I’ve had many emails asking about how I advertised…what was most effective within my budget, what reached the brides I was trying to target, what didn’t work…
Today, I want to tell you about one of my favorite ways to advertise…renting a booth space at the local Wedding Show. The rental fee is very reasonable in my town, but I understand it will be much more expensive for those of you living in large cities. Still…if you can afford the fee, it’s the perfect way to showcase your business…your style…your way. I’m basically a pretty shy person, so for me it was great. I could design the booth to reflect my style…and then wait. The brides who were attracted to my booth and style actually approached me and the whole process was so easy…and fun!
I usually planned the booth as a whole…with a theme and specific color palette. I always tried to partner with other vendors to complete the vision. Giving potential brides ideas for an overall vision instead of only showcasing flowers was always important to me…since flowers are only one aspect of a wedding and some brides have a hard time envisioning how they will fit with the other design elements. I also just loved building relationships with other vendors. That’s part of the fun, right?
One year we designed the booth around an invitation provided by a friend who owned a stationery boutique. The invitation had a unique modern monogram and we showcased the monogram throughout the booth…
…a peony packed purse for the flower girl…notice the labels made by our stationer…
…a monogram arrangement of carnations and spray roses for the sign-in table…
…we painted the monogram from the invitation on a hollow-core door and created a seating area around it for brides and their guests to sit and visit with the vendors (myself, a stationer and a baker) or take their time browsing through our portfolios…
..pave’ arrangements of ‘Anuschka’ roses and white carnations…
…custom menu cards also showcase the custom monogram…’Anuschka’ roses, hydrangeas and peonies in a ceramic breadbox serve as a centerpiece…my husband never could get over the flatware being labeled…I showed him…we now use it at home…he just loves it…
…the bridal bouquet…roses and peonies with a French-braided handle…Midori ribbon is ‘Bougainvillea’…you can (almost) see the monogram on the invitation displayed next to the bouquet…
…the bridesmaid’s bouquet of fluffy peonies…you can see the reply card from the invitation suite displayed to the left of the bouquet…
…our wedding cake…
…cake samples provided by the baker…
Another year we chose an ‘Urban Chic’ theme and a color palette of hydrangea blue, Granny Smith apple green and chocolate brown… 
…the table setting featured custom menu cards and place cards…a single Kermit mum was placed on each menu card…
…I shared this booth with my stationer friend…you can see some of her invitations displayed on the back shelving…hard to see, but we hauled in her brown velvet chair and ottoman for the brides to sit on while browsing the portfolios (behind the round table in the foreground)…
…another place setting…
…we displayed an idea board at the front of the booth to set the tone for our area…we had a local artist draw sketches of what we envisioned for the bridal gown, bridesmaid’s dress and venue…we also displayed our invitation, matching thank you card and fabric samples…I really love the invitation…simple, clean, modern…
…for the flower girl…
Another year we went plum…with black and white…
…portfolios and business cards at the front of the booth…arrangement of anemones, ranunculus, hyacinth and dusty miller…
…Janice answering questions…we had a purple shag rug in the center of the booth and someone stopped by during the show and offered to buy it off the floor!
…a sample place setting…notice the flatware…I think I just like to bug my husband :) …
…sample bouquets….
Ok, are you getting tired? How about one more? Each vendor was assigned a table instead of a booth space at this Wedding Show which was held in a ballroom…made it a little more challenging…
We chose a Paris theme…inspired by a bridal portrait taken by a great local photographer, Lacy (More Than an Image). She actually let me use the photo on the table…
…all the essentials…a sign, portfolio, sample bouquets,business cards, a large arrangement and the Eiffel Tower…
…a tiny Eiffel Tower charm rests in the center of the handle wrap bow…
…cymbidium orchids…
…an antique mother of pearl buckle adorns the handle on this bouquet of hydrangeas and cymbidiums…
…one last bouquet…
I hope I didn’t wear you out with this post! I would love to hear what you think about Wedding Show booths…have you participated in one? Was it a good experience? Any helpful hints about designing a booth? Do you find it helpful to partner with other vendors or do you prefer to act alone? Send me pictures…I’d love to share them!
***Here’s a request for next week’s Designer Wednesday post…I will feature business card designs…if you have a business/calling card you’d like to share, please email me a photo at www.botanicalbrouhaha@gmail.com .***
Hope your Wednesday is wonderful!
…and then pure excitement at the first sight of the water…
…don’t you just love those shoes?
…nerines and sea shells…
…look close to spot the sea shells in these romantic arrangements…
…can’t imagine how much fun a ring bearer would have carrying this starfish…because I have boys, I can imagine it being used as a boomerang during the ceremony… 
…would be a great idea for using bouquets as centerpieces at the reception…beautiful display and easy on the budget…
