11.14.07

4 Minnesota wedding shows coming up in January-February, 2008

Posted in Wedding Vendors in Minnesota at 4:15 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman

Minnesota Wedding Shows in 2008 - Reviews and Info

There are four wedding fairs in the Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota area in January, 2008 - here’s contact information, pictures, maps, and reviews of these Minnesota wedding shows. The shows reviewed are the:

-Wedding Spectacular (aka Bridal Spectacular)
-Wedding Fair
-Wedding Showcase
-Perfect Wedding Show (in Feb, reviewed here)

…and later on, the three, smaller Wedding Expos.

Note that January is the biggest month for wedding planning. Few couples get married in January, but many couples are planning for the summer because:

• As the holidays are over, the new year has started, and couples start to realize that their wedding date is coming up quickly!
• Also, many brides received wedding proposals over Christmas or on New Year’s Eve, and so they’ve just started their planning.

Some Minnesota wedding shows are better than others. The main difference is size (number of vendors) and choice of venue (site). Here’s my review:

Bridal Spectacular Wedding Show
by the Mpls/St Paul Magazine’s Wedding Guide
The first wedding show of the year

• Sunday, January 6, 2008
  Hours; 10:30 am - 4:30 pm
  The Depot Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, MN
  125 exibitors
  225 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 612-313-1793
  This Minneapolis wedding show definitely has the best name - the Bridal Spectacular Wedding Show! There’s not quite as many vendors here as at the Minnesota Wedding Fair the next weekend, but it’s still quite large, and the space (the Depot Hotel in downtown Minneapolis) is absolutely gorgeous. The Minneapolis Depot also hosts wedding ceremonies and receptions (site reviewed here).

The Minnesota Wedding Fair
by the Twin Cities Bridal Association
The largest wedding show of the year

• Sunday, January 13th of 2008
  Hours: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
  Minneapolis Convention Center, downtown Minneapolis, MN
  1301 2nd Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN
  $15 admission
  200 vendors
  As stated above, the Minnesota Wedding Fair is the largest wedding event in Minnesota. In addition to the wedding vendors, the Minnesota Wedding Fair has a fashion show at noon and 4:00 pm (no other wedding event has fashion shows). There is also an extra, smaller, couture fashion show at 2:00 pm (limited to 125 guests), that’s another $10. You can order wedding fair admission tickets early, but they’re not any cheaper that way (I’ve never seen them sell out.) The space is not as beautiful as the Depot in Minneapolis, but for such a large show, it really does need to be in a huge site like the Convention Center, and the Minneapolis Convention Center is an exciting spot. I’ve held a booth at this fair, and there’s an electric feeling of excitement there, with lots of fun noise and activity.

Minnesota Wedding Showcase
by the Minnesota Bridal Network

• Sunday, January 20, 2008
  Hours: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
  Northland Inn & Conference Center
  I-94 at Boone Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, MN
  (763) 785-9148
  Last year, at least, tickets to the Minnesota Wedding Showcase were $15, the tickets were free if you registered online first. They’re not advertising free admission this year, but it’s worth a shot. This picture shows the lobby of the Northland Inn, which is quite beautiful. The bridal show is held in the convention center, which is a large, modern ballroom.

Later on, smaller Minneapolis area wedding shows in March & April: Wedding Expo
By Gingerbread Shows
These wedding expos are smaller, but free(!)

• March 1-2nd, 2008
  Eden Prairie Center Mall
  8251 Flying Cloud Dr, Eden Prairie, MN
  (651) 457-8980
  Sat. 10:00 am - 9:00 pm, Sun. 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
• March 15-16th, 2008
  Rosedale Center Bridal Fair
  Rosedale Mall
  1595 Highway 36 W, Roseville, MN (651) 457-8980
  Sat. 10:00 am - 9:00 pm, Sun. 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
• April 5-6th, 2008
  Northtown Mall
  398 Northtown Dr NE, Blaine, MN (651) 457-8980
  Sat. 10:00 am - 9:00 pm, Sun. 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Don’t take anything too seriously at any of these events - there are a lot of other Minnesota wedding vendors out there, too, and many of the high-end, boutique services (like mine) don’t advertise at all any more, either in print or at shows, because they have all the weddings they can handle. But wedding fairs/expos/shows are a great way to talk to a lot of people and get a lot of information all in one place. Nothing can beat talking to people face-to-face, so at a wedding vendor show, you can get questions answered right away, and you can see see if the people running the businesses are friendly and suit your style.

Notes:

• The Perfect Wedding Show from the Perfect Wedding Guide at International Market Square will be held in February 18th, 2008. Information on this bridal show wasn’t available when I wrote this blog, so this February bridal show in Minneapolis is reviewed in this blog entry.
• Also, the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) doens’t seem to be happening this year (2008, $5 admission), seeing as there’s nothing on their website about it.

Summary:

So there’s four big wedding shows in the Minneapolis area to choose from in the spring of 2008:

• January 6th, 2008 at the Depot Hotel in Minneapolis
• January 13th, 2008 at the Minneapolis Convention Center
• January 20th, 2008 at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park.
• Plus, February 17th, 2008 at International Market Square (details here it its own blog entry)

All four Minnesota bridal shows have the same format (wedding vendors that you can meet), but each one has different vendors. Which one is best? Well, it’s nice to go to the largest one (Minnesota Wedding Fair at the Minneapolis Convention Center), just because it has the largest number of vendors, but otherwise, with today’s busy schedules, I’d recommend just going to the one that is on a day or weekend when you’re available.

There are three other wedding shows in the spring of 2008 which are held in Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota shopping malls, and they are later on in the year. These 2008 wedding shows are smaller, but are free. As listed above, these Minnesota wedding shows are on March 1-2 at Eden Prairie Mall, March 15-16 at Rosedale Mall, and April 5-6 at Northtown Mall. These wedding shows make shopping around for services much easier, in that you get to talk to many vendors all at once, rather than making lots of calls and setting up appointments to talk to vendors. You don’t get to talk to vendors who aren’t at the shows, of course, but it’s a great place for one-stop shopping, and it’s a great place for getting questions answered. Plus, it’s fun to visit the vendors and get ideas - I highly recommend going!

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