How to Handle Unsolicited Advice About Your Wedding

As soon as you got the ring, you probably also got advice about your wedding. Friends and family have no doubt bombarded you with advice about what you should do, what you must do, and what they did.

Handling this unsolicited advice is tricky. You don’t want to offend, but you also want to make clear that you really don’t need their help. It’s often best to be polite, and simply say that you’ll keep their advice in mind.

While they could offer you helpful information -- such as great vendors that they highly recommend -- their advice might just be unhelpful. It is also often worth reminding them that this is your big day, not theirs. Be tactful, but strong.

The best way to respond to unsolicited advice, though, is to have your planning under way. A great way to get your planning started -- and finished -- is to attend one of our Southern California bridal shows. To find out more about upcoming shows and to buy tickets, visit our site today!

Calling All Brides! Don’t Miss Our Buena Park Show!

On October 6, you should be at the Knott’s Berry Farm Resort Hotel in Buena Park. From 11am to 3pm, we’ll have our next fabulous Southern California bridal show there. It’s a great day out for brides to be, grooms to be, family and friends.

Here’s what you can expect to find:

• Meet some of SoCal's top Wedding Professionals
• See 100's of ideas and services
• Taste scrumptious cake & hors d'oeuvres
• Enjoy a spa massage and beauty makeover
• Listen to the Showcase of live Entertainment
• See the latest fashions at the dazzling Fashion Show
  
  
  
  
  
• Learn the latest trends at the "Bride & Groom 101" Seminar
• Get a great deal on their bridal gown at the Designer Gown Sale
• $1,000's in Door Prizes will be given away, including 3 luxurious Honeymoons .
• Six 7' Wi-Fi Tablets will be given away every hour, starting at 10am for the "early Brides"
• FREE tickets to Let's Make A Deal for a chance to win big cash & prizes for your wedding
• The first 50 Brides at the door will receive awesome SWAG Bags.
• The first 50 Grooms will receive Certificates for a Las Vegas Getaway including Airfare
• Gown Sale - All gowns will be discounted to $150 (values up to $1,000) by top Designers such as Maggie Sottero, Mori Lee, Vera Wang, Scott McClintock, Enzoani & so much more!

RSVP to rsvp@bridalshowplace.net for your free personalized bride's tee shirt, and purchase your pre-sale discounted tickets online at www.bridalshowplace.net

If you can’t make it to Buena Park, our next Bridal Showplace Bridal Show will be on November 3 at the Pasadena Hilton Hotel.

This Is the Bridal Show You Don’t Want to Miss!

If you’re planning your wedding, you’ll want to be at the Long Beach Marriott next Sunday! From 11 am to 3 pm, you’ll have a chance to meet the best Southern California wedding professionals, win amazing prizes, and get inspired for your big day.

The first 50 brides at the door will get an awesome swag bag full of goodies, including a 700-page wedding planner. The first 50 grooms at the door will get a certificate for a Las Vegas getaway, including airfare, perfect for a couple’s escape or a bachelor party! Everyone will be able to enter to win thousands of dollars in door prizes, including three luxury honeymoons.

You’ll also get the chance to taste the scrumptious cake from the Kardashians’ favorite bakery, Hansen Cakes. You can learn the latest trends at the Bride & Groom 101 seminar, enjoy a spa massage and beauty makeover, listen to the Showcase of Entertainment, check out the latest bridal fashions, and try out a variety of mouth-watering hors d’oeuvres. If that’s not enough, you can also try out fun photo booths and see hundreds of great ideas and services for your wedding day.

At this show, you’ll also be able to meet the contestant producers from Let’s Make a Deal, and get free tickets to the show for the bride, groom, bridal party, family, and friends. You’ll all get the chance to make a deal with Wayne Brady for cash and prizes. Who knows, you might even win a car! Be sure to stop by their booth next Sunday to be in with a chance.

Just for attending, you’ll also get your free personalized bride T-shirt. To RSVP, email us at rsvp@bridalshowplace.net. You can also purchase your pre-sale tickets at www.bridalshowplace.net.

Wedding Invitation Tips

You know who you want to invite to your wedding, but are you still a bit confused about wedding invitations and the etiquette that goes with them? Don’t worry, we’ve got some great tips for navigating everything from save the dates to RSVPs.

When to send?

Your invitations should go out around six to eight weeks before your wedding date for a local wedding, and two to three months before the big day for destination weddings. If you want to send something out earlier, go with a save the date card.

Why send save the dates?

If your wedding is in peak wedding season, a prime vacation time, or around a holiday, sending a save the date can allow guests to loosely reserve that weekend for you. They can also serve as fantastic engagement announcements.

How to handle RSVPs?

Set your RSVP date two to three weeks before your wedding. This gives guests enough time to reply, while also giving your vendors enough notice for your final numbers. If you’re worried about guests sticking to the date, offer alternative RSVP methods, like email or phone, but keep a good record!

Still have questions?

Come to one of our upcoming Southern California bridal shows to chat with our area’s best wedding vendors. They can help answer all your wedding planning questions and you can book them for your big day!

Not Sure Where to Start with Wedding Planning? You Aren’t Alone!

