PWG Spring Bridal Show

The Perfect Wedding Guide’s Spring Bridal Show is next Sunday, March 14, 2010 at the Overland Park Convention Center. The show runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with spectacular bridal gown fashion shows at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. 

Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment is participating and will be supplying the sound and music for the runway show. Our booth will be located directly behind the last row of seats in the center viewing area. We’d love to have you stop by to say “Hello.”

 Tickets for the PWG Bridal Show are $10 at the door or $6 in advance, on-line or You Can Get A Pair Of Tickets From Us For FREE!!!

I’ll send one (1) pair of tickets to the first five (5) Brides that email me with their mailing address. There’s no obligation but you’d better ask for them by Wednesday to assure that they get to you on time. Send your email to ron@ronruthweddings.com.

And, if you’ve never been to a Bridal Show, check out our articles filled with some great “Bridal Show Tips”  to help you make the most of the experience.

We’ll see you at the show!

Black Friday Crowd

Not that long ago, and for at least a couple of years, I was one of the hoards of Kansas City residents that would anxiously get out of bed in the middle of the night to make it to the “Black Friday,” after Thanksgiving sales. Lured by the promise of huge savings on tools, gadgets and toys (I’ll call it “stuff), I would arrive at a nationally known electronic store way before the doors opened to find that I was still the 100th customer or so in line, forced to wait in the frigid night air with other drowsy but eager bargain shoppers. 

To kill time, I’d re-review the sale flyer I had already perused a dozen times or more and map out my plan of attack so I could get to the stuff I wanted (note that I did not say needed) before others beat me to the punch.

Inside, I would maneuver my way through the 5:00 a.m., shopping cart traffic jam to get to the sale stuff that was so incredibly cheap, I just had to have it. Never mind that most of the items I sought had never been allowed to grace the shelves any other time of the year or that they came with brand names that were more obscure than ACME.  You remember ACME. Although never reliable, it was still Wile E. Coyote’s first choice for dynamite. 

Caught up in the frenzy of the moment, self-control was replaced with self-indulgence. No longer willing to stay within the boundaries of my original shopping list, I’d fill my cart with as much cut-rate stuff as my predetermined and ever flexible budget would allow. The cheaper the stuff, the more I could buy. Fate wanted me to have it all, whether I had an immediate use for it or not. For someone that is usually much more pragmatic, that side of my brain was suddenly consumed with the glee of saving a few bucks. 

Once home, I’d sift through my deeply discounted booty like a pirate who had taken advantage of an unsuspecting merchant that had made a huge blunder by practically “giving away” what was now my treasure. 

More often than not, however, when it came time to insert, plug in, turn on or make use of my new stuff, my joy was replaced with frustration. Most of the stuff didn’t work as promised, didn’t work for long or, in many cases, didn’t work at all. And, product support for the stuff was non-existent. Help hotlines weren’t answered and emails were ignored or bounced as undeliverable. 

Taking a few days to kick myself for being so insanely impulsive, I’d repackage all the stuff that had brought me momentary happiness and give thanks that the store, where I had once celebrated outrageous savings, had a very liberal return policy. 

As I recovered the sanity that had abandoned me during my blissful shopping spree, I was reminded of an undeniable truth, one that I allowed to escape me for the sake of price over value. Cheap stuff is always cheap for a reason. 

If you’re heading out on Friday morning to take advantage of the “Black Friday” sales, have fun and spend wisely. This year, I’ll be sleeping in.

Over the past few weeks I’ve attended a number of wedding industry conferences. In September it was the Wedding MBA in Las Vegas. In November, it was the MMES Conference in Wichita, Kansas. The recurring theme at each was very clear. If you’re not heavily involved in or deeply committed to taking advantage of the almost limitless amount of social media (all of it free, btw), your business is going to get left in the dust.

Wow! That’s a scary thought! Especially since I’ve looked at social media as more of a fad than a trend. But, after listening to those that make it their business to know the numbers and demographics,  Timothy Chi (CEO) & Sonny Ganguli (CMO) with Wedding Wire and Andy Ebon with The Wedding Marketing Blog, my attitude has been shaken. Now, I’m scrambling to get caught up, moving my business into the 21st century and making certain that I’ve covered  the almost limitless, on-line outlets where today’s Brides and Grooms go for information. For me, it’s like running a race where there is no finish line. But, at least I’ve left the starter’s block!

This afternoon I was sharing my angst with Jim Cerone, a good friend and fellow wedding entertainer, who reminded me of  what is really important…taking care of those couples who have already already made their decisions and have contracted my entertainment services for their wedding celebrations. If I continue to give the absolute best I have to offer, they will trump all social networking by enthuiastically referring me to their friends and family. And, yet, here I am blogging about that conversation!

So tell me, where can I find you? What social media sites, networks and tools do you use to find information to help you make decisions? I’ll meet you there…eventually.