Bridal Extravaganza

I just went to the January Extravaganza, and was happy that I read through all of these reviews for some tips. One thing that I did forget was a backpack, we got so much literature and other misc items, it was weighing us down.
If you can convince your honey to come with you as well, that makes it a better experience in my book. I saw a lot of ladies alone there without their guys/​significant others and I think that it helps to have the other half’s opinion on everything you see to set a better direction.
You will be very sick of cake and BBQ by the end of it, we got there at about 1ish and made him stay til the very end where they draw the prizes, that is the whole point in going as well… you could win up to $ 1,000 as the grand prize. My name scrolled by and they picked the person two names after for that, such a tease! But many women leave before this, so the chances are much better than winning the lotto that you will win these door prizes.
I took a notebook with me as well to take notes, and took pictures as I could… some vendors say you can’t take pictures. It was very helpful to talk with all of the wedding invitation vendors, if you are planning on doing your own invitations like I am… you get a few good ideas.
Sign up for all of the drawings, I won a 50% discount on a photobooth for our wedding! So very happy days on that.
The bridal bucks that they give you ($ 500 worth) can be used at select vendors, but they usually extend the deal to the next few weeks… so don’t feel pressured to go with them the day off. We shopped around quite a bit for wedding photographers before deciding on one that we met at the show, it was nice to meet everyone and feel out their personality then and there. We were able to more effectively narrow down who we liked to schedule private meetings with them to go over the details better. The same applies for the caterers and bakeries. You will have to follow up with them though since so many people come through for the event, you have to be proactive.
There are always deals to go here, I got in for free being the bride so it was basically a 2 for 1 deal. Don’t ever pay full price for the ticket. I also encourage you not to give your name and number to the sponsors of the show because you will probably get spammed, I opted not too so the mailings have not been that terrible yet. Have a plan, we started on one side and made our way to the other side going up and down the rows… it will be very overwhelming and a mental drain on you but it is so very helpful in the wedding planning process to go to one of these shows. I do believe the January show is always the bigger show so just something to keep in mind if your planning schedule allows.

Do NOT – I repeat DO NOT – give them your email or mailing address. It will never stop. I got married more than two months ago and I am still getting emails from vendors I’ve never heard of. They really need to come up with a way to unsubscribe – but I fear it’s too late for that because they already sold/​gave my contact information to dozens/​hundreds of wedding businesses in Austin.
That being said – there were a lot of friendly and helpful people there, and I think even my fiancé would have tolerated it because of all the food and cake!

When they say Extravaganza, they mean business! And by business, I mean that you will be so sick of cake after just an hour of being at this bridal show.
This review is for the SEPTEMBER Bridal Extravaganza Show.
Overall, it was a good experience and I definitely think that anyone planning a wedding should go because you’ll definitely find more vendors than you can find online. But, I had to give it three stars because I felt like there were a lot of vendors/​venues that were not there and the show overall just seemed smaller than I had expected. (possibly the vendors I was thinking about don’t need the exposure and have enough business, or possibly the september show is just smaller).
So I’ve now been to the Bridal Extravaganza 2x. Once as a wedding planner and once as a bride. Here are my tips for going to a Bridal Show:
1)DO NOT EAT ANYTHING before you go to this show. Seriously, we made the mistake of going right after lunch. Yet, I proceeded to sample almost everything. Good thing the engagement picture shoot was later that evening…
2)Groupon seems to always have a 2-​for-​1 deal like a week or 2 before the show.
3)Go after 4pm! Grand Prize drawing is at 5pm!!! (show ends at 6pm)
4)If you go early on in the wedding planning process (as in you have NOT selected a venue or any vendors yet), don’t get overwhelmed. Just take info from each booth that catches your eye and make sure to ask them what sort of specials they are running for the bridal show. Don’t commit to anything at the show, just take their materials and look at it at home.
5)If you go later in the wedding planning process, make sure you have a list of the vendors you have left to select. Just focus on those. Don’t worry about being polite and listening to every single person that tries to get your attention. I wanted to get more information on videographers, linens, cakes, and makeup. So the trip to the show was really easy and quick, we just made our way around the room and only stopped a few times to talk to ppl.
6)I thinkkkkk that I would suggest going earlier than later in the process and the January show is definitely bigger than the September show! I guess they are targeting the summer weddings in Jan?
Only drawback I see to coming to this show is that you will receive countless phone calls, promotional materials through the mail and in general just be pestered a lot by advertising. I did put in a call to ask them to take my phone number off, after I had already selected the majority of my vendors. That helped with the phone calls, but the mailings are still coming.

