How I Survived My First Bridal Expo

This past Sunday, I went to the Luxury Bridal Expo with my mom at the Double Tree Hotel in Oak Brook. 

We thought it'd be fun to check out the expo and the fashion show they have afterward.  

Let me say that getting a large group of women together is one thing. Getting a large group of women, about half of whom have the self-important air because they're the V.I.B. (yes, they gave us stickers that said that), to make their way through dozens of vendors in tight spaces is a madhouse. 

Vendors had set up shop in two rooms in the hotel. The rooms were divided into three main aisles with vendors lining the walls of each aisle. The first turn into the expo had fewer people and more space. I thought this would be a leisurely, somewhat peaceful experience. 

Then we turned the corner and there were people (99 percent women) everywhere, all talking, some pushing and most wielding pamphlets, fliers, business cards and bridal magazines in a way that terrified me a little. 

This continued as we snaked through the two rooms. I managed to make a couple of friends as I tried to get out of the way of other determined brides-to-be who surged the booths and thrust their registration cards into the faces of the vendors (if you got 80 percent of the vendors to sign the card, you could enter to win a free honeymoon). 

I mentioned to an older man that I was trying to find a safe place to stand. 

"There is no safe place," he said, laughing. 

The expo had everything from photo and video companies and travel agencies to a weight loss program and a company to whiten your teeth. There was also a photo booth, one stationery company and reps from the Naperville Park District (which was a nice change of pace). 

The best part was the two vendors who gave out food (I'm sure this isn't surprising). Unfortunately, they were right across the aisle from one another, causing a bit of a sugar-induced bottleneck. 

I did find some vendors I want to work with further -- for instance, Men's Warehouse in Naperville and Weddings, Etc. in Downers Grove (just because I've never been inside). 

But I personally hate going into something without knowing where the end is. I wished I had a progress bar to know how many aisles we had to go. Even if you wanted to move through the rooms faster, you had to find room in a wall of women who were following no predictable traffic pattern. 

We finally made it to the fashion show. Or rather, time to wait for an hour in the seats we managed to claim while women jammed themselves in the standing-room-only ballroom to get a peek. 

As the models strutted bridal gowns on the runway, you could always tell which ones people liked because the noise level in the room would start to muffle the announcer. 

I guess what I learned most from the expo is how much the wedding business is an industry. And while I refused to wear the V.I.B. sticker or be overly aggressive, I still deem my first (and I think last) bridal expo a success.

Now to clean out my e-mail from all the vendors who started e-mailing me ...