If you’re newly engaged, the idea of wedding planning might seem a bit overwhelming. You know you need to find some basics – a dress, a venue, a photographer – but there probably seems like there are countless options for everything. If you aren’t sure where to start, you really aren’t alone.

When you start planning your wedding, it’s important to get some ideas of what you like and what you don’t like. There is plenty of inspiration available online, but this can often leave you more confused than when you began.

Instead, consider going to a bridal show in Southern California. Here you can get inspired and ask questions. If there’s something you aren’t sure about, you can ask one of the wedding experts on hand. This can help with confusion, and get you in touch with some of the area’s best wedding vendors. Once you’ve had a chance to meet different vendors, you will find that everything starts to make a lot more sense!

You also don’t need to wait too long to attend our next show! You can buy tickets todayfor our September 8 show in Burbank, along with our other upcoming shows acrossthe Southland.

Is a Destination Wedding Right For You?

Feel like getting away from the freeways for your wedding day? Want to combine your honeymoon and your wedding into one fabulous vacation? Well, a destination wedding could be just the right thing for you!

Destination weddings are, as you would guess, a wedding you plan in a location that’s away from home. While the most popular destinations are tropical locales, you aren’t limited to these. More couples, especially here in California, are choosing colder climates for their destination weddings.

Before you start booking your plane tickets, though, make sure a destination wedding suits your needs. Destination weddings will generally have a much smaller guest list, and you might also need to plan a local reception when you get back home.

Destination weddings can also be a bigger planning challenge. However, when you work with an experienced destination wedding professional, it won’t be a lot more work than a local wedding. In some cases, it can be easier because of smaller guest lists or package booking.

If you’re curious about destination weddings, the best move is to speak to an expert. You can meet destination wedding professionals, and many other great Southern California wedding vendors, at our upcoming bridal show in Burbank. Find outmore about the show and buy your tickets today!

Join Us for a Bridal Show Like No Other!

Where will you be next Sunday, August 11th? If you're planning your Southern California wedding, you should be at the Bridal Showplace Bridal Show at the legendary Queen Mary in Long Beach!

From 11 am to 4 pm, you'll find everything you need to plan your perfect day. Meet SoCal's most distinguished wedding professionals, and taste scrumptious cake and hors d'oeuvres. At the Bride and Groom 101 seminar, you can learn the latest trends, too!

You'll also be able to enjoy a spa massage and beauty makeover, and see hundreds of ideas and services for your wedding day. From florists and invitations to photographers, DJs, videographers, honeymoon travel, and more, you'll find all the services you need.

The latest bridal fashions will be featured at the dazzling fashion shows. If all that isn't enough, you'll also get to enter to win thousands of dollars in door prizes, including three luxurious honeymoons.  

Get there early, because the first 100 brides will get amazing SWAG Bags, and the first 50 grooms will get certificates for a Las Vegas getaway including airfare.  

Sound good? Don't wait in line, buy your tickets today at www.bridalshowplace.net

Bridal Show Schedule 2013:

8/11 - The Queen Mary, Long Beach

9/8   - L.A. Marriott Burbank Hotel, Burbank

9/22 - Marriott Long Beach Airport Hotel, Long Beach

10/6 - Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel, Buena Park

11/3 - Hilton Hotel, Pasadena

4 Ways to Have the Perfect Fourth of July Themed Wedding

The Fourth of July might be over for another year, but if it has you inspired, there's no reason it can't be the theme for your wedding day. Here are four ways to have the perfect Independence Day themed wedding.

1. Red, white, and blue color palettes are an easy way to bring the holiday theme to your wedding day. Don't feel like they have to be bold hues, though. Off-tones, faded hues, and other shades of the colors can be a great alternative.
2. Stars and stripes can also be brought into your theme without even needing to include a single flag. They can be part of your decor, cake decoration, or even your bridesmaids' dresses.
3. A themed menu is a perfect way to get your guests in the holiday mood. You don't need to have a relaxed menu, though. Ask your caterer for grown-up versions of your barbecue favorites.
4. Fireworks are always a great choice, but if your venue doesn't allow them, add the excitement in other ways. Indoor-safe sparklers are a fun addition to your cake, but you can also use your floral arrangements to create the fireworks look.

The best way to create an amazing theme wedding is working with fantastic Southern California wedding vendors. Come to our next show to meet and book all the vendors you need while having a great time!

Did You Begin Planning Before Engagement?

Wedding planning before engagement has become a big trend, with a recent survey showing that 59 percent of single women have already started. This follows on a survey earlier in the year that showed that 40 percent of brides admitted to visiting wedding websites before the proposal.

The reason for this early planning is generally an attempt to reduce stress, but it doesn't always work that way. Some women have also said that they've scared off previous boyfriends because of their early planning. Early planning can also get you too locked into a set idea of what your wedding has to be. This can leave you without flexibility that can leave your fiance feeling left out and you feeling frustrated.

One surefire way to reduce the stress of wedding planning is to come to a Bridal Showplace show. You'll be able to meet some of Southern California's best wedding vendors all in one place, meaning you can get lots of planning done in a single day. To find out more about our vendors and upcoming shows, visit our website today!