Something borrowed

I Do

by Lori Chervenak

THEY are the two most important words a couple about to be married can say ... I Do! That affirmative response is also the answer every distributor wants to hear when they ask a client: "Now do you understand how this product will add to the elegance of such an important day?"

To get into the wedding industry, distributors should target the most effective clients, like wedding consultants, and know which products just can't seem to stay on the shelves.

Something borrowed

Borrowed ideas handed down from generation to generation comprise memorable wedding traditions that can also become a new revenue source for the savvy distributor. Leaving a favor on the place setting so each guest will be reminded of how their presence was valued, or presenting a gift to members of the bridal party so they will feel appreciated, are just a few examples of wedding traditions that involve products.

For an event that usually takes several months of preparation, the 24-hour wedding bliss seems to fly by when the actual day arrives. Therefore, a product that represents memories of this important day can be priceless--even if it only costs $1.50 on a C.

The wedding industry has developed into a profitable business centered on product. After 25 years in the business, Robbi Ernst III, founder and president of June Wedding Inc. and author of "Great Wedding Tips From the Experts", believes "the wedding industry will always do well." This "I Do" veteran says the industry passed a great divide in the '80s when it decided to recognize and support second marriages as much as it had first marriages.

According to the Association for Wedding Professionals International (AFWPI), there are an average of 2.4 million weddings performed in the United States every year. The association also reported those couples spend approximately $46 billion per year, which does not include the money spent on the honeymoon.

These statistics ought to make any distributor a big fan of weddings--the institution of marriage, of course, is a whole other matter. In these down economic times, diversity is the key to maintaining profitable quarters. Certain bridal products can potentially bring more dollar signs to your financial sheets if you are on top of the latest trends and know which products are the hot sellers.

Something old

He wants mini race cars, she wants candy roses ... Brides' and grooms' desires for different products constitute a large part of the bridal industry's trends. Richard Markel, founder and director of AFWPI, says wedding distributors can carry an endless array of products for the wedding day. "If they think it will fit in the bridal industry, they will come up with a way to have it done," he adds.

So with all of these various products on the market, the question is: Which products have worked the best in the past?

* Invitations

Brenda Boyer, promotions editor for Carlson Craft, says, "We always look for feedback from our network of distributors and what their customers are asking for. We've had a lot of demand for unique invitations."

To cater to this need, Carlson has come out with a new album called Something Different. "It has papers that aren't traditional, like corrugated paper, brown paper bags, very textured things with bright colors and unique typesetting to go with it," Boyer points out.

Even for the more traditional invitations there are things that can be done to differentiate them from the others. Boyer says invitations can have ribbons attached to them, layered paper held together with a small piece of hardware or feathers to seal the wrap. For those who desire the most unusual, the invitations can be in the form of a scratch-off lottery ticket.

To add to the list of unique products, June Wedding's Ernst says the most unusual invite he has come across was a card split in two, which focused on the idea that two halves make a whole. Part of the invitation was sent in the "save the date" cards and then the other half comes later with the location and time.

* Favors

It is the type of gift that says "thank you" for being part of our special day. So it is to no surprise that a great deal of consideration is often given to this product. Ernst believes the trend has been to select personalized items. Shirley Tan, sales director and owner of wedding distributor American Bridal Accessories, says they've been getting a lot of inquires about place card holders, which can be engraved. "Place card holders that double as frames will still continue to be very strong," she says. "They are useful and practical."

Distinctive Brands Ltd. offers a frame specially designed for holding place cards at weddings, which are usually displayed at each place setting. "This item is made for wedding use in mind," says Andy Arruda, MAS, president of Distinctive Brands. The company fills them with preprinted paper that the couple can fill in or the cards can also be purchased blank. "Guests can take it home and use it as a gift after the wedding," he adds.

Another item that has favored well in the past is edible favors. A company that exclusively manufactures this type of product is Chocolate Editions. President of the company and lifelong artist Ed Przelomski says his business is more like an art studio that produces chocolate rather than a candy factory. Chocolate Editions can put portraits of the couple, name and date or pictures to represent the theme of the wedding on the chocolate itself and can also print in any language.

