How to make the most out of your experience during Weddings in Woodinville

The tour is almost here and our vendors have been busy creating the most memorable wedding show experience for you!

Here are a few tips on how to make the most out of our show & what you can expect:

- Dress for the Northwest!  As unpredictable as our weather is, please plan on experiencing all the seasons during the tour.  Many of the venues have outdoor spaces decorated for you to experience the entire venue and although they all offer covering and heaters (thanks to our fantastic rental companies who know how to plan for our wet weather better than anyone) it still can get cold so please bring a jacket, scarf and walking shoes that can hold up to the many surfaces you’ll experience between the venues which ranges from loose gravel to paved concrete. 

- No need to create a list of who to see as our tour is designed to give you ample time at each venue (transportation is designed to take you to each venue during the 4+ hour tour) to meet & greet all the vendors. 

- Be sure to take a program at registration.  Each venue will offer their own program that will highlight the vendors you will see at that location but the main program is a fantastic reference guide for future use that lists the over 100 vendors total who participated in the show.

- The tour is a wedding show but we’ve thrown in a wine tour to make the experience even more fun!  Local Woodinville wines will be served at every venue. So please bring your ID.  Since we do serve wine at each location, this is a 21 and older event.  Wine will also be available to purchase at each winery if you can’t leave without getting a bottle (or 2) for later.

- Every vendor in our show offers a product or service that directly relates to your wedding day. There are no unrelated companies.

- Be tech ready.  Download a QR code reader (for more information on QR Codes read our blog Why you need a QR Code {& what they are} to enhance your experience at Weddings in Woodinville) to your Smartphone and be on the look out at each vendor’s table for those checkered blocks.  Many of our vendors are offering discounts, specials or freebies. 

- Tangerine Tango is the color for 2012.  Be sure to check out Jacky Grotle of Event Success, planner for DeLille Cellars, inspiration on the color for weddings this season with her V-E-G (Vibrant Elegant Garden) décor.

- Curious what the latest wedding trends are?  After reception bites is just one of them that you will experience at Weddings in Woodinville.  Molly Moon's (yes, the scrumptious local homemade ice-creamery that is worth the line down the block to get) will be serving scoops so you will finish the show with two full hands… one for the ice cream and the other full of all the materials and goodies you’ve picked up along the tour. 

- Forget bringing a pen to write your name & email address 20 times for those vendors you would like more information from.  Bring already printed out labels with your name, email and wedding date. 

- You will not be hungry after our tour!  Each venue will have a full-range of appetizers, passed bites and sweets for you to munch on.  Between the 7 venues we have 15 caterers ready to serve you multiple adventures in culinary excellence and even the fantastic team at Espresso Elegance ready to keep you caffeinated.

- Don’t leave without visiting with the team at Banquet & Event Resource Inc. (at Woodhouse Wine Estates) for your Wedding Resource Guide.  This book isn’t called the “bridal bible” for nothing!

- Visit with our additonal media sponsors, Seattle Bride Magazine & Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom Magazine at Willows Lodge & DeLille Cellars respectively for your complimentary copy of their latest issues.  The pages are overflowing with inspiration and many of the vendors you will have met are featured in their pages.  (Be sure to check out Melody Davis of MG Davis Events, planner for JM Cellars, in the "Ring’s" section of Seattle Bride and Vintage Ambiance (also at JM Cellars) in the "Real Weddings" section of Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom.

- Parking is FREE!  There is plenty of free parking available at Woodhouse Wine Estates and Butler Valet will be on hand to help direct you to the perfect spot. 

Why you need a QR Code (& what they are) to enhance your experience at Weddings in Woodinville

Photo from the Cake StudioWeddings in Woodinville is excited to again offer attendees the ability to use QR Codes at vendor stations to allow brides and their entrouage the ability to obtain quick and easy access to a great deal more information than they would be available on a business card alone.  Many vendors have even included discounts on their services.

A quick recap of what a QR code is:
QR codes come to us from Japan where they have been common for many years. QR is short for Quick Response and are used to take a piece of information from a temporary media source and put it in to your cell phone. Once the QR code has been saved in your cell phone, it can give details ranging from behind-the-scene looks at the making of that Victoria’s Secret ad to a URL that takes you directly to that business website, or it may give you a coupon.

The reason why they are more useful than a standard barcode is that they can store (and digitally present) much more data, including url links, geo coordinates, and text. The other key feature of QR Codes is that instead of requiring a chunky hand-held scanner to scan them, many modern cell phones can scan them.

Great!  Now how do I download a QR scanner to my smartphone?
Easy! Go to your phones applications, type in QR code, and download any of the free options. 

Done… what now?
After the app has installed, open your new program and you will see a red line across your phones screen. Move your phone forward to make the viewfinder zoom in on a QR code.  Here’s one to practice on!

Once the code is read, a notification will come up that there is a Found URL. Click the “Open Browser” button and it will then bring up your app link. This will point your browser to a website containing the companies information that we want to share. 

The  idea behind scanning a bar code is that it is much faster than typing a Web address on your tiny smartphone keyboard or touch screen… which is so 2008 right?!   

We hope you find the QR codes useful (and fun too) during the show!  

Following the QR Code Road

Photo by Visions of RomanceThis year, Weddings in Woodinville, offered it’s attendees the ability to use QR Codes at each vendor station.  Many vendors offered discounts on services for those who scanned their code.  

What exactly is a QR code you ask?  Why was Weddings in Woodinville the first wedding show to use them?  A QR, or Quick Response, code is specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by barcode readers. These codes consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. By scanning these codes, you can access images, websites and text.  Embedded in the code itself is the ability to launch a website, download a file, watch a video, offer a coupon and supply almost any other kind of information.  Created in Japan, in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes and are beginning to be found everywhere from your movie theater (free pop?  Yes, please!) to ads in magazines offering recipes and short video clips of their product (Pita Chip Candy Crunch from Frito Lay, anyone?). 

Weddings in Woodinville QR CodeDownload any of the many free QR readers to your camera-equipped smartphone through your applications, after the app is installed, you will see a red line across the screen. Move your phone forward to make the viewfinder zoom in on the QR code. Once the code is read, a notification will come up that there is a Found URL. Click the “Open Browser” button and it will then bring up your app link. This will point your browser to a website containing the companies information that they want to share.  The  idea behind scanning a bar code is that it is much faster than typing a Web address on your tiny smartphone keyboard or touch screen. 

Weddings in Woodinville decided to use this promotional tool for their guests to further enhance their mission to produce the most useful, organized and proficient wedding show to their brides.  Well, received by our attendees and vendors, alike, Weddings in Woodinville looks forward to offering even more information and deals next year.