There's no business like show business.

In a whirlwind weekend, we had three bridal shows booked for this weekend, though we only made it to two. Bridal shows, by name, tell grooms to stay away. There's certainly no reason you'd want to peruse a gaggle of wedding vendors and watch a runway show of wedding gowns with an endless sea of future brides, is there?

THERE IS. WEDDING SHOWS ARE AWESOME. 

the cake is NOT a lie.

First, and I'm still a little bitter that no one clued me in to this secret earlier - Free Cake! FREE CAKE! There's normally at least one bakery exhibiting and trying to give you samples of their delicious cakey goodness. One of the shows I went to this weekend had 5 bakeries trying to make my diabetes worse. The well-seasoned-veteran bakeries might even have a to-go container for you to take home and "share" with your "mother-in-law." They know that you're going to keep the cake for yourself and scarf it down in the middle of the night, but they don't care. They're just happy that you're eating their cake. And you're happy to be eating their cake.

Second, even though the show might be crappy, you're almost guaranteed to get an idea for your wedding. It might be something you want to do, but more likely it's something that you don't want to do. There's generally always a DJ who plays their music so loud that you can't actually talk to some of the vendors - they're guaranteed to play the music too loud during your reception dinner. There will be photographers there with actual photo books. You can glance through their photos and ask them questions instead of having to deal with their horrible Flash-based website. (My next post will give you a couple pointers on how to pick out photographers.) It's also really easy to weed out vendors who won't give the time-of-day to a groom. Next! 

Also, most of these shows give out door prizes. You might just get an orange peeler donated by the Tupperware booth, but you might win a free engagement session with a photographer or a gift certificate to a jeweler. YOU ARE A WINNER! 

Many bridal shows will charge you to get in, but you can always ask around with vendors that you are thinking of booking with and see if they have any free or discounted tickets. Many do! If there's a show you really want to go to, check out their website and see who the vendors are - then stop by a florist or baker who is showing there and see if they have any tickets. Sneaky, but worth it! 

Bring a bag to carry all the brochures and fliers. Bring an appetite for the cake. Bring your bride - she'll be able to talk you down when you have an anxiety attack because there are way too many people trying to push past you and get to the cake.