I got an inquiry from Mia, a reader, asking me how to start a wedding giveaway/invitation business. I established a similar business years ago with my best friend and thought I'd share some lessons I learned from it and from coordinating weddings (albeit free).
1. Look Around, Be Creative - your product offering should be unique. Don't just copy what others are doing. Look for inspiration from books, magazines, materials that are available. My Mom is a very creative person and she can turn anything into a work of art. Experiment!
2. Practice - when I was designing our wedding giveaway (a home-made photo frame) I had to consider a few things -- it had to be unique and it had to represent what my husband and I love doing. I decided on a CD sized photo frame. It took me several tries using different materials before I decided on a final design. It is important to practice so you can come out with a polished end product which you can offer to your clients.
3. The 3 Fs - before going to market make sure to test your products through your family first, then friends and then fools. Haha. It's good to start with your family since if you make a mistake they'd actually be more forgiving because they love. Friends would surely give you feedback on what you should improve on. Make sure that you have a great product before you actually market to strangers because feedback spreads easily (viral) nowadays and it can hurt you even before you've actually began.
4. Expand - after testing the waters with your family and friends it's time to expand your market. It would help to have a website or business blog where you can feature your creations. If I was going to do this for additional income I would start first with my 3Fs and then use my samples from those "clients" and then create a simple site where I can showcase my goods. To drive traffic to my site I would use Google Adwords and earmark a PhP50 budget per day and increase it as my orders and capacity increase. I would then eventually aim and try to export my products because that's where the volume is.
5. Cost is Key - the budget for giveaways/invitations is usually just a tiny fraction of the total wedding budget, so be mindful of the materials that you use for your products (unless you are targeting high-end clients). Be creative and try to customize as much as possible.
Best of luck Mia!
Showing posts with label wedding giveaways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding giveaways. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, January 16, 2009
Homemade Wedding Giveaways
Last week I got the chance to attend a friend's wedding and was ecstatic at how simple and meaningful the wedding was. It's the second most beautiful and meaningful wedding I've attend in 4 years and now I truly believe that weddings need not be expensive, overbearing and overplanned. The secret sauce: family and really close friends.
My creative side was tickled-happy when the bridesmaids distributed the wedding giveaways. Snazzy beadwork (one of my favorite things to do!) and a customized box.
Napkin Holders
Bookmark
Loved it! And now I'm itching to bring out my bead collection to do some experimenting =)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Weddings at Divisoria: D-I-Y Wedding Giveaways
When I was a kid I remember being a flower girl in a series of weddings. My Mom's very creative and crafty and we used to do the giveaways and other wedding accessories (i.e. table decor, entourage purses etc.). I was then exposed to going on trips to Divisoria, Quiapo and Baclaran to buy materials for our projects.
Going to Divisoria isn't difficult nor dangerous at all. We usually park at the 168 (mall) or during peak season we park along Reina Regente or sometimes nearby Binondo Church and then we walk. If you don't feel like bringing a car you can also take the FX from Taft avenue or the LRT 2 and get off at Recto then you can take the pedicab to Tabora. Just make sure you dress simply and just bring the essentials. Be alert as well.
You can purchase craft materials along Tabora street. You can buy at the street (make sure you haggle) or for those who are adventurous, try going inside the Yangco Market, there are a lot of craft stores inside. My favorite stores include "Good Morning" and "Morning Glory". That's where I buy materials for my craft projects. You also have the option to buy ready-made wedding giveaways. Prices go from PhP10 and up.
Some materials you can pick-up at the street are shotglasses, glass vases, mini-baskets and pouches. You can decorate the shotglass with a small flower and then have a sticker made at Robee Sticker with your name and wedding date. Glass vases can be filled-up with colored sand and customized with a ribbon with your names printed on a small card. You can also fill-up pouches with potpourri. For the crafty you can probably buy illustration board, some cloth and make frames! Ahhh, with all the available materials in Divi, there's so much you can do!
Going to Divisoria isn't difficult nor dangerous at all. We usually park at the 168 (mall) or during peak season we park along Reina Regente or sometimes nearby Binondo Church and then we walk. If you don't feel like bringing a car you can also take the FX from Taft avenue or the LRT 2 and get off at Recto then you can take the pedicab to Tabora. Just make sure you dress simply and just bring the essentials. Be alert as well.
You can purchase craft materials along Tabora street. You can buy at the street (make sure you haggle) or for those who are adventurous, try going inside the Yangco Market, there are a lot of craft stores inside. My favorite stores include "Good Morning" and "Morning Glory". That's where I buy materials for my craft projects. You also have the option to buy ready-made wedding giveaways. Prices go from PhP10 and up.
Some materials you can pick-up at the street are shotglasses, glass vases, mini-baskets and pouches. You can decorate the shotglass with a small flower and then have a sticker made at Robee Sticker with your name and wedding date. Glass vases can be filled-up with colored sand and customized with a ribbon with your names printed on a small card. You can also fill-up pouches with potpourri. For the crafty you can probably buy illustration board, some cloth and make frames! Ahhh, with all the available materials in Divi, there's so much you can do!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Weddings with Precious Moments
A few weeks ago I was in Kalibo, Aklan and got the surprise of my life when I got a chance to stay at Sampaguita Gardens Resort. The resort is in "Christmas Season" all year round and this is highlighted by Jojo's Christmas Cottage which showcases Precious Moments products by Sam Butcher (the founder of Precious Moments and owner of the resort).
I've always encountered Precious Moments products since I was a kid, but I never really collected them. I'd see cards, figurines, dolls and anek-anek that sported the PM "eyes". I was quite fascinated with the wedding products the have.
I interviewed the store staff a bit and found out that you can actually order your own customized doll. You can have a 16" doll done wearing your wedding gown's design and that would cost around PhP6,000.
For more information about ordering a customized Precious Moments doll please call at +63-36-2646556 or 2623422 loc 207. You may also want to order wedding giveaways from them or have your wedding reception at the Sampaguita Gardens Resort.
Get a glimpse of the resort by visiting Lakwatsera Ako.
I've always encountered Precious Moments products since I was a kid, but I never really collected them. I'd see cards, figurines, dolls and anek-anek that sported the PM "eyes". I was quite fascinated with the wedding products the have.
I interviewed the store staff a bit and found out that you can actually order your own customized doll. You can have a 16" doll done wearing your wedding gown's design and that would cost around PhP6,000.
For more information about ordering a customized Precious Moments doll please call at +63-36-2646556 or 2623422 loc 207. You may also want to order wedding giveaways from them or have your wedding reception at the Sampaguita Gardens Resort.
Get a glimpse of the resort by visiting Lakwatsera Ako.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
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