We just had the BridalMax Wedding show a few weekends ago, and we've got another big one coming up soon! The Davenport Jaycees Annual Bridal Expo is celebrating their 25th anniversary of wedding shows this year on Saturday, January 30th at the Davenport River Center!

This is one of the biggest shows of the year, and it's one that any soon to be bride or groom should attend. I know, ladies, asking your guy to come to a bridal fair is often like asking them if they'd like to have their teeth cleaned, but just dazzle them with the free cake samples and prize giveaways! It's amazing what a little trickery will do for a girl...

You can purchase your tickets for $8 in advance or $10 at the door. Click here to see a list of many locations where you can purchase your tickets in advance.

Along with purchasing your tickets in advance, you should also mentally and physically prepare yourself for attending the bridal show. Here are four tips that you can easily manage that will make your experience as enjoyable as possible...

#1 - Dress Appropriately! I know we hate to think that people are being judged, but let's face it. We make snap judgments all the time. Would you want to work with a baker or photographer who looks as though they neglected to shower before coming to meet you? Probably not. The same kinds of thoughts go through the vendor's minds as they meet you as potential clients. You don't have to break out your prom dress, but maybe save the sweats and hair scrunchies for the gym. Also, remember that the temperature inside the bridal fair could be extreme...either hot or cold. Dress with layers and maybe consider leaving your coat, hat, mittens, scarves in the car.

#2 - Bring an extra bag or two! You are often given a goody bag upon entering bridal fairs, but who knows, they may have run out. You will be receiving enormous amounts of paper at the fair, and you'll want to have somewhere to keep it. If you have two bags, you can sort your info as you go. One bag is for the vendors that you'll definitely consider, and the other bag is for those vendors that you have ruled out. (Side note, be sure to recycle if you have a mountain of brochures left over when you get home!)

#3 - Be excited, but be wary! You will meet a lot of friendly vendors during the show. After all, they are there to woo you over and hopefully gain your valued business. Most vendors will be glad to load you with info, give you references, and answer your questions. Lots of them have amazing giveaways throughout the show. You should never, however, feel pressured to sign into a contract during the show. You are making major investments with each of your vendors and should be given ample time to think things through.

#4 - Watch out for Carpal Tunnel! Every single vendor that you meet will want your contact info. They do this for several reasons including being able to follow up with you if you had a conversation with them about their services or to send out information, promotions, or discounts. There are also big give aways that vendors sometimes give out from their contact lists generated at bridal shows. With nearly 100 vendors at the Jaycees Bridal Show, you could seriously tire out your hand! Instead, type out your contact info on address labels so that you can simply slap down a sticker and move on with your day!

That about sums it up for my tips for a successful bridal fair! I hope to see you at the Jaycees Bridal Expo on January 30th from 9am to 4pm with fashion shows at 11am and 4pm. :)

First off, ladies and gents, I wanted to remind you all that tomorrow is the WeddingMax Bridal Show at the iWireless Center.

Check out all the info here! I hope to see you there!

Next on my list of to-do's... If you remember from a few posts ago, one of my new year's resolutions is to become more organized. Certain aspects of our wedding I have certainly paid close attention to lately, and others have fallen to the wayside because a) they are things we haven't decided upon yet, b) they look like boring tasks to me, or c) I am a procrastinator. I am trying to eliminate option C from my repertoire of excuses.

Recently Donna sent me an email about a company called Places Everyone which sells sets of magnetized shapes and a lay out that you can customize to look like your reception hall. The magnetized tables come with magnetized seats on which you can write your guests names. This is a brilliant idea especially for those of us who need a visual or who learn by touching and moving things around. On the site you can see the different options for purchasing, and as I was going through the site, I thought to myself, Self, you could probably make something like this with materials you already have. So for those of you who can do a little scaling math and don't mind scrounging up some construction paper and childproof scissors, go nuts. If not, Places Everyone is there for you.

One word to describe me would be procrastinator. Another would be Cheap A$$. The thought of plunking down $50 for this kit made me cringe a little, so I did a little researching and came upon the mecca of wedding planning, Martha Stewart, of course! On MarthaStewartWeddings.com, you can register (for free) and find not only a virtual seating chart program, but an entire set of wedding planning tools of which I will be taking full advantage. Here are a few things that I am excited about...

1) The Seating Chart Planning Tool. There are options to change the size and shape of the reception area lay out, different sizes of tables, and the program will upload info right from your guest list that you can also create with the MSW planning tools! Neato!

2) The Budget Planner Tool. I've seen a lot of budget planning tools, and I've even kept our budget on an Excell sheet, but this one has so many bells and whistles! For example, if you end up underspending (ha ha), it will ask you how you'd like to redistribute the funds. It will also keep track of payment dates and send you reminders! Swell!

3) The Checklist Tool. Are there others like me who leave things off until the very end? This one's for you! For example, right now my check list tells me that we are overdue on making a wedding webpage (ironic). Dandy!

I really think I owe good ol' Martha a thank you note because her wedding planning tools are going to be really helpful here in helping us to stay on track with our wedding and to eliminate my procrastination problem. There are other organizations and websites that offer free and subscription based wedding planning tools. What are some of your favorites? What programs have saved your life and your sanity as you plan for your upcoming nuptials?

Details, details, details.  Amongst the love, happiness, and wonderful memories, your wedding day is chock full of details.  In an ideal world, there is someone there to take care of the details, but as well all know, life is rarely at the absolute ideal level.  

I believe the name of the game is CYA, which stands for Cover Your Fill-In-The-And-It-Starts-With-An-A-And-Ends-With-an-SS.  

In order to properly attain CYA-status, you are going to need some help.  Now let's think...it's your wedding day, and you need some trusted people who can keep all the plates spinning.  They need to be in on the plan ahead of time, and they need to be people who you can depend upon to be there for the duration of the day...hmm...where would a bride and groom find such a group?

The Wedding Party of course!  With the wedding party you will find an assortment of talents including but not limited to:

• Someone who can help you fix any hair/make-up/wardrobe malfunctions.
• Someone who likes to eat and thus reminds you to eat.
• Someone who has the secret stash of vodka.
• Someone who can be the bully if someone else is annoying you.
• And someone who is always good at calming your nerves.