Awesome video. Check it out.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
How to Start a Wedding Giveaway/Invitation Business
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Perfect Boracay Honeymoon Place
I just realized that I have not made a post about where to go for your honeymoon. Sweetie and I just had what I call a "semi-honeymoon" because I wasn't completely plugged-out from work when we went to Singapore for ten days. I had to go to work during the day while he freely roamed around, so I agreed when my colleagues said our trip back then wasn't our honeymoon. I'm still waiting for the day when we can have a proper honeymoon hehehe.
Anyway, I was in Boracay last week and thought I'd share my experience with Astoria Boracay and thought it's the perfect place to stay for your honeymoon (I'm trying to drag Sweetie with me to go to Boracay haha). I've stayed in different resorts in past trips (from Station 1 to 3) and I liked Astoria Boracay the best.
Upon arrival I was served a tropical drink (pandan and lemongrass I think) and it definitely re-hydrated me after the long trip from Manila. (I ordered another glass the next day because I was craving for it).
Aside from the usual amenities (bed and TV), it was fitted with a dining table and a small kitchen (with microwave, sink and ref!).
This is where they serve buffet breakfast and lunch. I loved the fish decor!
This is the swimming pool at night. Went swimming in the evening and the water was surprisingly warm. The hotel also provides extra towels in your room for your swimming needs.
The hotel's frontage facing the beach.
I also took a swim in the morning after spending some time in the beach. I was alone so I decided to just hang out in the pool for safety.
Anyway, I was in Boracay last week and thought I'd share my experience with Astoria Boracay and thought it's the perfect place to stay for your honeymoon (I'm trying to drag Sweetie with me to go to Boracay haha). I've stayed in different resorts in past trips (from Station 1 to 3) and I liked Astoria Boracay the best.
Upon arrival I was served a tropical drink (pandan and lemongrass I think) and it definitely re-hydrated me after the long trip from Manila. (I ordered another glass the next day because I was craving for it).
The room was really cozy. I loved the colors they used because it really relaxed me and I had a good night's sleep after my massage.
This is the swimming pool at night. Went swimming in the evening and the water was surprisingly warm. The hotel also provides extra towels in your room for your swimming needs.
The hotel's frontage facing the beach.
I also took a swim in the morning after spending some time in the beach. I was alone so I decided to just hang out in the pool for safety.
Station 1, Boracay Island, 5608 Malay, Aklan
Tel. (+63 36) 288.1111
Telefax: (+63 36) 288.3536
RESORT INQUIRIES AND RESERVATIONS
Manila Sales and Reservation Office:
Ground level, Retail Arcade Astoria Plaza 15 J. Escriva Drive,
Ortigas Business District, Pasig City
Tel. (+63 2) 910.0557, (+63 2) 687.1111 loc. 8024
Telefax: (+63 2) 632.9420
Hotline No.: (+63) 908.872.7922
Mobile No.: (+63) 917.868.4469
Email: sales@astoriaboracay.com, rsvn@astoriaboracay.com
Tel. (+63 36) 288.1111
Telefax: (+63 36) 288.3536
RESORT INQUIRIES AND RESERVATIONS
Manila Sales and Reservation Office:
Ground level, Retail Arcade Astoria Plaza 15 J. Escriva Drive,
Ortigas Business District, Pasig City
Tel. (+63 2) 910.0557, (+63 2) 687.1111 loc. 8024
Telefax: (+63 2) 632.9420
Hotline No.: (+63) 908.872.7922
Mobile No.: (+63) 917.868.4469
Email: sales@astoriaboracay.com, rsvn@astoriaboracay.com
Friday, May 27, 2011
Celebrating a Golden Wedding Anniversary
Anyway, after months of debating on what to do we decided to hold the celebration where my parents would be happiest -- at the Parish Church they helped build for the ceremony and at home for the reception. We did all the work and spent less than PhP70K for everything.
The Ceremony - the renewal of vows was headed by our Parish Priest and instead of him giving a homily he asked both my parents to share their experiences and secret to a lasting marriage. We, the children, stood in as secondary sponsors. The grandchildren participated as bridesmaids and groomsmen. No more ninongs and ninangs since they don't need it anymore. After the renewal of vows we each gave our thanks and prayers.
The Reception - we managed to pack in everybody in my Mom's garden and just set a small area as a "stage". We made them go through most of the traditions, but kept the whole program as a surprise. One of my nephews prepared a couple of videos where we showed photos from their wedding 50 years ago, the 25th wedding anniversary, the 35th and 40th and included a lot of family photos. The grandkids also performed a couple of song and dance numbers and a reading of one of my Dad's favorite pieces. It was a fun, cozy and intimate evening with close family and friends. Just the way my parents wanted.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Your Bridal Shoes
A few days after I flew to Iloilo for a business trip. On the way out of the hotel where I gave my talk I spotted the Iloilo Producers Association Trade Center. I was also looking for hand-made paper that time for my souvenirs so I thought I'd check the place out. In the shop I instantly fell in love with a pair of shoes made out of hand-woven fabric. It was the perfect wedding shoes! Unfortunately though they only had one pair (not my size) and it cost about PhP7,000 (they only accepted cash too)!
Good thing the shop keepers were very helpful and suggested I might want to buy some hand-woven fabric. They brought out a couple of fabrics and I ended up buying 2 colors - in beige-gold and light blue, both my color motifs. I got the blue one as well because my designer mentioned that it was already a trend to use the entourage color motif as your bridal shoes.
My wedding then was just a few weeks away, so I immediately went to Cubao to have my shoes done. In about two weeks I got my perfect wedding shoes. Here's a close-up of both pairs.
Notice the silver/gold streaks? I really like them. Simple, elegant and uniquely Filipino since they were made with hand-woven fabric from Iloilo. It was the perfect match for the Filipino fabric my designer used for my wedding gown. It didn't cost me a lot too.
I broke in the blue one for a few days, but chickened out just before I left for church and wore the beige one instead. I still wear them when I attend formal occasions (oftentimes as part of an entourage).
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