Batbrony's Girlfriend Wants to Start a Business - Wedding Business Survey

[Batbrony 15,994]

We have questions for you, darlings!  Lots and lots of questions. 

Good afternoon, everypony, how's everyone doing?  I apologize I haven't been as active on the forums as I have been in the past, but let me assure you all that I'm still around and love this place as much as ever.  If it's not too much trouble, however, I have a quick question for you all that relates to some of my own real life affairs.  You see, my girlfriend has recently decided that she'd like to look into starting her own wedding business.  It'd start as a "business from home" kinda deal, but Lord willing if it was successful enough expand from there.  The idea is that, although she'd eventually like to work up to selling actual outfits for weddings, the business will initially start as a wedding accessory business.  Specifically, she'd like to make and sell customized wedding accessories, both locally and online through outlets such as Etsy, DeviantART, Pinterest, etc.

This is very new for both of us, and as such, Juli has a lot to learn before she goes any further in getting this all set up.  As such, she specifically asked me to survey folks around here with one question in particular: whether you're married, planning on getting married, or not married at all, what kind of wedding accessories (for the entire wedding party mind you, bride, groom, maid of honor, best man, bridesmaids, groomsmen, etc.) would you most want to get customized with personal customization that gives it extra meaning?  Hypothetically speaking, which items would you be most willing to pay money for having made customized for weddings (or special events in general, though primarily weddings)?

There is no wrong answer here.  My girlfriend and I simply want to get an accurate idea in our heads of what customized wedding clothing/accessories are most in-demand among potential customers.  The only wrong answer is no answer at all, so please, give us as many answers as you can and feel free to share this with anyone you can think of.  We will both be very grateful for it, and will be sure to keep you up to date on what happens with everything going forward.  Thanks for your help, everypony, and I hope you all have a splendid day today! 

[The Recherche 29,965]

You want me to be completely honest? Chairs. I'm not sure about the other folks here, but every single wedding I've been to has those metal folding chairs. Sure, they work... but they're not very aesthetically pleasing.  They just stick out too much among the high-end clothing, flowers, and scenery. I think specially made chairs would make a pretty good product for a business like this. Admittedly, this could be pretty tough to handle, considering that they usually need to be bought in batches; you can't just buy one chair, after all~!  Anything that relates to chairs, basically; all of the chairs I've seen in weddings are sinfully ugly in contrast to everything else there.

If you're talking more about singular items, though, then I think specially made banners would be quite nice. Sure, they aren't the most practical thing I can think of, but having one personally made by someone else can make it a bit more personal.  Whatever they look like is up to you, though.

Please note that this is coming from a soon-to-be 16 year old who was no plans of getting married, though; take my suggestions with a grain of salt.  If you had something else in mind,  just let me know; I might be able to come up with something better. 

Edited May 25, 2018 by The Recherche

[Guest]

What a lovely idea!

You could offer matching bags and corsages and boutonnieres. Bouquets for tables, floral archways and posts for outdoor weddings. That would be something I'd like to have had at mine.  

[Batbrony 15,994]

4 minutes ago, The Recherche said:

You want me to be completely honest? Chairs. I'm not sure about the other folks here, but every single wedding I've been to has those metal folding chairs. Sure, they work... but they're not very aesthetically pleasing.  They just stick out too much among the high-end clothing, flowers, and scenery. I think specially made chairs would make a pretty good product for a business like this. Admittedly, this could be pretty tough to handle, considering that they usually need to be bought in batches; you can't just buy one chair, after all~!  Cushions would probably be a lot more manageable.

If you're talking more about singular items, though, then I think specially made banners would be quite nice. Sure, they aren't the most practical thing I can think of, but having one personally made by someone else can make it a bit more personal.  Whatever they look like is up to you, though.

Please note that this is coming from a soon-to-be 16 year old who was no plans of getting married, though; take my suggestions with a grain of salt.  If you had something else in mind,  just let me know; I might be able to come up with something better. 

Definitely some good suggestions here, but keep in mind that this is probably going to start as a SUPER small business working out of our 3-bedroom apartment, and Juli's best work tool at the moment for this job specifically is a $2000 sewing machine.  We probably don't have the capital to handle some of those larger items (aside from maybe the banner), but what kind of smaller ones can you think of?

[The Recherche 29,965]

2 hours ago, Batbrony said:

Definitely some good suggestions here, but keep in mind that this is probably going to start as a SUPER small business working out of our 3-bedroom apartment, and Juli's best work tool at the moment for this job specifically is a $2000 sewing machine.  We probably don't have the capital to handle some of those larger items (aside from maybe the banner), but what kind of smaller ones can you think of?

Smaller?  I can probably think of something for that... 

Since your sewing machine seems to be the main tool, how about certain small decorations like these~?

These can probably be pasted in various areas around the wedding area, such as the chairs, out-of-the-way areas of the tables, etc..  It doesn't have to be butterflies either, it was just the first thing to come to my mind.

Again, though; I'm full of cruddy ideas, so take this with a grain of salt. 

Edited May 25, 2018 by The Recherche

[Batbrony 15,994]

1 minute ago, The Recherche said:

Smaller?  I can probably think of something for that... 

Since your sewing machine seems to be the main tool, how about certain small decorations like these~?

These can probably be pasted in various areas around the wedding area, such as the chairs, out-of-the-way areas of the tables, etc.. 

