ENTERTAINMENT

Springfield Bridal Expo gets all your wedding planning needs in one place this weekend

Juliana Goodwin
For the News-Leader
Many vendors at the Metropolitan Bridal Expo will have samples of cake and food.

The Springfield Expo Center is the place to be for future brides this weekend.

Caterers, wedding planners, boutiques, hair salons, spas, photographers, wedding dress retailers, cake decorators and more will gather in one place so brides can meet a host of businesses associated with the wedding industry.

425 Downtown is just one area business that hosts wedding receptions and will be at the bridal show Sunday. You can check out a variety of potential wedding venues.

The seventh annual Springfield Bridal Expo is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Springfield Exposition Center, 625 St. Louis St. Cost $5; children 12 and younger are free. Tickets available at the door, but brides are encouraged to preregister online.

There's so much going on it can get overwhelming, so here's what every bride-to-be needs to know to maximize their experience.

  • Save yourself time at the door and preregister now to win door prizes. Winners will be contacted the week after the show.
  • Plan to spend 2-4 hours at the expo depending on how many merchants you want to talk to, said Dawn Shields, organizer and founder of MetBride which puts on the event.
  • Wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking around quite a bit. 
  • Be prepared to graze because caterers and bakers will often hand out food samples at the event.
  • It's a good idea to be prepared to make a deposit if you find a wedding venue. Many places only book one wedding per day so if you have a date set and make a connection with someone at the show, be prepared to make a deposit to secure your venue, said Shields.
  • Bring a notebook or your smartphone to write down merchant information or take photos of the booths. Brides will often want to make follow-up appointments so they can speak more in-depth with the prospective business, she said.
  • It's a good idea to have a budget in mind but be flexible and ready to increase or decrease it in certain areas.
  • A great time saver is to print off labels in advance that include your full name, phone number, email address and wedding date. A lot of merchants will have drawings at the expo and having this information printed out will save you time from filling paperwork out at each booth.
  • Another hint: a lot of brides set up an email that is dedicated solely to the wedding to keep their wedding emails separate from regular email.
  • Bring cash to buy raffle tickets for a "Trash the Cake" raffle. Tickets are  $2 or three for $5 and will be available at the expo.  You can purchase tickets for a chance to rip through a wedding cake and win prizes. One hundred percent of raffles sales go to the Springfield Backpack Fund.
  • Don't forget to bring your mom, best friend, or your crew of bridesmaids to help you sort through all the options, and plan to have fun.

Come find out what the latest wedding trends are, see tablescapes and interview potential vendors at the Springfield Expo Center on Sunday.

WANT TO GO?

Springfield Bridal Expo is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Springfield Exposition Center, 625 St. Louis St. Cost $5; children 12 and younger are free. Tickets available at the door, but brides are encouraged to preregister online at  www.metbride.com