Are You All Ready To Attend BOWS?

If you are getting married and you frequent wedding forums, then you are probably all ready to attend BOWS (Blissful Outdoor Wedding Show), starting today 9/1/15 to 11/1/15.

What is BOWS?
The Blissful Outdoor Wedding Show (BOWS) has certainly come a long way, ever since its inception in 2005. From a annual event, it has evolved into Singapore’s biggest outdoor wedding show and is now held twice yearly at Dhoby Ghaut Green.
-Extracted from http://bows.sg/

Here's some reasons why you should make time for this big day!
  1. Exclusive perks and attractions and discounts offered by the wide selection of vendors
  2. Educational workshops and talks by relevant professionals that gets you all prepared for your big day and marriage
  3. Attractive lucky draw which you could participate in if you were to spend during the event
  4. Interesting performances which keep you entertained while you are bored
  5. IT'S FREE! (HoHoHo, basically anything which is beneficial and free, is worth my time.)
However, if you think you can go there empty handed, shop for the relevant vendors for your wedding and come out signed and all ready for your big day. You are absolutely WRONG!!!! If you go in without any preparations, you will probably end up like Woody below.


Chances are you may get sales-talked into signing up for bridal or banquet packages rashly and regret getting not-the-best-deal. Or you may regret missing out on that great offer after the event ends. Either way, it'll be a regret.  

The next questions would be, how then can I be ready for BOWS!?


Most of the couples attend BOWS well-prepared. When I mean prepared, it means they have already done most of the following on their checklist.
  • Contacted their potential merchants
  • Met up with them
  • Visited the venue (if there is any)
  • Run through their portfolio (if there is any)
  • Discussed the contract details
Thus, the main agenda for these couples is basically to sign the contract and get the additional perks which is offered only during BOWS. Discussing and bargaining for details usually take at least 1 - 2 hours or even more. So you may not even have the time to "shop" for your ideal vendor either due to various reasons.

So if you are intending to get married in 2015 and planning to secure some good deals at BOWS, it's time to burn some midnight oil now!
  • Briefly read up on the reviews of the merchants which will be having a booth during BOWS. (Check out http://bows.sg/merchant.php
  • Select 3 of your top choices and have your "bargaining chips" ready (Refer to banquet checklist here: Wedding Banquet Checklist )
  • Do a more thorough read up on your top 3 choices (of each aspects).
  •  If possible, spend your Saturday to recce these areas (if its for banquet), screen through their portfolios (if its for photographer or videographer) and read up reviews from graduated BTB (if its for bridal studio).
  • When you are at BOWS, spend more time at your selected choices to negotiate and discuss with the sales person.
  • If there is not enough time to complete the negotiation, do not rush to close the deal! Remember you are the customer and everything is negotiable. Highlight to the merchant about the time constraint and request to meet up another day to continue the discussion, while holding on to the perks which they offer. But of course you can't drag it for too long. Maybe just up to 1 week. This gives you some time to think through too.
You may be thinking, how about for couples who have already purchased what they need to purchase? Do they still need to attend BOWS?

My answer is an absolute YES! I have actually signed up for the following talks which I think are helpful to help Mr OOPS and I in our marriage.
  1. Love 101 - growing towards maturity, in love. (Saturday and Sunday, 6pm) by REACH Counselling Centre
  2. Five Pillars Of A Lasting Marriage (Saturday and Sunday, 7pm) by REACH Counselling Centre
  3. Financial Talk - Wedding Budget Busters, Following your Heart VS Common Sense, From Lovers, To Partners, to Loving Partners (Satuday and Sunday, 4pm)
I would think this is a good start towards couples preparing for the upcoming marriage life. Sometimes we may be overly caught up with all the wedding preparations and neglect our marriage preparation, which is actually more important. Attending such talks during small pockets of time during wedding preparations will be helpful to keep us on track.

Now, let's all get ready for BOWS! I will also update my experience after attending this exciting event!

Cheers,
Mrs To-Be OOPS

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