Blog postings from Montana's premier wedding and portrait photographer-Dax Photography
Viewing entries tagged
Missoula Wedding Fair
Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Guest list numbers. Ever wondered how many guests actually attend a wedding if invited? As a general rule you can expect about 85% of local guests to show and about 55% of out of town guests to attend if invited. Granted that can vary but those are pretty darn good numbers to go by when planning your wedding guest list. www.daxphotography.com
Bride Tips From Dax Photography: Who gives this bride away? ALWAYS hug your Dad...and Mom for that matter during the part of the ceremony where the officiant asks "Who gives this bride away?" I get it...in that moment all eyes are on you, your heart is racing and you can't take your eyes off of your groom, but just breathe and make sure you hug your parents! It's a small but VERY important gesture to acknowledge how much they've done to help get you to this moment. Enjoy that moment, revel in it, hug it if you will. :) www.daxphotography.com
Bride Tips From Dax Photography: The First Look IS NOT Required. A first look is when a bride a groom see each other before the ceremony. I've heard from a few brides now who were, let's say pressured, into doing a first look by either their photographer or wedding planner. Despite what wedding vendors may tell you it is NOT necessary to see each other ahead of the ceremony. For me whether you do a first look or not is totally up to you and really doesn't save any time or make things easier in most cases. I LOVED seeing my bride the day of our wedding at the end of the aisle and I wouldn't trade that moment for anything...in fact I encourage couples to do just that; wait til the ceremony. www.daxphotography.com
I've been a vendor at the Missoula Wedding Fair for over 5 years now and have seen it progressively go downhill. This is the Cherry Creek Wedding Fair held every year at the Holiday Inn Downtown. It has suffered from poor management and utter greed by the host radio station. This year I finally decided NOT to attend...believe it or not, I found out I'm not the only one! In fact, far from it! I've heard from over a dozen of the best wedding vendors in the region that they share my same concerns regarding the event and won't be there this year. So if you're a new bride and were hoping to attend this years event...DON'T! There will be very few vendors there and the ones that are may not be a good representation of the quality of wedding professionals in the Missoula valley.
Please allow me to explain why so many vendors are deciding to no longer attend this wedding fair:
1) It has, and continues to be BY FAR the most expensive wedding fair in the region for vendors to be a part of. This includes Spokane, Seattle, Bozeman, etc. In fact, it's more than double the cost of Bozeman's 2 day event. Bear in mind Cherry Creeks' wedding fair is only 5 hours on a single Sunday in January.
2) They require vendors to have a prize giveaway valued at $150 or more! This in no way benefits the vendor as everyone has a giveaway, it's purely a draw to make the radio station look better.
3) Cherry Creek used to match the entrance fee for the wedding fair in radio ad credit...which is the ONLY reason so many vendors have still attended in the past. This year they did away with that program.
4) They blatantly lie about the attendance of the event. Saying they get 400+ brides in attendance. Each year, after the event when the email list of the brides who attended is distributed there is usually only 150 "brides" on it. I put brides in quotation marks because there are a large percentage of women at the event pretending to be brides just to get freebies!
5) Because it's still free to the public and they require giveaways from all the vendors this event is littered with women who are simply pretending to be brides.
6) Most vendors just attend the event for marketing exposure. But as far as marketing is concerned, it does very little to get your business' name out there. It is very rare that anything is actually booked the day of the event. And those that do book usually would have booked with that vendor regardless. Every year I see new vendors show up at the event counting on booking brides, only to not be seen again the next year.
7) Bottom line it simply doesn't ROI for most vendors to be a part of this event. After the entrance fee, designing and printing marketing materials, employee payroll costs, set up and tear down time, giveaways, etc, etc. The event really doesn't make financial sense for vendors.
Don't get me wrong in the past this event has been much better, but I would highly recommend you don't attend this year...just like myself and many of the other wedding vendors in the region.
For any remaining wedding dates available I'm offering $1,000 off any wedding photography package! Hurry, there aren't many dates left! Must book by January 20th.
Come see Dax Photography at the Cherry Creek Wedding Fair this weekend at the Holiday Inn Parkside. The event will be from 11-4PM on Sunday January 6th 2013 and will feature some of the best wedding vendors in and around Missoula! If you're getting married in the near future this is an event you can't miss!
Brides and Grooms...come see me at the Missoula wedding fair on January 8th, 2012 at the Holiday Inn Parkside. Doors open at 11AM. Better hurry I only have a few dates left for the 2012 wedding season! Below is a map I was sent a few months ago, all the open spots are now filled, but it should give you an idea of where most vendors will be located...
What kind of photo shoot do you get when you combine yours truly, 4 gorgeous models, a spectacular location, the best hair and makeup people in the biz and fashion from the best boutiques in Missoula...PERFECTION!!!!Photos: Dax Photography Models: Erin Kellog, Amelia Robinson, Lindsey Tracy, Ashley Svihl Location: La Bella Vita Makeup: Alchemy Mineral Blends Hair: Lindsey Tracy Wedding Dresses: Beautiful Weddings Clothes: 111 Boutique www.daxphotography.com
