£770 for ONE plug socket. Two days. One plug. Reader, we did not pay it.Welcome to this week's episode of The Wedding Whine — WEDDING FAIRS: are they actually worth it?Kate and Charlotte disagree on this one, so we've gone right back to the beginning: our first ever wedding fair at the NEC in Birmingham, funded by our mum's £2 coin jar she'd been saving since 2019. Brand new business, no money, no experience, and we booked the biggest wedding fair in the UK. We dove head first into a pool with no water.What we get into:– The NEC in Birmingham — the sheer scale of it, the shuttle buses, the 15-minute unload slot in torrential rai,. and Kates pincurls!– Charlotte's chest infection cure: a jar of honey with onion and garlic in it (it stunk, it worked, she stands by it)– The £770 electricity quote for a single plug– A 2m x 1m stand, a neon sign from AliExpress that couldn't be PAT tested, and an Etsy sign that arrived with none of the letters stuck on– Rigging the backdrop with curtain poles and hair socks because the walls wouldn't take the weight – The £3.99 Home Bargains storage box that did NOT hold Kate's weight– The stolen chair — the man on the next stand standing on our brand new black velvet chairs — and the conversation about our dad that turned the whole thing around– The sunbeam through the crack in the warehouse roof that landed on our stand at 9:50am, ten minutes before doors opened. We know what that was.– The 91-year-old woman, the trolley, and the great trip hazard standoff of the final day– Why we now do smaller local fairs instead — home in 10 minutes, a fraction of the cost, and honestly better conversationsPlus: the case for a proper DESTINATION wedding fair — because if you're getting married abroad, which fair are you actually supposed to go to? Exactly. Nobody's doing it. So we might.And: manifestation, the "maybe for you — not for me" theory, breathwork, women's circles, and why building a business out of pain means it always succeeds.Supplier Spotlight 🤍Say Oui — bespoke wedding dresses, Sandbach, Cheshire. Made-to-measure, mix the top of one dress with the bottom of another, and a catwalk in a converted barn so you can actually walk down the aisle in it. Recent New Business Award winners and genuinely two of the loveliest humans we've met. They're on the Wedding Besties dashboard — and they're coming on the podcast, so send us your wedding dress questions.@sayoui.co.ukEven On A Rainy Day — Grace's bespoke bridal, another one for the mix-and-match brides.@evenonarainydaybridalMelissa — bespoke cover-ups, bridal party outfits and hen do pieces, all made to measure. Perfect for a destination wedding.@theglambassadorsJenny — live wedding music. UK-based, has performed at a destination wedding in Cyprus, absolutely incredible. @jenny.christine.musicKelsey — yoga, breathwork, sound baths and women's circles. The best we've ever done. We're planning a manifestation + breathwork day for brides with her, so watch this space.@breatheyoga.pilates Wedding Besties is the Cyprus wedding planning platform built by sisters Kate and Charlotte. Couples use it free — message vetted venues and suppliers, see real prices, build your inspiration board, join the community chat, and get the weekly newsletter with supplier and venue spotlights.Join the platform (free for couples): https://weddingbesties.co.ukCome say hi on socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddingbesties.co.uk/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@weddingbestiesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Wedding-Besties/61564132786582/📩 Got a wedding horror story? Send it over — anonymously if you like — and we'll read it on the pod. Email: admin@weddingbesties.co.uk
