/orderform.asp you not only save $3 on admission, but you also save about 15-20 minutes when you get there by filling out your information online instead of waiting in line. Just remember to print out your receipt so there are no hassles or confusion on the day of the show.

-Wear comfy shoes. You’ll be thanking me afterwards. Since the show is at the JW Marriott, there is a lot of close, convenient parking; however, if you arrive when the show has already started, you may have to walk a pretty good distance. And, when you get inside you’ll be spending a good 2+ hours walking around. Give your feet a little break. On the flip side, if you wear something uncomfortable, there are some couches outside of the large room where most of the booths are if you (or fiancé or dad) need a break. And if you are super tired, check out the 5 hour energy sample booth! How awesome is that?

-Don’t eat ahead of time…unless you’ve already chosen your caterer, cake and chocolate fountain company. There is a lot of food at these shows, and you’ll get to taste and critique with your fiancé/mom/friend/insert any other person attending with you here. And seriously? Who doesn’t love a little cake or a chocolate dipped strawberry? They are hard to resist! Some of our caterers that will be on display at the show are:

• Absolutely Delicious Catering
• Catering by Celebrations
• Heavenly Gourmet
• Spice of Life Catering

And if you are super thirsty after tasting all of these delicious foods, you can stop by our booth for some water and to chat! We love to see our already booked brides just as much as the new ones.

-Make labels with your wedding info. Most vendors will ask you for your info, including us. Instead of your hand going numb from writing your wedding info over and over again, we have found that if you includes these items in a label, it will really save you a lot of time and hassle:

• Name, Fiance’s name
• Contact info: Address, email, phone
• Wedding date
• Approx. number of guests

-Bring a camera/camera phone. There will be lots of fabulous ideas and trends to check out at the show, so take some pictures to help you remember it all. And do not be afraid to go to booths and just take pictures of their set ups–we love the compliment that you like our taste and style, even if you’ll be having your event at another venue!

We really hope you have a fabulous time at the show. There are so many vendors to check out and we’d love for you to stop by our booth for more information about our facilities. There are only a few opportunities each year for wedding fairs and they really are worth the money to attend. You can knock out half of your wedding to-do list (or at least do a lot of the leg work with narrowing down your list of vendors) with your best friends while checking out some of San Antonio’s finest wedding vendors!

Til next time…happy planning!