Hello to Wedding businesses & creative people

[Sallyward]

Hi I just thought it would be great to meet some people in the Wedding industry and anyone creative as they are my passions. My name is Sally and I make bespoke tiaras. What do you do? Are Weddings on the up or is that wishful thinking?
Sally

 

[chalkie99]

Welcome to the forum!

I like your website

 

[Sallyward]

Thanks its a temporary site till I get going but thats good to hear.
Sally

 

[Trailer-Made-Ads]

Hi Sally,

A very good friend of mine runs a balloon and party shop, they do alot of wedding items on top of wedding balloon displays, and are one of the most well known shops in the area.

I would recommend getting in touch with her about the possibility of selling your products for you as I know she is always keen for new ideas.

I can't give links out yet as I haven't posted enough times, but please PM me and I can give you details.

Best Wishes

 

[ryanlundwebsolutions]

Hi there,

I am starting up a wedding photography business with a photographer friend of mine soon Welcome to the forum.

 

[the wedding planner]

Hi Sally

I am new to the forum too - currently retraining to be a wedding planner to put my creative skills to better use!

Will add you to my ever increasing list of potential suppliers!

 

[tony84]

Its not just weddings but birthdays/christenings/parties/conferences etc my site www.rooms4functions.co.uk may be relevant?

Tony

 

[paulam]

Hi Sally

I design and make invitations and other stationery for special occasions. Most of my work comes from wedding but I am getting increasing numbers of enquiries for civil partnerships and vow renewals.
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure weddings aren't on the up, if I remember rightly the numbers taking place each year has been dropping by a few thousand a year for the last decade or so, I'm not sure if that has increased this year. I had some statistics from a large wedding fayre organiser who claimed that their survey found that the average wedding budget had also dropped by a few thousand compared to last year. Im not sure if that is accurate and if it is same across the country.

I think it will be next year when the wedding industry will suffer most from the credit crunch as more people will put off booking their wedding until they feel more financially secure so there will be less customers to go around.
At the moment most of my customers have had there weddings booked for over a year (some for 2 or 3 years) so are carrying on with their plans. Orders are still coming in but the average value is down a bit from what it was but that may be because I introduced a cheaper invitation style for customers wanting to keep their costs down and a quite a few recent customers have chosen this option.

I had a nosey at your site and I really like your work. My site is currently in the process of being updated so I only have a couple of pages showing from the homepage but if you want to have a nosey you can see some designs here
http://www.heartanddesign.co.uk/store/d82-wedding-stationery/

Paula

 

[Poppy Design]

Hi Sally

Welcome to the forum!

I have just started a bespoke wedding stationery service, Poppy Stationery, to my web & graphic design company and have started doing my local wedding fairs ... which seem pretty busy to me!

If you would like to exchange web links please pm me!

Good luck with the biz
Joanne

 

[Fuzzy]

We do caricatures as an alternative wedding gift, can't really say if "weddings are on the up" as we have only been trading for a year. Lots of luck btw

 

[Lady_Cariad]

Hi Sally and everyone else in the wedding industry

I;m quite new too...

I run and event hire company which supplies linens, balloon decor, centrepiece hire, & chocolate fountains main;y to weddings although i would like to extend it to corporate too

We're also in the process of opening a bridal shop which will incorporate the event hire side of things. This has taken such a lot of planning - mainly funding related etc - but we are in the final stages now

It's good to meet up with other people also in the industry ....

 

[weddingcrafter]

Hi Sally,

Welcome to the forums.

We have been around a while and specialise in DIY wedding stationery (we also do a discount on our craft supplies for stationery designers!). We are doing really well at the moment as we are finding more brides are looking at ways of squeezing the best value out of their budget. But I agree with Paula:

I think it will be next year when the wedding industry will suffer most from the credit crunch as more people will put off booking their wedding until they feel more financially secure so there will be less customers to go around.
At the moment most of my customers have had there weddings booked for over a year (some for 2 or 3 years) so are carrying on with their plans. Orders are still coming in but the average value is down a bit from what it was but that may be because I introduced a cheaper invitation style for customers wanting to keep their costs down and a quite a few recent customers have chosen this option.

It's still a great business to be in, but its not an easy option.

 

[Eagle]

I did a wedding once.

Sixteen years later, I'm still paying for it!

'Badoom-tish!'

 

[Maslins]

I got married ~10 months ago.

Tip to those getting married when asking for quotes: don't tell them it's a wedding, just say you're organising a big party. I swear most firms double their price when they hear the word wedding!

 

[Sallyward]

Thanks to everyone for replying. Just a general question to help me and maybe some others. I have attended wedding fairs meet some nice people and they make positive noises about my tiaras. For those of you who attend wedding fairs how do you get in touch with these possible clients again? I meet so many brides who are getting married in two years how do you get them to remember you?
Thanks
Sally

 

[apeebles]

It's really worth having some pads to write down contact details and then track them in some sort of CRM / database system. I'm sure someone on here will recommend a free or low cost version which should do the trick.

