How prospective brides can efficiently navigate bridal expos

Bridal expos are a perfect event for a bride-to-be to collect valuable information to help with planning her wedding celebration.

However, being presented with such a vast amount of bridal resources in one fell swoop can be over stimulating, produce high anxiety and overwhelm even the most organized person.

Professional Organizer Candita Clayton of Your Life Organized by C Squared based in Rumford, Rhode Island suggests the following pointers to help prospective brides efficiently navigate bridal expos with ease.

Prior to the Expo:

• Prepare your tools for the expo on the night before so you can maintain your focus on the day of the event
• If the expo has a website, take a look at the vendors who will be exhibiting.
• Develop a written plan of attack before you attend the show
• Create a list prioritizing the categories you wish to gather information about
• Arm yourself with an accordion file folder. This will keep all the materials you collect together
• Label folders according to each category of products and services you wish to gather
• Use standard letter envelopes to hold business cards for each category. Mark the front of each accordingly
• Use a compact notebook, pen and yellow highlighter
• Predetermine that you will write keywords about each vendor on their business card to help you recall unique details such as price, quality, availability, etc.
• Pack a tote bag with your supplies and personal essentials in place of your purse
• Wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers of clothing
• If you have attended similar events at the expose venue, try to recall how the booths were organized to help you predetermine how to approach the venue's interior space
• Promise yourself that you won't make any impulse decisions or commit to the services of any one exhibitor until you review your candidates after the show.

At the Expo:

• Upon entering the show, immediately locate a program listing exhibitors
• Step aside from the crowd and find a space where you can review the program
• Scan the list to find those exhibitors who match your high priority categories
• Highlight this info
• Make a list of their booth numbers. If possible organize the list in numerical order
• Use this list as your map to help you navigate the show and as a checklist to ensure that you have visited each before you leave the show
• Next, familiarize yourself with the space's layout and arrangement of booths
• Use your list of booth numbers to determine your first stop
• Head straight for the booths for your top priority vendors
• Avoid getting sidetracked with other vendors before visiting those with high priority.

After the Expo:

• Give yourself ample time to decompress, even if it is several days
• Review the materials you have collected at the show only when you feel refreshed and enthusiastic
• Sort through the materials on a category by category basis rather than all at once
• If necessary, sort through the info in separate sittings so as to not overwhelm yourself at once
• Determine a deadline as to when you need to select a service or product. Write this date on the exterior of each category's envelope holding the business cards
• Do not throw away any business cards until you have hired a vendor in case you need to revisit the selection process
• Keep a running list of the final companies that you are considering to hire along with your contact notes for each.