To get the most out of a bridal expo, here are several tips to keep in mind:

1. You should attend the DulhanExpo with your fiancé, parents, siblings, in-laws, and friends. It always helps to have a second opinion when it comes to deciding on important wedding products & servixes. In other words the more the merrier, take the entire neighborhood, especially since the admission is free.

2. Throughout the show you'll probably be filling out hundreds of forms/raffles/entries. Why not save yourself the time by bringing a bunch of contact cards or labels with all your contact information including your name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address and the wedding date? Yours hands will thank you for it!

3. Visit every booth and collect all the promotion materials and business cards, even stuff you may not think you'll need. Who knows, down the road maybe you'll change your mind about those Customized Desi Cake Toppers, or a Photo Booth or an Ice-Sculpture.

4. Bridal Shows usually offer complimentary bags. Still you could bring your own, just make sure it has large sturdy handles making it easier for you to carry all your freebie stuff & promotional materials.

5. Avoid being a 'hit-and-run' bride! Don't just collect the contact info from the participating vendors and run to your next commitment. Try to spend a few minutes at each booth to evaluate the vendor's talent, style of work, quality of services and the products as well as their personality! Otherwise, you won't be able to narrow down the list, and will need to meet all of them again and thus defeating the whole purpose of attending a bridal expo.

6. After visiting so many vendors, it may be difficult for you to remember details about all of them. So, be sure to write down your thoughts about each one on the backside of their business card or brochures, or carry a small notebook. You may also want to take notes when you are watching the fashion shows, the designer you liked, and the makeup artist's work that matched your taste.

7. There is no dress-code, but it doesn't hurt to dress nicely. We would say Modern/Trendy/Semi-Dressed Up. At bridal shows photographers sometimes take complimentary photographs of the couples as a take-home favor. At Grand DulhanExpo, there are PhotoBooth Companies that take Complimentary Instant Photos and there may even be FREE Professional Portraits by some Bridal Photo-Studio.

8. Bring your checkbook just in case you want to book a vendor or place a deposit. Just remember to inquire about the refund policy and always read the fine print. You should never leave home without Credit Cards anyway, some retail vendors do accept those at the expo.

9. One could carry lots of Cash and Credit Cards so as not to miss many one-time wholesale priced Fashion & Jewelry deals. There is an ATM machine at the Venue also for your convenience. Some vendors are international & out-of-state and you will not be able to easily catch them again, and remember they don't want to take any of that merchandise back... hint hint.

10. Enter every contest or drawing offered at the bridal show. The chances of you winning show prizes are quite high. You could even win a Honeymoon, a Toaster, a Lehnga, a $5000 Mandap, Photo Sessions, Makeup Trials, a $1500 Free DJ Service... and much more. Always completely Free Service, never just a discount offer. No Catch whatsoever.

11. Plan to spend the entire day at the Grand DulhanExpo on December 2, 2012 at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey. The hours are longer than usual 12pm-8pm for you to be able to juice the maximum out of it. There are so many activities, attractions and informational seminars, that you may have to put everything else off to attend this show.

12. You need at least 2-3 hours if you were to just pickup everyone's business card (175+ Vendors)... if you were to talk to even half of them and evaluate their talent, you would need 5 hours minimum... 2 hours extra if you want to take advantage of the Factory-Direct Shopping... and if you pick and chose even 1/3rd of the Fashion Shows, Entertainment Showcase, Seminars or Workshops, that's an extra 3 hours right there. That’s more than the whole day right there.

13. So Yes... you might have to put off that date with your fiancé (drag him to the bridal show instead, even if he has to miss the ball game this one time), your cousin’s wedding (or take advantage of the gap between their Wedding Ceremony & Reception), that wedding shopping trip to India or Pakistan, that business trip or meeting, and come to the show. You will thank yourself for making the right decision.