5 or so years ago I was invited to participate in a wedding show. As the Seattle Wedding Lawyer and PreNup Princess I have often been invited but just had never done it. This was going to be a small event and I knew the coordinator so I figured now would as good a time as any to give it a try.
I always turned down the invites in the past because while what I do focuses on weddings, it is not wedding show material. No one wants to think about wedding contracts, finances, divorce at a wedding show. But, maybe, just maybe I was wrong so off I went.
I got all my promotional materials together, got 100 cake pops, and put on my cute spring dress that I would love to wear to a wedding but since it is white I couldn’t- this was close enough to a wedding. I arrived when the other vendors arrived, and I began setting up. As soon as my banner went up, I got dirty looks from the other vendors. A few even remarked that it was inappropriate for me to be there. As the only vendor doing something other than the usual, flowers, cakes, décor and the only vendor of color I figured it was probably good I was there. People need to be exposed to different vendors and ideas.
I ignored the haters and waited by my table for the guests to arrive. As the couples came in, they walked past my table, they would look then laugh and remark “we don’t need a prenup.” Couple after couple did the same thing. No one stopped. After about an hour of this I was debating if I should just go. Then, individuals started coming by. These individuals were the same ones that as a couple didn’t need a prenup, but on their own, they wanted information and my business card. Sometimes it was only one half of the couple other times it was both halves but at different times.
I found this amusing. These couples were planning to spend forever with each other but they were not comfortable enough to discuss finances or a prenup with each other. I don’t think that is a good start to a marriage. It was clear that this was a topic that couples needed to discuss but it was also a topic that needed to be more accessible for couples. There is a stigma around prenups and hopefully that is changing.
Even though I did have people stop by, it was evident that I was not wanted. I went to do a walk around of the venue to see the other vendors and upon returning to my table all of my promotional materials were gone. Someone took everything! Between that and the nervousness of people to discuss why you need your wedding contracts reviewed or why a prenup is a good idea; I decided wedding shows just weren’t for me. While I think it is important to get this information out there, I think there are better avenues for me to do that with all that goes into a wedding show.
Maybe one day you’ll see me at another wedding show, especially if they go virtual, then I won’t have cake pops.
