Oak Park's Simply Elegant Wedding Showcase

Wedding shows are a great way to accomplish tasks from the wedding planning to-do list, all in one place. The 4th Annual Simply Elegant Wedding Showcase is happening in Oak Park this weekend!

Simply Elegant is a boutique wedding show at historic Pleasant Home. Guests can meet with award-winning wedding professionals, get helpful wedding planning advice, sample delicious hors d'oeuvres and cakes, and collect fun swag.

The show's popular wedding workshops are back! The workshops occur throughout the showcase. Attendees will learn about invitation tips and tricks, industry secrets to wedding planning, and more!

A few helpful hints for getting the most out of a wedding show:

1. Brand Yourself. Before you go, print out some sticky labels with your name and contact info to bring with you (include your address, e-mail address, and wedding date). There will be numerous sign-in sheets, drawings, and giveaways, and you’ll save time if you don’t have to write down the same info over and over again.

2. Leave the posse at home. If you make the wedding show into a big girls’ outing, you probably won’t get much out of it, as your friends dart from booth to booth, eating cake samples and bombarding you with flyers. Bring one or two people whose opinion you really trust, who will have your wedding planning goals in mind, and who won’t mind holding your purse!

3. Talk to the vendors. Don’t be shy! The vendors want to talk to you and hear about your wedding! There is only so much that you can tell about a business by its brochure. You’ll get the most out of the show if you actually ask the vendors questions and see if they are the right fit for you. You may even want to have lists of questions prepared ahead of time for the services that you need. f you like the vendor and their work, then ask to set up a consultation where you can talk more one-on-one.

4. Use the Brochures for Notes. Try not to simply pick up every brochure and throw it in a bag. Jot down notes on the brochures, like “talked about Day Of Planning Package” or “really liked candy display,” so that you’ll actually remember the vendors you visited.

5. Follow Up. When you get home, don’t let your bag of show materials collect dust. Try to go through the materials within a week or two and contact the vendors you were interested in so that you don’t forget what you learned at the show.

The Simply Elegant Wedding Showcase will be on Sunday, February 10th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pleasant Home (217 S. Home Ave., Oak Park).

For free tickets, use discount code "VIP" at:

www.simplyelegantweddingshowcase.com

Full disclosure: I will be exhibiting at the showcase and teaching the workshop, "Secrets to Planning the Perfect Wedding: What You Won't Find on the Internet." If you're a Patch reader, stop by and say hi!