"We actually take the photograph and do a pen and ink rendering to represent the photo," he explains. "We never go to production until bride and groom approve of the illustration so we know they won't be disappointed on the big day."

Something new

New ideas for favors that exemplify thinking "outside of the box" can grab and hold the attention of many guests. These are perhaps the products that demand some "after-party" discussions and set one particular wedding apart from the rest (which is usually every bride's desire).

Ernst says the most unusual favor he has seen would be decorated eggs used as place cards on each table setting. American Bridal's Tan says yo-yos that can be engraved would be her pick for the most unusual.

Another unique idea is to use common household items in a different way. Ann Clark Ltd. manufactures its own handmade line of cookie cutters called the Vermont Collection.

General manager Ben Clark says he always recommends to pick three different shapes for weddings, like the heart, the dove and the bell, and use them as wedding favors. "When people sit down they can trade, which raises the perceived value," he explains.

The cookie cutters have a small card attached to them. The couple's name and date are printed on front, inside can be a family recipe and on the back is a thank you for coming.

"The thing that's great about cookie cutters is they never get thrown away and continue to spark a memory of that special occasion," Clark adds.

Another item sure to leave a lasting impression is a product manufactured by Okina Sales. Okina makes versatile cards that have seeds embedded in them. "The cards have an insert that people can keep and then they can plant the card itself," explains Lauri Sjoblom, president of Okina. "After they take the favor home they can grow flowers, vegetables, herbs or even trees." She says the seeds never go through any shock (like heat processing) so they have a high percentage of growth.

For weddings, the cards can be used as favors, place cards, invitations, programs or thank-yous. "The connotation that a lot of people pick up on with this card is that they are growing together in love," Sjoblom adds. Okina also creates cards in different shapes, like butterflies or hearts, and designs unique bookmark favors.

Something blue

Being able to see clear, blue skies ahead financially can simply come down to effective marketing. Efforts in this area are now concentrating on the wedding consultants who help brides and grooms make their decisions.

"Wedding consultants are a growing trend," AFWPI's Markel points out. "They can actually save the couple money because they know people that will give them discounts," Markel explains.

Ernst has acknowledged this trend as well. "By all means (distributors) should go after the wedding consultant or wedding professional because these people have involvement in anywhere from 12-50 weddings a year and come across a greater number of people to expose the product to," Ernst points out.

The role of a wedding consultant varies greatly. Some provide direction toward one option over another, while others give referrals or even do negotiating for the couple. Ernst says most consultants will make the bride aware of what is available that fits with her wedding theme. After the bride chooses, more often than not the consultant winds up putting in the order in the bride's name and making sure it is delivered.

That doesn't mean, however, that marketing efforts should ignore the bride and groom who have decided to do the planning on their own. A dual-marketing effort, centered on the consultant and the bride and groom can be the most effective.

In addition to looking at wedding directories, resources or bridal shows, couples are also getting a lot of their information off of the Web, Ernst says.

American Bridal's Tan has tailored her business to meet this trend. "We started as a mail order catalog and then went on the Internet because it was more efficient for us to put our products online," she explains. "We are able to put up new products very quickly as well as take down things that are dated or not doing as well."

Tan says they review their products every three or four months, remove the things that aren't selling well and try new ones. "It is as easy as saying 'upload this product' without having to commit a lot of resources to it," she explains.

Another good idea may be to sign up for Web directory listings or links on bridal sites. One website, www.bridalclicks.com/exchange/, also has a free network exchange program where you can have your banner on other wedding websites as long as you display their banner on your website.

I Do

Helping the client say ... "I Do understand how this product will contribute to my special day. Where do I sign up?" ... is the end result every distributor wants to achieve. With innovative wedding products and ideas accompanied by an effective marketing campaign, distributors will be well on their way to walking down this new aisle of sales opportunities.