Three weeks ago, I had my very first bridal expo experience, and if I can give any advice to bridal expo beginners, please approach with caution. Photographers, make-up artists, designers, invitation specialists, car hire companies, bridal fashion shows and practically everything else wedding related will be there in the masses. They will be charming, tempting you with “bridal expo discount offers” and try to persuade you to book with them, right there and then on the spot. Friends had warned me of what I might be confronted with, so I came prepared. In one arm, I carried a notebook, with tonnes of questions to ask all sorts of suppliers, and in the other arm was my mother, who in a nutshell, is my secret weapon. While I am impulsive, spontaneous, and easily impressionable, she is logical and doesn’t take things at face value, so having her around was fantastic as we walked through endless rows of wedding stalls, chatting about offers, and discussing the pros and cons of people whose services we were interested in using.

I was somewhat sceptical when I went to the expo. I just wanted to get an indication of the planning I needed to do, what I needed to book, and ultimately, who the best in the business were. I went there with an open mind and mum and I had both agreed to not book anything, but take down names, collect business cards and go from there.

After scouring through various stalls talking to at least a dozen photographers, I stumbled across a company, but by sheer accident. I wouldn’t have noticed them if it hadn’t been for the fact that my mum bumped into the table as we walked past and stopped to pick up some flyers that had fallen to the ground. Playing on a plasma television behind the table, were DVD highlights of past weddings, and still portraits of various couples. It caught my attention of how natural they were, something that I ideally was looking for in a photographer. I had always wanted someone who would capture my day in a documentary sort of style with natural photographs that depicted who my fiancé and I were as a couple, and our personalities. It turned out that the photographer, Elias, had been a photo journalist for 20 years, something that really appealed to me. His style was to capture the moments that fiancé and I might miss, moments that could never be staged, and moments that were probably the most special. Mum used to be a photography teacher, and she really understood the style of photography I wanted, and when she began chatting excitedly away with him inquiring about his services and packages, I knew we had stumbled across something fabulous. I went home that evening and looked at samples he had given me, and spent the next few days researching other photography companies and compared prices, packages and so on.

I called Elias a week later and organised to meet with him at his studio. I went along with my fiancé and after spending two hours with him, we were sold. I’m currently in the process of placing deposits and signing contracts, but I have a question for brides and/or bride-to-be’s with experience in this chapter of organising a wedding. Is there anything I should watch out for? Any fine print I should confirm with him before I sign anything? It’s really a hit or a miss with your photographer, so how do I ensure it’s a hit?

• Five fabulous foods
• Spring clean your relationship
• Beauty boys
• Hunger causes insomnia
• Doodle therapy cures stress