My First Wedding Expo Experience

I’ve been a wedding photographer for many years now, however Wedding Expos were just something that I never ventured into. As a past bride myself I’d attended my fair share of them during the planning process and always loved the atmosphere, but as a business owner I’d always tried to avoid the in-your-face marketing strategies and relied mainly on word of mouth. After re-branding and moving to a new town, marketing strategies of the past were proving a little more challenging, so it was time to step outside of my comfort zone and be a little creative. I wanted growth for my new brand and longed to make connections not only with engaged couples but with other vendors in my area, so when not one but two bridal expos popped up on social media in my local area I just had to get involved. My goal of going to a wedding expo was to expand my brand awareness, generate new leads and connections in the industry and potentially convert them to paying customers. Bridal shows can be a big investment but can also lead to major business growth.

So, I decided it was either go big or go home!

It was so much fun researching bridal show booth ideas on Pinterest and working out what aesthetic was my vibe. I’ve always been into country chic and modern farmhouse designs. So, my booth needed to be a reflection of this. I wanted to convey to my potential couples a brand identity that matched not only my photographic style, but also my personality.

My first thought about how my booth should look was - I need to stand out! Bridal shows can be an assault on the senses with so many beautiful stands, an explosion of colour, textures, smells and sounds and it can be easy to get overlooked especially as a photographer. It can be hard to differentiate your work from the next and there are not many ways to display photographs and convey the full body of your work in a 2x2m space but I was going to give it my best shot. From the onset I wanted my space draw you in and be inviting, like coming home. I wanted couples to feel comfortable when we met. Weddings are very personal day, and I strongly believe that couples need to hire a photographer whose work they love, but who makes them feel at home in their presence as well. So I wanted my space to look and feel like home, sure we could talk business, but I wanted you to stop and enjoy it and look around a bit and stay for a while (and then give me all your money.. I kid! haha kind of).

I didn’t want to stand in the walkway and bombard couples with outdated sales tactics. I can’t stand those people when I go shopping myself, I put my head down, don’t make eye contact and walk as fast as I can. So there would definitely be no harrassing. However, couples were going to need something to do if I wasn’t going to tackle them in the aisle. Gone are the days when couples NEED to have a wedding album, sure they are a great way to showcase your images for future generations and they definitely do have their purpose, but we live in a digital world. SO… SLIDESHOWS!! I could showcase the best of my work, not just the highlights but from start to finish. Couples could stay a while and connect with the moments captured and maybe gather some inspiration for their own weddings. It would be an emotional experience that would connect them with my work, my past couples and my brand. These slideshows would represent all that I’ve done and want to do for them.

I knew that there was just no way I could convey all of this on a trestle table with a white tablecloth. So we got to designing. My partner (the amazing man he is) was open to my crazy ideas and me constantly moving the goal posts, but he did his best to make my vision come to life. I wanted my slideshows to be the center of attention. My monitors in my home office are mounted on the wall (I can’t stand cables and my partner is an auto-electrician by trade) so I knew I wanted a clean way to display my monitors, so it HAD to have a wall! I stumbled across a similar design on Pinterest… and several trips to Bunnings later my booth began to take shape. My stall had to be a home, it was that simple. Home is where stories are shared, connections are made and where memories are forever. Home has a feeling. Home is welcoming.

Once my slideshows were sorted, I wanted my couples to have something to hold to feel, something tangible. So I filled the space with matted prints, vintage cameras, dried florals and matching frames. Things they could picture on the walls of their own homes, with their own memories. I wanted them to take a memorable piece of my display home with them as well - so I put together a “5 tips from a wedding photographer for planning perfect portraits” - a flip book with 5 tips and my contact details and QR code to my socials on the back, a simple - yet elegant flyer and my business card for other vendors. I also had a digital copy of my pricing and information guide ready to go to airdrop to couples with an iPhone. This way they got to take home all the information they needed to make an informed decision about their investment.

Couples as well as other vendors were stopping by complimenting my work and the overwhelming feedback about how much everyone loved our booth was incredible. We had so many couples and vendors drop by and say, “OMG! I love your booth” which is exactly what we were going for. Everyone who stopped by were captivated by slideshow and stopped to take everything in and on average spent about 5 minutes at our booth. There were also couples that stood there and watched the whole presentation several times through - this happened ALOT! Needless to say our booth got a lot of love, and because of it, so did I.

Before I even had a chance to get home, my inbox was inundated with enquiries and sweet words from vendors and brides that loved our whole presentation. The shows were a success. We were able to bring the essence “home” with an inviting atmosphere that built connection, created experience and in the end made our wedding expo experience unforgettable.