On the wedding side we also produce wedding stationery (and lots of other things!).

Alistair

 

[deniser]

I sell flower girl dresses.

I'm thinking as I read this that it would be great if some wedding suppliers got together for some joint marketing.

For example, I send out parcels to brides daily. It wouldn't be difficult to put some leaflets for other wedding services into my parcels. Many of my brides buy the flower girl dresses months before the wedding - up to a year - so they wouldn't necessarily have chosen all the accessories yet.

 

[Maslins]

Simply have a pad of paper with a few columns

Name E-mail Wedding date

Can add address/phone number if you like.

Might be worth offering something for people to give you their details, like entry into a prize draw for 20% off or something.

This is how we ended up with our wedding photographer. The more cynical people think that everyone who put their details down got the discount (so effectively the discounted price could really be considered the normal price, but makes people feel special/lucky!)

 

[weddingcrafter]

It's really worth having some pads to write down contact details and then track them in some sort of CRM / database system. I'm sure someone on here will recommend a free or low cost version which should do the trick.

Alistair

Excel spreadsheet!

 

[vicinityhotels]

Hi Sally,

I am new to the forum too (today in fact), we run the hotel booking website in my signature.

We have recently started to offer a free hotel booking webpage for people's wedding guests so that the guests of the wedding can find the nearest hotels to the wedding venue.

Early days but it has been well received so far, anyone any comments about the most cost effective ways to market wedding services?

Good luck!
Mark

 

[Sallyward]

Hi yes I know I could simply ask for their details but I was really after something more original. (no offense) I wondered if anyone had any tried and tested ideas, people dont always want to hand over their details. They dont want to be pounced on.
Thanks
Sally

 

[Sallyward]

I sell flower girl dresses.

I'm thinking as I read this that it would be great if some wedding suppliers got together for some joint marketing.

For example, I send out parcels to brides daily. It wouldn't be difficult to put some leaflets for other wedding services into my parcels. Many of my brides buy the flower girl dresses months before the wedding - up to a year - so they wouldn't necessarily have chosen all the accessories yet.

Good idea!
Anyone in Wiltshire Wedding business out there.
Sally

 

[apeebles]

The best way to capture names and addresses is the old tried and tested prize draw. You can have a fish bowl where people can drop in completed forms as long as there is a suitable appropriate / attractive prize! You can also have someone walking around the show handing out forms and directing them to your stand. If you have a good graphic on the wall / roller banner showing an image of the prize (or the actual prize) then this can work well.

 

[paulam]

I wondered if anyone had any tried and tested ideas, people dont always want to hand over their details. They dont want to be pounced on.
Thanks
Sally

When I've done wedding fayres previously I tried to direct customers to my website to see my full ranges and to request a sample, the last fayre I did I couldn't do this as I had taken my website down to give it a major over haul so instead I asked everyone who approached my display if they would like a free sample pack which would include a 10% discount voucher. This increased my costs and work load a fair bit but I have had a much better response because they filled in their details there and then. The sample packs have already resulted in several orders (more than I would normally expect) and I know there are a few more (almost) definites in the pipe line. Considering that over half the couples I sent samples packs to werent getting married for over a year (some hadn't even booked) I am really pleased with how well it worked and I will try it again at the next fayre.

It works for me for several reasons, one being I am more confident at speaking to the customers as I am giving them something for nothing so it doesn't feel like hassling them. They are more prepared to give me their details as they haven't anything to lose, if they don't like my stationery it hasn't cost them anything. If they do they have saved 10% off my listed prices.

I know you can't give out free samples of tiaras but could you give out colour samples of the beads you use. I'm not sure if this is feasible as i don't know how expensive the beads are, but if you put one each of a selection of colours on a loop of wire with your details attached on a little tag etc, they would look pretty (most brides are a bit like magpies, they love shiny pretty things). Its the sort of thing they would be more likely to hang onto and could take them with them to colour match with other items when they are out shopping.

It costs more to post things out to potential customers but it gives you a reason to gather more information from them.

Sorry, didn't intend this to be so long winded .

Paula

 

[Cards by Sophie]

Hi

Thought i'd join in as well - i've recently set up a wedding stationery business. Am loving it so far! Would love to link up with any other suppliers - recommend you on my links page on the website so just contact me if you want to discuss more.

cardsbysophie.com is the website!

Cheers,
Sophie

 

[Cards by Sophie]

I sell flower girl dresses.

I'm thinking as I read this that it would be great if some wedding suppliers got together for some joint marketing.

For example, I send out parcels to brides daily. It wouldn't be difficult to put some leaflets for other wedding services into my parcels. Many of my brides buy the flower girl dresses months before the wedding - up to a year - so they wouldn't necessarily have chosen all the accessories yet.

