The holiday season – specifically the few months between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day according to WeddingWire.com – is the most popular time for wedding engagements. Just in time for those couples who said, “yes,” New Orleans Bride magazine is hosting its first bridal show of the year.
The magazine’s bridal show is an opportunity to meet the top wedding professionals in the Greater New Orleans area all in one place. From wedding venues to tuxedo rentals, the hall of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans is filled with the companies that are sure to create the perfect wedding day.
With the COVID-19 Omicron variant surge, New Orleans Bride and the Hyatt are abiding by all city, state and CDC guidelines to ensure the safety of all show participants and attendees. As you will note on the Eventbrite page, the show is observing masking and social-distancing protocols, as well as requiring proof of vaccination or negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to entering. Additional information about acceptable forms of proof of vaccination and negative COVID test, as well as to purchase your ticket can be found here.
As this might be the first time some are attending a bridal show, or even a bigger event in the city, we wanted to share some tips and tricks to help navigate this potentially new territory.
COVID essentials – Though each ticket is only allotted an hour of time at the show (which runs from 5 – 8 p.m.), it’s important to remember that many people you don’t know, and who are not in your COVID bubble, will also be in attendance. It’s critical you remember your proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test, a mask (preferably K-95) and we suggest some hand sanitizer.
New email address (specifically for wedding planning) – Everything is done digitally now and communication through email is paramount. If you’re not hiring a wedding planner, you’ll be handling your correspondence. To keep everything in order, we suggest setting up an email specifically for wedding planning. This keeps all emails separate from anything personal and makes it easy to find or reference emails as the Big Day draws near.
Printed labels/Phone charger/Pens – Typically, we suggest printing labels with your contact information on them to make sharing your information with vendors simple, however, given the current state of things, it might be easier to ensure your phone is charged to take pictures of vendor information or to open any given QR codes to save and return to after you’ve left the show. If you have it, a portable phone charger might come in handy, as well. Additionally, if you don’t have access to printed labels, it’s always good to make sure you have your own pen to keep physical contact low and, it’s just handier.
Take notes – In line with bringing your own pen, we also suggest taking notes. You’ll meet a lot of people, have many conversations, and you’ll want to take note of all of it – good or bad. Notes will help you remember specifically and even match up with any photos taken during the event. This may also be a good task for a friend, wedding attendant or family member, if you choose to bring someone with you.
To complete our suggestions, might we add to wear a pair of comfortable shoes, since the hall at the Hyatt is quite large and — most important — remember to have fun! Wedding planning does not need to be a stressful time in your life. You’re planning the joining of two lives and a party, it should all be about the celebration.
If you get organized and plan your time (both at the show and the timeline of the wedding, which we also have you covered) you might just plan your whole wedding in one night with New Orleans Bride.
Winter 2022 Bridal Show
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 1
Time: 5 – 8 p.m.
Place: Hyatt Regency New Orleans Elite Hall (601 Loyola Ave.)
Tickets: $25 (TICKETS MUST BE PRE-PURCHASED. NO REFUNDS)
