All the Fun of the Fayre

Wedding fayres. To attend or not to attend, that is the question. Much like the over-concentration of wedding/bridal magazines in the shops, there appears to be an overwhelming number of wedding fayres and shows taking place for the curious bride and groom to attend. But how useful are they?

Attending a wedding fayre can seem somewhat like entering Wonderland through the rabbit hole. It's another world - outfits, cars, flowers, cake, music, venues. If you're just starting to think about your wedding, you begin to realise just how much there is to decide and organise. If you're further along, you can see how varied and large your options on cake, flowers, outfits, cars and music can be. You stand there in the middle of it all, trying to take it all in and work out where to start, feeling special and the centre of attention as the bride and groom. But then what?

Well, I would suggest, just one thing at a time, and don't start thinking too hard about it all until you've been to every stall, picked up the leaflets and brochures, eaten the samples, and can take a breath. Then you can look through all you've gathered and start to make some mental notes about what may or may not be useful.

I've attended two wedding fayres now; one with J and one with some friends. Both were fun, and informative to an extent. However, I'm still not entirely sure just how useful they were. The first, at the Brighton Hilton, included a fashion show, plenty of samples of wedding cakes, flower and car displays. In fact, I did like the dresses displayed by one bridal shop so much that they are who I've ordered my dress from. The rest added up to a fun afternoon, together with a little bit of food for thought and some ideas to take home. The second, at the Brighton Pavilion, showed off the Pavilion as a wedding venue, included examples of music and flower displays, but was ultimately a little disappointing. I was expecting a larger number of exhibitors, more use of the space available.

I think wedding fayres - like wedding magazines - can be useful and interesting. But don't begin to think that they are all there is to organising a wedding - you don't have to have what they're offering and you don't have to be swept along by all the offers and packages available. Definitely have fun and pick up ideas and information, but at the end of the day, the wedding is about you. The day is yours, and your wedding should be exactly what you want - both of you - no more, no less. It is too easy to get carried away, get stressed out, worry endlessly about the exact shade of the flowers or the bridesmaids dresses, and, in short, turn into a complete 'bridezilla'! But while a wedding should be the best day of your life, don't forget that it is about the two of you, your love and commitment to one another.


Until next time...