Again, though; I'm full of cruddy ideas, so take this with a grain of salt. 

Nah, you've been great so far!  Thanks for the suggestions and please share this thread with anyone you can think of who might want to respond as well! 

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

19 minutes ago, Batbrony said:

Definitely some good suggestions here, but keep in mind that this is probably going to start as a SUPER small business working out of our 3-bedroom apartment, and Juli's best work tool at the moment for this job specifically is a $2000 sewing machine.  We probably don't have the capital to handle some of those larger items (aside from maybe the banner), but what kind of smaller ones can you think of?

Since the sewing machine is gonna be the main tool, I'm thinking of something centered around embroidery. Maybe patches, clips. Maybe tablecloths or handkerchiefs that are personalized. Perhaps pocket fans so the attendees can stay cool during the hot months in outdoor weddings?

Sorry if my brainstorming ideas sound cheap. 

[SharpWit 2,472]

My mother used to run what was called a wedding lending library. The idea was rather than spend thousands on décor, of which most will find it's way to the dump, you could schedule a visit and look around for things you'd like to use. One of the most popular items we lent out were dresses donated by past brides and stores that had too many or couldn't sell. We also had a ton of bridesmaid's dresses that we would also let teens borrow for all the school dances, mainly prom and homecoming of course. Recherche's idea on chairs is a good one however proper chairs take up a ton of space which I've learned from working in a restaurant having to set them up or take them down for our reservation room. Folding chairs and tables will still take up space but are highly sought after, and of course you'll need table clothes for them to keep up appearances. I would suggest getting a combination of square/rectangle and circle table clothes in both black and white, and also purchase those giant paper table clothes with a plastic underlining to place underneath. This keeps the table clean and just absorbs more of any spilled beverages, and I beleive most dollar stores carry them. If you can, try to get some tables that are square but have fold out sides so they can become a circle. And of course you can get a whole bunch of other things like wedding magnets, sign in comment sheets, whiteboards or chalkboards for decorative signs, white Christmas lights are popular, make sure the wiring is white as well, though some green wired ones may be acceptable, especially if you have a fake ivy you could wrap around them. Flowers, doilies, cake toppers, you name it, tons of small items you can sell in bulk. Wedding gifts would also be a good area to touch on, inspiration quotes in fancy writing that are framed, cards that can be sent to congratulate a bride and groom or whoever it is getting married, and cards for wedding invitations. Not sure if you'd need a liquor license to sell wine, but if you could order something local and decent that might do well, and if you can throw on your own custom labels that might serve well. The one thing however, that I can't stress enough is glass ware. Wine glasses, champagne glasses, water glasses, punchbowls and vases are always in the highest demand, along with plates and cutlery and with those tablecloths I mentioned you'll want to get matching napkins. Not all of this we provided but a fair amount we did, and all out of a small office next a spare bedroom where people could try on dresses. Hope this helps.

Oh, and for an embroidery focus, maybe custom veils or adding sequins, lace, and other things to dresses.

[Batbrony 15,994]

1 hour ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Since the sewing machine is gonna be the main tool, I'm thinking of something centered around embroidery. Maybe patches, clips. Maybe tablecloths or handkerchiefs that are personalized. Perhaps pocket fans so the attendees can stay cool during the hot months in outdoor weddings?

Sorry if my brainstorming ideas sound cheap. 

Nah you're good man, since it's gonna start as an out-of-home business smaller items will probably make up a lot of what she's making.  Juli's great at crafting all kinds of things and has worked in the wedding industry for years, so I'm sure she's familiar with a lot of what you're suggesting.

[Jeric 46,834]

@Batbrony, it might also be wise to look into customized gifts that people can buy for the newlyweds. As sewing seems to be the focus, things like throw pillows, oven mitts, pot holders, hand towels, with personalized memories guests have of the bride and groom would be fun and may fill more of a niche. Also things like a handsewn basket for displaying guest gifts (like a Stoffkork bag), napkins, poms, fabric bouquets (with special messages from the bride and groom on the petals specific to the guest).

Also, in time she can get an etching machine (glass, metal, and wood), and an embroidery machine, and the like to diversify. 

[Batbrony 15,994]

Those are some pretty nifty ideas, @Jeric, thanks!  I'm sure a lot of this will be commission work, namely since we don't exactly have room to store a lot of premade stuff to sell, but that just means she'll be super flexible on the customization end of things.  Trickiest part will probably be determining prices based on the order, but Juli's so familiar with the industry and what reasonable rates are for so many items sold in it that I'm not too worried.

[Jeric 46,834]

3 minutes ago, Batbrony said:

Those are some pretty nifty ideas, @Jeric, thanks!  I'm sure a lot of this will be commission work, namely since we don't exactly have room to store a lot of premade stuff to sell, but that just means she'll be super flexible on the customization end of things.  Trickiest part will probably be determining prices based on the order, but Juli's so familiar with the industry and what reasonable rates are for so many items sold in it that I'm not too worried.

She could always hit up @PathfinderCS and set up a commission shop here specializing in wedding gifts for people's waifus!

 

[Batbrony 15,994]

5 minutes ago, Jeric said:

She could always hit up @PathfinderCS and set up a commission shop here specializing in wedding gifts for people's waifus!

 

Ooooooooo, that would definitely be something to look into.  I think I mentioned earlier to her that she could at some point do commissions here, but yeah, that would be pretty awesome!