I have been considering participating in an upcoming bridal show in my area and have been doing all of my research after reading everyone's suggestions here on CC. I've found two shows in West Des Moines that are coming up in September of this year: The Hy-Vee Everything Bridal Show and the Bridal Forum. The kicker is that they're both on the same day at the same time.

For those of you in this area, I'm wondering if you can help me out with a few questions that I have:

1) What's your experience been like at these shows? Are they worth it in your opinion?
2) Is one of these shows better than the other?
3) Both of these shows occur in September and January of each year. For the Everything Bridal Show there were approximately 350 brides and 4 cake vendors (out of 80 total vendors) in September and 600 brides and 5 cake vendors (out of 100) in January. Should I wait until January to do the bigger show or jump in and get my feet wet with the smaller one? It's doubtful that I'd be able to do both because of the booth fees.
4) What tips or tricks do you have for participating in bridal shows in the Des Moines area?

I'd appreciate any help you could provide to help me make my decision!

Alysa

Alysa,

I am debating this as well. I hear that the Hy-Vee show is the best. I'm toying with the idea to fork over the $$$ for the September show, but I have 2 weddings that month and I'm trying to decide if I can fit in a bridal show with everything else. I know which cake vendors were there and I aspire to get to their level one day!