Would love to join up with you to do something like that! I make wedding stationery, so UK wide isn't a problem.

Cheers,
Sophie

 

[kirit1966]

Hi,

My name is Kirit and I run a personalised crystal laser engraving company where we can engrave any image, logo or text inside solid crystal. Many of our orders are for weddings and anniversaries. Please take a moment to look at my website laserpics.co.uk

thanks

 

[aje]

Hi I just thought it would be great to meet some people in the Wedding industry and anyone creative as they are my passions. My name is Sally and I make bespoke tiaras. What do you do? Are Weddings on the up or is that wishful thinking?
Sally

Hello!

I am a wedding photographer and it's hard to tell if weddings are on the up because the spread of wedding photographers is increasing so fast that you don't know if less people are getting married or people are using alternative services e.g. Uncle Bob with his new camera.

I don't meet many bespoke Tiara makers so you should be on to a winner!

 

[kirit1966]

Hi,

Please take a look at www.laserpics.co.uk

We can put any image inside solid crystal. Although our products cover a full range of occasions weddings and anniversaries are most popular. A favourite image of the special couple on their day immortalised in solid crystal

 

[imageonline]

Hello,
I have a website selling bridal handbags and special occasion handbags for mother of the bride and wedding guests. If any wedding related sites would like to swap links, just fill in the details on my links page.

Could I just ask the people who have had a stand at a wedding fair, have you ever seen a wedding handbag stand? Just wondering if I should try running one. What do you pay for a stand? Thanks, Lisa

 

[Sallyward]

Hi Lisa I don't see any wedding handbags its a good idea maybe you could join a hat or fascinator stand? The cost of a wedding fair varies and they tend to be hit and miss so do your research. It can cost anything from £150 + depending on which type of fair you go for. Fairs linked to newspapers dont seem to be as successful as those organised by hotels but thats just my opinion. Good luck let us know how you get on if you decide to go for it.
Sally

 

[Eleanor]

Hello Sally

I make corsets and recently (because of my lovely corsetry clients) I have started making wedding gowns.

I can't comment on whether I think weddings are on the up, what I can say though is that most women get what they want for their wedding when they want it. I don't blame them. I'm going to be exactly the same!

 

[website_design_leeds]

Hello, we have a sister company who deal with the provision of live music (bands, string quartets etc.) - a lot of the business tends to be in the Wedding Sector.

 

[Sallyward]

Hi everyone in the wedding industry Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sally x

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

We've just launched a new service for weddings/special occasions - we can slump (melt in a kiln) the original champagne bottle from your event and turn it into a clock, a plate, a wall hanger - looks really good and a special keepsake too. Costs £28 .....
not on ebsite yet as we've only just perfected the tchnique but we've done 5 for customers so far and feedback has been really good

www.doodlesartandcraft.co.uk

 

[Hollygirl]

I run a bridal shop and have done for the last 4 years and I can honestly say I haven't really noticed the recession (touch wood). I'm pretty sure that I'm pitched at the right price point because I don't get many sharp intakes of breath when I mention my prices so maybe that's why, but I think women being women, we'll always have the dress of our dreams even if it's a tiny bit out of budget. They said 2009 was going to be bad, and I'm still here, so fingers crossed I see no reason why 2010 should suddenly be worse.

The only difference I have seen is that a some girls tell me their mother is baking the cake, or their friend is making the invites, or uncle is taking the photos, so it might depend on the sector of the wedding industry, but here's hoping nothing changes in the bridalwear side!

 

[ORDERED WEB]

Hi I just thought it would be great to meet some people in the Wedding industry and anyone creative as they are my passions. My name is Sally and I make bespoke tiaras. What do you do? Are Weddings on the up or is that wishful thinking?
Sally

Elizabeth - wedding planer
Richard Wedding photographer

We live sleep and eat weddings (and websites, and photography)

 

[Willself]

And for those Honeymooners! i can offer! First Class Accommodations..

from reading this thread..it seems to me..there must be a business opportunity for the role of Wedding Organiser...Somebody, who brings all the strands to-gether.

for instance!.....Many people and company's use the Services of Travel
Advisors..these bring to-gether..Flights, Transfers, Accommodations..etc!

Why not!! in the Wedding Business!

 

[Marciah]

I m a wedding planner.

Wedding planning is a job that is exciting. During wedding planning we need to interact with different people like florists, photographers. I have enjoyed this job.

 

[Partyweaver]

Hi I just thought it would be great to meet some people in the Wedding industry and anyone creative as they are my passions. My name is Sally and I make bespoke tiaras. What do you do? Are Weddings on the up or is that wishful thinking?
Sally

Im hopeing weddings are on the up otherwise ill be wasting my time with my business. As I have just launched Partyweaver I promote all wedding/party vendors mainly along side other things and if you do wedding hair accessorries there is a place there for you too.