National Wedding Show tastes another successful season

Particular highlights from this season’s shows included the Inspiration Sessions led by wedding expert Kate Smallwood.  Official show sponsor bareMinerals and hair stylist Joseph Koniak joined Kate for the ‘Big Day Beauty’ sessions, which took place each day, as one lucky bride was selected for a makeover live on stage.  

In addition to the Inspiration Sessions, the ever-popular Catwalk Shows, which took place four times each day, were packed full of visitors keen to view the latest bridal trends and wedding themes from a selection of the show’s finest designers.

This season advance sale VIP tickets sold out, proving just how many visitors attended the show with a ‘no expense spared’ philosophy.

Whether attending with their bridal party or their fiancé, brides came to the show to spend money, seeking out everything from the perfect dress to bridal favours right through to honeymoon ideas, proving that The National Wedding Show really is the destination to find everything a bride needs for her big day.

This was readily backed up by Donna Crain owner of Donna Crain Accessories who said: “The footfall has been really good this year, much better than previous years! I find coming to the show is very good for the business as it gets our name out there!  I feel that the brides here are very responsive and are happy to spend money which is great for me as I have taken lots of orders over the weekend!”

Designer Catharina Eden from My Eden also noticed the increase in footfall and the quality of brides at the show. She added: “The show has been really busy, even busier than previous shows. The visitors seem more open to bespoke ideas and I have had so many enquires and orders I can’t count them! My customer base is mostly London so I tend to get most of my enquiries here.”

Attracting more high-end brides has been a direct result of developing the Designer Area of the show, which now features a larger selection of couture wedding dresses at a higher price point. In addition, each stand has its own spacious changing room and viewing area, enabling brides to try on as many dresses as they like in comfort with plenty of room for their bridal party to share the experience with them.

And it wasn’t just visitor numbers that increased this season. Exhibitor numbers this autumn were also up with a 13% year-on-year increase in exhibitors at Earls Court and a 6% increase at the NEC.

Throughout the six days of the two events, over 500 exhibitors showcased the very best in bridal and the latest wedding trends.

When providing feedback, exhibitors stated how important The National Wedding Show is to their business and how impressed they were with the show and its clientele, proving it was yet again the wedding exhibition of the season and the reason that they return year after year.