The Tunnel of Love is not the main focus of the event, but it is more a way for the guests to meet you after they have already experienced your work. We like to think of it as similar to the audience having a meet-and-greet with actors after a play! Watch the video below to learn more:

The Tables

You will be given a high-boy table in the Tunnel of Love area, so plan for about 30-36″ of surface area. You will need to provide a 120 inch, round linen for your table. The linen can match your own style + branding, but we ask that it is clean and steamed upon arrival. For specifications on sizing, check here.

It will be first-come-first-serve as to which space is yours. If you need electricity, we advise bringing an extension cord and coming early to chose your space wisely.

You personally may stand beside your table at the event, you can bring an employee or a friend to stand with the table, or feel free to leave your table unmanned (*although taking the opportunity to build relationships with the vendors and guests by being in The Tunnel of Love is HUGE!*).

We encourage you to get creative and to think of ways to engage the guests. Ideas include decorating your table to make it stand out, bringing an iPad or laptop to showcase your past work, and offering free gifts, coupons or raffles (collect their emails and contact a winner after the event). You can decorate the table according to your style; it doesn’t need to match the event’s Inspiration Board.

"I'm so glad we made the decision to attend The Big Fake Wedding. We won a free engagement session with Green Blossom Photography and the photos are amazing. We booked them for our wedding, and I truly doubt we would have found them without The Big Fake Wedding. Thank you SO much!" -Courtney, an attending bride

The Guests

The guests will be a mixture of brides- and grooms-to-be and their entourage (bridesmaids, moms, etc.), wedding coordinators and other vendors, and members of the media (bloggers, magazine editors, possibly reporters, etc). We encourage you to remember that the night is about NETWORKING and not SELLING. Every guest has the potential to be a source of referrals, so networking with an attending coordinator or photographer or bridesmaid may lead to more bookings than one bride or groom. Taking this same approach with engaged couples is also helpful; potential clients enjoy getting to know your personality vs. hearing your sales pitch. Instead of asking “When’s your wedding date?” or “Who’s engaged?!” when you meet someone, try to approach it as “How did you hear about The Big Fake Wedding?” or “What has been your favorite part of this evening?” as a way to start conversation.

The number of guests attending an event will vary from city to city based on the venue but will likely be between 125 and 225 people. Vendors can plan to make about 50 personal connections whether it’s one of our larger events or our smaller events just based on timing and logistics. All events receive coverage online before and after the event both via The Big Fake Wedding’s media and through our partners and blogs, so vendors are being exposed to many more brides/vendors/media than just those attending the event.

The Freebies

We will provide bags for the guests, so they will be walking around “trick-or-treat” style looking for freebies. They are more likely to come to your area if you have something to give them (and they will remember you later when they pull it out of their bag). If you’re planning on providing a freebie, we suggest preparing for 50-75 and being discretionary as to who you give them to.

Great examples of giveaways we have seen in the past that were all branded with the company’s logo: packets of seeds from a florist, a blank thank you card from a stationer, a jewelry cleaning cloth from a jeweler, a mason jar with chalkboard paint from a vintage rentals vendor, a mini wedding-day-emergency kit from a planner, a stress ball from a videographer, bags of candy, water bottles, buttons…