The National Bridal Show

Last night I checked out the National Bridal Show at the Direct Energy Centre. This was a smaller show than the one I’d checked out last January at the Toronto Metro Centre but that turned out to be a good thing. The crowds were thinner, the vendors better and the whole experience was rather pleasant and useful.

Below is the good, the okay and the not-so-great.

Good

• Free bags: we got free reusable bags from William Ashley, the Bay and the show itself
• Free cake: I think we were able to try five different kinds of cake
• Photographers: We don’t need a photographer but if you do you might just find your guy here
• DJs: To be honest, the DJs there appeared to be on the cheesy side but maybe they were just trying to get our attention
• Men’s Wear: All the usual men’s wear suspects are there and most are offering great deals
• Honeymoon/Travel Ideas: Sandals/Beaches, Sears Travel, Puerto Rico and more are all there to give you ideas on where to go
• Registries: William Ashley, Sears and the Bay/Home Outfitters are all there. We registered at the Bay and got $50 in gift cards for our effort

The Okay

• Invites: Stephita’s there along with a few other choices
• Venues: While none of the venues would have appealed to us if we were looking, there are plenty of choices here

The Not-So-Great

• Florists: I was really hoping to talk to some florists but the only flower-related people there were those offering bigger décor packages than we needed
• Make-up: I think I saw one make-up related vendor
• Dresses: Okay, no one goes to a wedding show to look at dresses but there are a few dress vendors there, none of whom are offering great stuff

If you do go, make sure to get the Wedding Bells gift bag before you go in. In addition to containing a copy of the magazine, there are also some great samples in there of Burt’s Bees products, John Freida hair products and Nina Ricci perfume. (Yes, I love free stuff.)