A Newbie’s Take On The National Wedding Show
Staggered had the pleasure of being at the National Wedding Show this weekend where we were offering visitors the chance to win the champagne for their wedding (nice of us innit? Don’t worry we’ll be offering it to our non-real-world readers too…). We asked Staggered new boy Martin Roberts to sum up his first ever experience of the wedding show world.
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As a man – and someone whose interest in weddings could, at best, be described as ‘peripheral’ – a visit to London Olympia’s National Wedding Show was something of an unexpected move. I was there under the banner of Staggered and my ignorance of the industry probably legitimised this site’s manifesto quite nicely.
A pensive mood quickly gave way to one of inclusion: the thing about dealing with brides-to-be and their families all day is that they tend to be so deliriously happy it begins to rub off. To that extent, one starts thinking about the people involved in these future ceremonies rather than all the bits and pieces they’ll be shelling out for, which obviously is the part that matters most.
That said, the National Wedding Show is precisely aimed at the more material side of weddings – with, one would like to think, an aim to please, rather than charge, its public – and what an array of planning assistance was on display.
A cynic might have gone in expecting a gigantic hall of romantic excess filled with hysterical dream-baiting but in reality, the show was a much classier affair. The seemingly endless stalls and booths came across as friendly idea-givers as opposed to hardened business advertisements, and the glut of free information and prize-draws available meant that even the most petrified of attendees could leave with their wallets intact and still have a head full of new ideas.
The National Wedding Show’s official website described the event as ‘The Ultimate Shopping Experience’ and there was certainly plenty on offer. Watching couples edge their way through stalls housing over 250 exhibitors was tiring in itself, particularly as the further they ventured, the more stuff got piled on them.
Male visitors were distinctly in the minority [Ed - I took a headcount at one point and it was around 25% men] but their contributions, as far as I could tell, tended to venture beyond the stereotypical ‘that cake looks nice’ type of comments and most of them actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Some couples had clearly underestimated the sheer volume of options available to them – classics such as dress, location and catering are only the beginning of this broad industry – but in general seemed happy to undertake the work (is that the right word?) that lay ahead of them. A young couple told me the show had completely reset their wedding plans back to stage one, though their smiles suggested that that was a good thing.
In the end the show was an interesting experience, and whilst it did little to dispel my belief that weddings are surrounded by too much pomp and posturing, it did surprisingly remind me that regardless of the amount of stuff you throw at a wedding, it’s still about two people making decisions together. If they want their big day to be big it is up to them, after all. Even amongst the myriad stalls of photographers, magicians and desserts (hats off English Cheesecake Company) the focus was resolutely on creating the best day possible for whatever budget was available. Put simply, the weight of an entire industry did not crush the sentiment that brought it into being in the first place, and that is a positive thing.
Did you go to the National Wedding Show? Planning a trip to the NEC or any other fairs this year? Let us know how they go and what you’d like to see at future ones – would you like more content for the men?
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