Here comes the bride-to-be, and she's looking for a dress, florist, caterer, band, photographer and honeymoon destination. And don't blink, because there will be a mother of the bride and future groom in tow.

Tommy Vaughan, owner of Snellville-based Elite Events, produces the Georgia Bridal Show. His team puts on 14 shows a year in Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama.

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Vaughan said his Elite Event shows are the largest in the Southeast and among the top five in the United States. Six of his 10 Georgia shows are held in metro Atlanta.

"First, we feature the area's top bridal merchants," Vaughan said. "It doesn't matter if it is Charleston, Savannah or Atlanta — we offer a great and diverse range of exhibitors."

Vaughan said his shows are often called one-stop shopping bridal malls.

"Brides today are more different than those of 10 years ago," he said. "They are busy professionals with careers and little time. The key to the shows is meeting the personnel, seeing their work, tasting the cake and smelling the flowers. For brides, it shortens the buying cycle and, for exhibitors, it shortens the selling cycle."

At a show, Vaughan said it is important for brides to ask questions, conduct interviews and make contacts. His best advice is to come to a show and just get started.

Most of Vaughan's bridal shows feature 100 to 175 companies and are attended by 1,800 to 3,000 brides-to-be and members of their entourages.

"We are here to help," Vaughan said. "Unlike other [trade] shows, we are after two groups: the first-time bride-to-be and moms. Moms help make a lot of the decisions. Brides and grooms pay for more of their weddings these days. At a show they can save a lot of time and money."

Be prepared when attending a bridal show. Vaughan recommends wearing comfortable shoes. He also said to bring address labels and sign up for prize giveaways. Carry a wedding planner or notebook to keep information organized.

"You are here to gather information," Vaughan said.

Perfect Wedding Guide editor Donna Jakulski agrees. The guide also produces wedding shows.

"Brides can find the dresses of their dreams, tuxes for the groom and hotel accommodations for their guests," Jakulski said. "Additionally, they can order invitations and favors, see photographers' work, sample wedding cake, book a limousine and reception site as well as plan the honeymoon all in one afternoon."

The Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show is an event that makes it easy for brides to plan their entire wedding, plus they can register to win prizes.

A number of bridal shows can be found almost any weekend in metro Atlanta. Listings for shows can be found at www.pwg.com, www.atlantabridal.com and www.eliteevents.com, as well as a host of other Web sites. Depending on the producers and location, some bridal shows charge admission, but a majority of the smaller shows are free.