I enjoyed the Bridal Extravaganza itself. A multitude of vendors made shopping around and comparison much easier. The free wedding cake and salt lick samples also made the event as delicious as I could have hoped.
Unfortunately, when i signed up and bought my ticket I was silly enough to provide the information requested (such as email, phone number, and home address). Since then I have recieved nonstop phone calls, emails and mailings from vendors who I certainly did not provide my information to. I have been recieving phone calls from vendors I never spoke to or whose booths I didn’t stop by. I have begun to feel like i’m in a state of seige!
I’d reccomend the event itself, but unless you want a barage of advertisements and spam phone calls be VERY cautious about providing your information even when purchasing tickets to the event.

ahhh, you will never forget your first time at the bridal extravaganza. i purchased tickets online (which gives you a $ 3 discount) and a $ 10 buca di beppo gift card. if you happen to notice my review of that place, then you won’t be surprised to hear i promptly threw it in the trash.
my advice to all newly engaged brides is to have a game plan. luckily my bridesmaid had planned 2 weddings so she knew all the important questions to ask.
i came prepared with:
–label stickers with my name and email address i use for spam.
–a list of recommended vendors from my venue
–pens
–bottles of water
–comfortable shoes
–messenger bag
–iphone for taking pictures
this bitch was 100% prepared and vendors noticed. my friend would ask all the questions as i would pick up the fliers/​hand-​outs and take notes on them. also i would snap photos of flowers and any sort of arrangement/​item that caught my eye.
i sampled all the cakes (even though my place comes with a cake), tried all the catering vendors samples and got my ring cleaned for free. we then left with an insane sugar rush and headed to sazon to get loaded.
overall i would have to say i enjoyed myself. i ended up meeting/​booking with 2 vendors i would have never found otherwise. it’s fun to watch all the sad males being dragged around the place. the bridezillas are also plentiful and quite humorous. just take my advice, be prepared and you could end up having some fun!

This was my first Bridal Extravaganza. I really had no idea what to expect. My bride-​to-​be friend asked if I’d be willing to be one of the crazy ladies that went to these things. Free wedding cake? Heck, yes, I’ll go!
We went later in the day, which I think was a good decision. The event was over at 5:00, we arrived a bit before 4:00. We probably needed a bit more time, but we did get some good ideas. Going later helped us reduce the run-​ins with The Crazies (like Kristen F referred to).
Some vendors were very helpful, very nice and totally willing to help however they could. Others were not as great. I don’t know if they were tired or ready to go home, or sick of bridezillas, but I do feel some could have given us more than just the time of day.
We left sick. For real. In that OMG, I just tried 18 different cakes and now I’m about to hit my sugar low sort of way. But they were all delicious, and all very different.
My friend is having a destination wedding – that was a turn-​off for some and they gave us less attention. Others were able to offer great suggestions and ideas and willingness to travel. One photographer even told us of a secret sign graveyard in Vegas. (!!)
It was great to walk around to get more ideas – from flowers, to venues, hotels for guests and so on. I am not one that has planned my wedding since I was 8, nor is my friend. This was a great way to get more ideas.
My friend bought my ticket, but I think she said it was $ 8, and you can use the same ticket to go to San Antonio, too, they told us.
It’s really quite an experience. You should check it out. Just so you say you did.
And try all the cakes and other delectables!

Are you getting married in Austin, and feel overwhelmed and have no idea where to start? Need help finding your caterer, hair stylist, photographer, venue, DJ, florist, baker, dress, honeymoon, nail salon, real estate agent, invitations, etc? So did I. Don’t worry. Just suspend your pride for the day, and attend the Austin Bridal Extravaganza.
Twice a year at the Parmer Events Center, you can buy tickets for this event. Tickets were I think $ 12. Then, you also have to pay for parking, which sucks, but trust me, this is going to make your life a lot easier. Once you get inside, it’s convention style, where you wander aisle to aisle, checking out every possible wedding thing ever. Sample some fantastic cakes, meet up with some potential florists, wonder why there is a bagpipe player, sneak some bbq or chocolate covered strawberries, and even if you’re not at the point yet of selecting vendors, you can get a ton of really beautiful ideas for how you want your wedding to look. I’d recommend bringing a pen, so you can jot little notes down on the brochures and stuff you get, so you can keep everything straight. Also, it’s really helpful if you have someone with you who is good with numbers and can remember who was cheaper than who– I’m not too good at that, but my husband is, so it was really helpful. Finally, bring a camera. You’re going to see some awesome stuff that you can use in your own wedding, even stuff you hadn’t thought of yet, like decorations on the chairs during the ceremony, or centerpieces during the reception.
So here’s the thing. There are going to be some of «those girls» there. The ones that have been obsessing about their wedding since they were eight. They will bump in front of you in line, flip their hair over their shoulders and get all, you know, bridezilla. But seriously, you can get so much information and learn so much about your options at this place, it’s totally worth it. Just do your own thing, check out what works for you, and talk to the vendors. The vendors here are professionals, and lots of them aren’t outrageously priced.
If you think you might be the same kind of anti-​bride I am, I made a list of reviews for all the vendors I ended up using, if that might help too. I ended up being really happy with almost all of them.