For those of you who got engaged over the holidays…. congratulations! This is a big time of year for engagements to take place and now the bridal bonanza begins. Many of you have already set dates and are now ready to begin planning the logistical details of your big day.

couple shopping for engagement ring

One of the best ways to get started is to attend bridal shows… as many as possible in my opinion! So here are some tips for what to be prepared with when attempting to face the chaos that is a bridal show:

  • Bring a friend. A bridal show can be a very big event to handle on your own. Ideally both the bride and groom should attend a bridal show together, but if it’s only going to be one of you definitely bring a buddy along. This way you can bounce ideas off of each other and take turns holding stuff while you take bathroom breaks. Your friend can also help you remember about questions you may want to ask. Bring your mom, sister or bridesmaid if your fiance is unavailable.
  • Bring the sneakers. Some bridal shows are gargantuan and you will need to cover a very large area if you want to visit all of the vendor booths. You will be on your feet all day… sore feet = cranky bride. Wear comfortable shoes! And don’t bring a heavy coat (or leave it in the car) so you don’t have to carry it around all day.
  • Bring a bag. There are often hundreds of vendors at these shows; each and everyone will have handouts to give you and by the time you leave you will have enough giveaways and brochures to fill a small bus. Many shows will provide brides with some sort of plastic bag to put all their stuff in, but you will likely need something strong and something that’s not going to be a pain to hold all day.Using a small backpack might work well because many backpacks have a place to hold a bottle of water and it would leave your hands free for more important tasks like cake tasting.