The Bridal Extravaganza Show

The Bridal Extravaganza Show is held biannually at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Taking up halls B & C this show offers over a gazillion vendors to visit over a two day period. Advance discounted tickets can be purchased via their website. By purchasing advance tickets they will include personalized labels in your bridal registration packet. These labels come in handy, you just peel & stick as opposed to writing your information over and over and over. Also included were pre-​printed personalized tickets for the major prize ballot boxes (one vendor per aisle offered a «major» prize).
We arrived an hour after the doors opened and found the lobby area jammed packed. It was as crowded as the passenger trains in Japan. While I usually make friends easily I do not like being pressed against from all sides by unknowns (stranger! danger!). Visions of Black Friday stampedes raced through my mind as the doors opened and everyone… began walking forward in an orderly manner. Once inside the hall we were given stickers to wear so that vendors could easily identify who to pounce upon um, I mean approach.
The aisles were clearly marked and the booths were given ample space. We visited florists, bakers, photographers, wedding/​reception venues, officiants, travel agents, caterers, dresses & formal wear, limousines, invitations, entertainment, ice sculptures, etc, etc. They also featured several fashion shows and a couple of the vendors had sample dresses & formal wear. Several bars were scattered about offering overpriced elixirs to those wanting something stronger than soda or water along with several places to purchase «festival» food (hotdogs, pretzels, etc). The Bridal Extravaganza Show boasts being the largest bridal show in the U.S. and I believe it. This place offers so many ideas for the reception, from table settings & chair covers to floral arrangements & favors all available under one roof.
5 stars to BES for a well organized and thought out concept. Three hours spent at the show saved me numerous hours of research.

This place was nuts. Over 600 companies in one crazy, crowded exhibit hall. The show is done twice a year in January and July. Cheapest tickets are bought online $ 8/​person, door price is $ 10. If you’re willing to walk a few blocks, free street parking because it’s the weekend. I had absolutely no intention of going to these things once engaged, but it was the place to get the best tuxedo discounts. I hate the whole «wedding industry» and do not believe that because I am getting married, I need to pay three times as much for things like cake or limos.
Once you get inside, you get a little sticker slapped on you to indicate who you are. I got a pink heart labeled «Bride» and the fiancé got a blue oval labeled «Future Groom.» Hmph. Cheesy. Then you go to register and get a little bag of info. Supposedly, you’re supposed to get pre-​printed labels with your name & contact info, but I didn’t and I had to go through the tediousness of filling out forms by hand rather than slapping a sticker on the forms.
The program lists vendors in alphabetical order by company name… which is nice, if you know the company you’re looking for. I think it would be more helpful to group by category, like «Florists» or «Photographers,» if not placing the categories together. Let’s face it, wouldn’t it be fun to watch some competitors really fight for your attention and hard-​earned money?
So we wandered up and down the aisles, dropping off tickets in our booklet to enter various prize drawings. I enjoyed grabbing free chocolate and cake samples. The fiancé was lusting after the alcoholic beverage stands («Hey! We could be day drinking RIGHT NOW!»). I got distracted by dance demonstrations while he signed the tux contract (free groom rental + $ 40 off all tux rentals). We spun the wheel to get a deal and originally landed on «Free groom’s tux + ringbearer’s tux» and we were like, «Oh, weak!» so they gave us the deal we wanted. After a while, the place was so crowded (why do people decide to pause right in the middle of the aisles to do whatever or right in front of the ticket drop-​off booths to watch a facial demo?), we decided to leave.
So after spending $ 16 to go to said show, the male contingent of our bridal party should be grateful for our suffering to secure them the best deals we could find on tuxes. At 3.5 months out from our date, I’d already booked the major contracts and had little need for most of the vendors. But you could totally plan an entire wedding from one of these weekends in one stop.