I’m always blown away by the Seattle Wedding Show and this year was no exception! Howard + the team put together an amazing showcase of vendors and the energy surrounding the show floor was palatable. After a few questionable years in the show industry, this year proved to be back on the upswing and foreshadows a promising future for the wedding industry as a whole.

New Year, New Faces

This is our fourth year with the Seattle Wedding Show and I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous when I walked in. A lot of vendors we got used to seeing were not in attendance this year. BUT I happen to know that’s because they’ve moved onto bigger things (like opening their own restaurants or selling and starting new businesses) that need their full focus right now. I couldn’t be happier or prouder of my industry friends this year!

This meant there were a ton of new faces too. Vendors I’d never heard of, and some of our photography network contacts that FINALLY jumped on the show train with us. (You know who you are, and we LOVE YOU!). Of course, I didn’t get a chance to stop by and meet everyone, so I’ll be playing catch up and visiting the links from the Seattle Wedding Show website.

Promising Crowds + New Trends

Seattle Wedding Show delivers expected crowds

Every year, we always look forward to the crowds from the Seattle Wedding Show. While talking to Howard and the team, we learned that the majority of the tickets are usually sold during the show. But this year, 90% of the tickets were sold BEFORE the show even started! These crowds did not disappoint. There were times we’d have 2-3 groups at our booth talking with one of the three of us. I tried to take notes on who I talked to, but it was so crazy I barely had time!

Earlier Planning vs Faster Engagement Timelines

The trends at the Seattle Wedding Show mimicked the ones we saw in Tacoma. Over half the couples we spoke with were planning for weddings in 2025 and beyond. The others were all hoping for 2024 weddings, though many hadn’t chosen dates or venues quite yet. I know I heard from several that they were feeling disheartened by the reactions from some vendors when they stated their hopes for a 2024 wedding. (If this was you, please accept my sincere apologies and know that I’m here to help you find vendors if you need it!)

We loved that couples spent more time at our booth again during this show, and it really gave us the opportunity to assess if we’d be a good fit. We booked several consultations (but still have time for more!) and couples seemed to really enjoy the idea of being able to ask more questions one on one. There was a lot of overwhelm on everyone’s parts, and rushed decisions tend to bring buyer’s remorse.

Product Credit for the win

I’m super excited that we got some amazing feedback on the new product credit again this show, and couples love that they get to have a “shopping spree” when they get home from their honeymoon. It was such an awesome experience that I’m making sure we’re all getting things printed this year! This and the online gallery policy are proving to be some winning features for our 2024 and beyond packages.

The Seattle Wedding Show always delivers quality

We’ve been honored as a chosen specialist at the Seattle Wedding Show for the past 5 years (4 shows) and cannot wait to begin planning for SWS 2025. This year is ramping up into a wonderful one and we’re so excited to be a part of the next chapter in everyone’s lives. If you’re still in the market for vendors, be sure to check out the upcoming Puyallup Wedding Show on February 24th + 25th and snag all the show tips here!