Sunday 4th June Open Day Kent Wedding Centre Paddock Wood 10:30 am – 2:30 pm www . thekentweddingcentre . com / events

Sunday 25th June Wedding Fair Kent Cricket Ground Canterbury 10:00 am - 2:30 pm www . akentish-wedding . co . uk

Sunday 16th July Venue Open Day Hythe Imperial Hotel Hythe 11:00 am - 3:00 pm www . hytheimperial . co . uk / weddings / wedding-events

Thursday 20th July Venue Open Evening Broome Park Canterbury 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm www . broomepark . co . uk / whats-on

Thursday 27th July Venue Open Evening The Spa Hotel Royal Tunbridge Wells 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm www . spahotel . co . uk / events-diary

Sunday 27th August Wedding Fair Kent Cricket Ground Canterbury 10:00 am - 2:30 pm www . akentish-wedding . co . uk

Sunday 3rd September Wedding Fair Marine Hotel Whitstable 10:00 am - 2:30 pm www . akentish-wedding . co . uk

Sunday 3rd September Wedding Fair Mercure Hotel Tunbridge Wells 10:30 am - 2:30 pm www . kentweddingfair . co . uk

Sunday 3rd September Venue Open Day The Friars Aylesford 11:00 am - 4:00 pm www . thefriars . org . uk

WEDDING SHOW TOP TIPS Get the most out of your show / fair visit

Plan ahead … Make a list of what you need to find for your forthcoming wedding and check out the list of exhibitors before attending , this way you can cross reference this with the suppliers you are still looking for to direct more of your time meeting them .

Know your budget … It can be all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of your forthcoming day , and the wedding event itself , and you could find yourself heading for wedding planning heartbreak by being waylaid by a fabulous wedding service or product that will break your wedding bank . Instead , have a clear mind about what you have available to spend and use this to guide your ultimate supplier decisions . But remember you always get what you pay for when it comes to quality !

Have ideas ready … If you absolutely have your heart set on a particular venue , theme or idea , don ’ t waste your much-needed planning time talking to suppliers that will be unable to meet your wants and needs . Instead , hone

in on those that spark excitement , align with your ideas and make you feel good about what they offer .

Be open minded … While you will have some ideas already , it still pays to be open minded , particularly if it will be one of the first shows or fairs you will be attending . Many couples say that some of the most memorable things at their wedding were not the things they first thought of and instead were found by meeting with lots of different suppliers and gaining inspiration from fairs , shows , wedding magazines and other couples ’ big days .

Make a day of it … Aim to spend as much time as you can at every fair and show you attend . Not only will you have time to see as many exhibitors as possible , especially if some stands are very popular ( as well as making the most of the free samples !), but by spending time with lots of different suppliers in the same field you will start to see what makes them special and who will be able to offer exactly what you are looking for . It also means that you can find plan B ’ s if your first choice supplier is already fully booked .

30 | AKENTISHCEREMONY . COM | SUMMER 2023