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Preparing for Bridal Fashion Week: Tips for Wedding Vendors

With October quickly approaching, that can only mean one thing: the return of Bridal Fashion Week (BFW). This biannual event is more than just a showcase of dreamy gowns and runway-worthy trends—it’s a pivotal moment for the wedding industry. From predicting next season’s styles to networking with industry pros, New York Bridal Fashion Week (NYBFW) offers invaluable opportunities for vendors across the wedding world.

In this blog, we’ll share actionable tips to help you prepare, maximize exposure and turn BFW into business opportunities—featuring expert insights from Wedding Pro educator Nayri Kalayjian of Lovella Bridal.

Why Bridal Fashion Week matters for vendors

Even if your business isn’t directly tied to fashion, Bridal Fashion Week has something to offer. Here’s why it’s worth your attention:

• Industry visibility: Networking is marketing. Meeting other wedding pros helps strengthen your brand presence and opens the door for referrals—not just from couples, but also from vendors who trust your work.
• Inventory updates: Have new collections, gowns, or accessories? BFW is the perfect time to refresh your offerings and highlight what’s trending.
• Inspiration: From hair and makeup to florals and jewelry, runway looks set the tone for what couples will be asking for next season.

Nayri’s advice? Strategy! “It is all about having a strategy behind every move you make to drive in traffic and close sales on that traffic. Your online presence, reviews and social media are EVERYTHING to get your clients in and be sure you are prepared to close them!“ 

Pro tip: Whether you’re a bridal stylist or not, make sure you visit One Fine Day Bridal Market, NYC’s leading bridal show, to meet with retailers, vendors, influencers and press. Drop by the WeddingPro Lounge to enjoy a cocktail, coffee or a sweet treat while making meaningful connections with industry pros. 

Preparing for Bridal Fashion Week and beyond

Bridal Fashion Week is about more than attending shows—it’s about creating alignment between your in-person presence and your digital branding while ensuring you’re mentally prepared. Nayri herself prioritizes self-care:

“I take time to feel well rested and create a self-care routine to be prepared mentally and physically for the intense week ahead in New York!”

Here’s now to prepare: 

Before the shows

• Refresh your displays: Do your physical displays reflect your current branding and offerings? If you’ve recently rebranded, make sure your visuals match your vibe.
• Highlight trending styles: Showcase your bestsellers, trending silhouettes and up-and-coming designs that will resonate with couples. Also make sure that the designers your store carries are up to date pre- and post-BFW. 
• Update websites and storefronts: Make it easy for couples to find your information. Your Storefront and website are often the first place they’ll look. If you need help on making a stellar Storefront that will stand out from the crowd, read this guide. The main thing to keep in mind is keeping your content fresh, adding imagery and ensuring your contact information is up to date. 

Nayri adds: “Create a social media strategy prior to attending bridal market so you know what content you want to capture to stay relevant online and create a buzz to bring traffic in store.”

After the shows

• Showcase new arrivals: Post about new gowns, accessories, or collections featured at BFW.
• Spotlight designers: Create content around specific designers—consider behind-the-scenes peeks or interviews.
• Update product pages quickly: Don’t wait—make sure your site reflects new collections while buzz is still high.

Your “Getting Ready for Bridal Fashion Week” checklist

To make the most of BFW, preparation is key. Beyond updating inventory, Nayri considers every possibility when it comes to day of the event. She recommends packing snacks in case things run late so you can think clearly and strategically when you’re on the job. You should consider:

1. Training your team on upcoming trends and designers.
2. Blocking off your calendar for meetings and networking opportunities.
3. Strengthening your appointment systems and touchpoints for couples who may reach out post-show.

One of the biggest challenges for Nayri during BFW is showing up prepared. Because it can be an intense time for wedding pros, it’s important to avoid burnout: Nayri stated that it’s important to have a clear mind so she can avoid overbuying inventory and choosing the wrong dresses and accessories. Read this article for tips on how you can protect your well-being during busy seasons. 

Leveraging technology to elevate your experience

Technology can help streamline your Bridal Fashion Week prep and post-event follow-up. Try: :

• Organization tools: Use Google Calendar, reminders, or Gemini for note-taking to stay on top of appointments.
• Content planning: Batch-create social content, prepare real-time updates and lean into storytelling. Nayri has a social media schedule created before she even arrives at fashion week, which helps her decide what content she needs to capture while she is there. 
• Digital campaigns: Share behind-the-scenes moments, live runway reactions, or post-event recaps to engage couples and peers.

We asked Nayri what innovative strategies she follows to stay ahead and make the most out of BFW. She shared: 

“All the designers and stores are posting items that are not yet available in stores for brides to try and buy, which is VERY confusing for the consumer. Before we head into BFW, we create a social media post letting brides know all the dresses they will be seeing online debuted at BFW, are available in stores approximately X date and use it as an opportunity to educate brides that it takes approximately 6-8 months to order your wedding dress.” 

Beyond salons: who else benefits from Bridal Fashion Week?

Bridal Fashion Week isn’t just for salons—it offers inspiration and opportunities for adjacent vendors, too:

• Planners: Gain early insight into trends and strengthen vendor relationships.
• Jewelers: Align your pieces with the latest bridal looks.
• Hair & Makeup artists: Draw inspiration from runway styling to stay ahead of client requests.

Whether you’re a florist, photographer, or stylist, BFW is an opportunity to connect, learn and elevate your brand.

Putting your best foot forward

Bridal Fashion Week is about more than beautiful gowns—it’s about business growth, visibility and future-proofing your brand. Take Nayri’s advice:

• Stay proactive in your planning.
• Leverage technology to streamline your process.
• Keep your storefronts, websites and branding consistently updated.

This October, step into Bridal Fashion Week not just as a spectator—but as a vendor ready to turn inspiration into opportunity.