South Sound Wedding Planning: Our Exciting Recap of the 2025 Tacoma Wedding Show

Hey, Fiancée!!

Wedding planning can be seriously overwhelming, and if you scuttled through the Tacoma Wedding Show this weekend, I bet you’re feeling it! Don’t stress—I’ve got your back! As a long time PNW wedding photographer (and unofficial hype girl), I’m here to help guide you through it all. Let’s chat about the 2025 Tacoma Wedding Show, an event that’s basically wedding-planning paradise. So, grab your favorite coffee (or pour that glass of wine—no judgment here), and let’s dive into why this show is a total game-changer for couples planning their big day!

What We Loved at the 2025 Tacoma Wedding Show

The Tacoma Wedding Show came back for a second year, and we could not have been more excited. After last year’s incredible show, we were prepped for even more of a crowd on January 11th and 12th in the convention center. The team added an additional 20+ booths, including ours, situated right next to the front door. When we arrived Friday, setup was in full swing and there was a palpable excitement in the air! The booths went up pretty quick with many vendors streamlining and focusing on simplicity this year, but a few of our favorites still brought their incredible showcase booths.

One of our favorite booths was Vibe Event Rentals. The team brought this incredible table where they showcased four different color combinations that all tied together with the Sage green color we’re seeing for 2025 weddings. It was a really wonderful way to see their variety of color offerings in a small space. I’m bougie enough though that I really want to see a table that combines all the elements on ONE table. If you have the budget for that, please come talk to us about your photo + video package!

I know it can seem like all of the vendors know each other, but the wedding industry as a whole is SO BIG, and there are always new vendors showing up on the scene. So it’s no surprise that we got a chance to meet some pretty awesome new friends. Julia of Events with Jojo and I bonded over Wendy’s Cinnabon bread and Frosty Coffees (I hope she’s gotten hers by now!) which Jake and I discovered on our way to the show Sunday morning. Plus our booth was right next to the Port Ludlow Inn, and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to go visit that venue! Of course, our favorite venues were in attendance too. The Brix on Main, Red Barn Studios, Red Cedar Farm and Suncadia booths were hoppin’ almost every time I walked by. We’re keeping our fingers crossed to get the opportunity to provide some lovely couples services at these venues this year! (If you missed out on our favorite vendors at the show, scroll to the bottom where we’ve linked everyone’s websites!)

OH but our favorite part was learning after the wedding show that the tiny hummingbird who got trapped in the show, was carefully captured by one of the staff at Flowing White Events and let outside! The little one spent the morning dive bombing attendees and sneaking snacks from the fresh florals on the show floor!

What We Heard and Saw from Attendees

When the show doors opened on Saturday, a flood of people came through them and the air was thumping with excitement. However, there was an odd feeling about this show… we’re used to seeing many couples who are 6-9 months out from their wedding dates and a few planning for the following year, this wasn’t what we noticed at the 2025 Tacoma Wedding Show. Instead the surprising majority of couples were planning for 2026, and of the 50-60 couples who stopped to chat, only 10-15 of those had dates during 2025. It seems couples are planning longer engagements and we’re STOKED for it! Longer engagements = better options for your engagement session + an increased chance of cash flowing your wedding (meaning you don’t enter your marriage with debt. WOOHOO!). Both of these are huge bonuses for you and we’re 110% in support of bonuses for couples!

One thing we heard that made us both happy and sad at the same time, was the number of couples who came through the doors and breathed a sigh of relief. It appears that many couples attended another recent show, where they weren’t able to chat with anyone because it was wall to wall people. Unfortunately, this means there may be couples out there who are skipping the wedding shows because they feel like it’s just a “contact collection event”. To those couples, I assure you the majority of our local shows are not like that and I encourage you to check out the Seattle Wedding Show (Feb 1 & 2) and the Puyallup Wedding Show (Feb 22 & 23). You’ll find they’re more like the Tacoma Wedding Show and you’ll get plenty of opportunity to chat with local vendors. No shoulder rubbing necessary.

