Wedding Fayres Attendance:  Is the modern wedding couple shying away ?

Wedding Fayres? Wedding Fairs ? Do you love them or loathe them?  As a wedding photographer who has been in the business for quite a few years, I am always looking for ways that bring me closer to brides and grooms looking for that special photographer who will capture the essence of their big day.  I therefore spend a lot of time finding new ways in showing timeless photos in a portfolio and marketing. 

As spring approaches I await the endless amounts of calls from wedding magazines, coordinators, and wedding venues  that will be offering me stands at various wedding exhibitions and fayres.  Some of these are very big corporate events which are why I made the decision to step back and question whether this method actually works anymore.

wedding shows exhibitions

As a bride or groom, do you like wedding fayres and do you actually walk away with a supplier?  Or are brides and grooms attending these to enjoy free samples carrying out the majority of their research on the internet and via word of mouth?  The wonderful creation that is the internet provides plenty of inspiration at your own leisure.

I personally do not like wedding fayres / exhibitions or attend them anymore.  Yes I have been to some good ones but I have also been to some poor ones.  There are fayres where I have met some great couples and others where I have heard nothing.  This impersonal method sees brides and grooms walking around with their arms full of leaflets and flyers as they fight to get around a busy hall full of ladies trying on dresses and people spending endless amounts of time trying to get a drink.

My approach is a simple one; I get more satisfaction from meeting with a bride and groom on a one to one basis away from the bustle of a large hall, providing us with the opportunity to understand each other’s needs.  Wedding photography should be just like your wedding and that is personal and bespoke to the bride and groom.  I take great privilege in being asked to participate in the biggest day of a bride and grooms day and will do everything in my power to make it as special as possible.

Choosing suppliers can be exciting and I think people are simply getting tired of attending wedding fayres; where you enter a tired hall to be welcomed by a number of people selling their goods and services.  This doesn’t work anymore – brides and grooms want much more than this.

I have therefore come to the conclusion that if I do exhibit it will be either something that I have organised myself allowing me to create something different and personal. 

I would love to hear from you.  If you are a bride and groom, what are your views on large or even small wedding fayres?  Do you find them to be useful?  Or would you much rather meet with your wedding photographer at a relaxing setting where you do not feel rushed, providing you with ample opportunities to discuss photography styles and more importantly a chance to build a relationship with your photographer. 

If a bride and groom are content with their wedding photographer it will shine through in the wedding album.