At the weekend we did out first Wedding Fayre, it was good fun, but we were maybe a little under prepared. Here's 10 things we learnt for next time.
1. Don't take a toddler, the boy in the above picture is notorious for hell raising (think a baby Oliver Reed), and he did his best to bring the whole thing crashing down. Then, just as we thought we had him settled he dived head first off a chair and screamed the joint down.
2. The scene is tight, everyone there seemed to know each other and we felt like fresh blood. We got some really helpful advice but ultimately felt like novices.
3. Some couples aren't getting married for two years! I mean who knows what invite you're going to want in two years time, and you have to feel a bit sorry for their H2B's.
4. It's a long day. We need a thermos, some sandwiches, a book, medical supplies, a book about medical supplies, an internet connection, a flash light, change of underwear and a helmet. OK, maybe not all that, but we need to pack more than one pack of Snacker-Jacks.
5. Gaffer Tape is the unsung hero of the Fayre. My husband knew it would be though and he made me pack some, I told him it wasn't necessary, but I was wrong on this occasion.
6. You're invisible to some people, and that means they don't want a tea towel for an invite, and that's fair enough, so there's no need to stare at them until they acknowledge you.
7. You need a good opening gambit. Asking people if they're getting married is a bit pointless, it took me about an hour to figure that one out. We need to think of a leading question to draw people in, like real sales person.
8. Remember you're probably friends with most of the people in the room on Twitter. Nuff said.
9. Don't eat too much sample cake. The people on the cake stand aren't idiots, there's only so many times you walk past pretending to be a punter before they clock you. (A modest estimate would be 5 times).
10. The Wedding Tea Towel is a bit of a weird idea. We forget that working with it everyday, but to some people it seemed like we were flogging a dead horse. One lady actually made the effort to come over and tell us that 'She didn't know if she liked the idea or not'. We were pretty dumbstruck, but ultimately we didn't know if we liked her or not either.
Roll on the next one, we're going to be prepared this time.