We also launched our video services at this show and got a lot of great feedback. Couples were pleased they could add in a highlight video and their full ceremony video without having to hire another vendor. Plus they loved that we had recommendations for those who wanted more “full service” video options (Not gonna lie, some couples want a 2 hour video of their full day and that’s ok!). Many were intrigued by our unique approach, though a few were disappointed they couldn’t hire us just for video. Overall feedback was positive and we’re excited to see if the trend continues!

The Real Talk: Hits and Misses

Ya’ll know by now, I’m about being REAL with you. So, while the majority of the show was AWESOME, there were a few things that basically flopped (Sorry Nadine & Team. It’s not your fault I swear!). First up was the lack of available meals and snacky snacks. Now I know that samples typically require various permits for vendors to be allowed to hand them out, which I believe is why we didn’t see a lot of samples being handed out. Combine that with the lowered bookings and I believe many catering companies are feeling the pinch too, so they’ve cut costs with this service. (You can still book tastings though! I checked.) So other vendors were caught door-dashing (guilty) food into the show because we also noticed the food cart from 2024 was no longer there. Sure the coffee cart had salads, but when you’re on your feet for 6+ hours, you need protein deary.

Speaking of the coffee cart… they didn’t appear to be hired by the Tacoma Wedding Show and therefore decided to close at 4 pm. Rude. I can’t speak for everyone, but I basically bleed caffeine so this was a problem (also how I ended up door-dashing Subway but I digress). Since I’m not an “energy drink” person, I could have used a good Half+Half Mocha (half dark chocolate, half white chocolate) mocha around 5 pm to make it through that last hour. If you’re a coffee cart vendor and you’re reading this… email Nadine + the team NOW so they can figure out how to get you in next year. We need you.

Last but probably the most disappointing thing of all… there were several vendors who broke the rules and decided their time was more important than that of the few potential couples still on the floor. At 2:45 pm, I caught 3 different vendors who’d all been given explicit instructions not to tear down before 3:01 pm, starting to “clean up” their booths and tearing down. This is a major bummer for all of us, because it makes couples feel like they’re forced out prior to show closing and it dilutes the integrity of the show for the rest of us. Vendors, if you’re going to break the rules, just don’t bother signing up for shows. And couples, let this be a reminder: when picking your wedding team, choose people who value timelines and professionalism. Those are the qualities that’ll keep your big day running smoothly!

Granted, these are things the Show Team can’t control, they are things that truly affect how well a show plays out. But I guarantee they won’t stop us from doing the show again next year. We already signed up. Ha!

Missed the Show? We’ve Got You Covered!

If you couldn’t make it to the Tacoma Wedding Show, don’t sweat it. We’re offering exclusive show specials for couples who book their wedding with us by January 20, 2025 (signed contract + retainer required). Whether you need photography, videography, or both, we’ll capture your day in a way that’ll make your grandkids swoon someday. 💕 Head over to our contact page and let’s make some magic happen!

As promised, here’s our list of favorite vendors you might have missed:

Act 3 Catering
American Party Place
Artful Beauty Studio
Beerly Beloved Bartending
Bliss Small Batch Creamery
Brix On Main Celebration Space
Celebrity Cake Studio
Cue It Up Entertainment
Events with Jojo
Historic 1625
Images by Brant Photography Studio
Home ⋆ Impress Ink – Stationery Design Studio
Indian Summer Golf and Country Club
G&G Beauty
Luxury Restroom Trailers by Privy Chambers
Markie Jones Photography LLC
Mystik Music
Pennie’s Events
Photography by Amazaday
PJ Hummel & Co
Rebecca Jane Photography
Red Barn Studios
Red Cedar Farm
Sign and Celebrate Studios
Suncadia Resort
The Juliet Photography
The Press Room
The Resort at Port Ludlow
Tin Can Alley
Vibe Events & Rentals
Vida Bridal & Beauty
Weddings With Joy

While the 2025 Tacoma Wedding Show is over, you still have time to come meet us in person before wedding show season ends! Come find us in Booth 1406 at the Seattle Wedding Show on February 1st & 2nd, The Indian Summer Golf & Country Club Wedding Expo on February 9th and in booth 701 at the Puyallup Wedding Show on February 22nd and 23rd! We can’t wait to meet you in person!