Bridal Communities

Today I am going to focus on bridal communities. Two in particular come to mind: The Knot and Wedding By Color. Bridal communities are an abundance of blogs and message boards connected to website. Brides can post photos, tips, sell items, ask questions, and most importantly critique vendors.

On the flip side, vendors can use these message boards as an effective form of advertising. Bottom line, don't tick off a bride. Trust me, everyone will hear about it. One trend I have seen is brides will give their vendors a report card after the big day has been executed. Vendors are given a letter grade followed by a critique. To the left is a sample of a vendor report card. To the left you will see a sample report card.

One rule of thumb, if you do well, it will likely be noted. If you do poorly, every bride on the internet will know. To aid brides, WeddingVendors.com indicates how to identify a bad vendor:

• They don't supply a clear contract.
  
• They don't answer your questions.
  
• They have poor communication.
  
• They aren't willing to meet in person.
  
• They are too inexpensive.

The vast amount of bridal communities indicates a risk in entering the wedding industry. Good luck to all the vendors out there. Keep on blogging to all the brides!

Blog Study: Paloma's Nest

Paloma's Nest is an online retailer of handcrafted pieces for the "heart and home". According to Caroline Colom Vasquez, the creative mind behind Paloma's Nest, "these pieces are intended to become modern heirlooms, to be cherished by you and for many future generations to come."

One of Paloma's Nest's most popular items is the "To Have and to Hold" Ring Bowl. The bowl has been featured on many blogs including my favorite: Weddingbee. The bowl is a modern twist on the traditional ring pillow. The bowl contains "two little holes near the top rim, through which they have laced a silky cotton cord to hold rings for your wedding ceremony. This cord can be easily switched out by you for a ribbon that matches your wedding style, if you wish. After the ceremony, the cord can be tied into a loop or a bow, and the bowl can hold jewelry, momentos or other treasures."

I contacted Paloma's nest to how they would say blogging has affected their business? And was blogging in any way responsible for bringing their business to the attention of Brides and Hallmark magazines?

Paloma's Nest was nice enough to send a response. Here's what she said:

"Absolutely. I honestly didn't know what a blog really was until I started an online-based business. Bloggers were the first to bring attention to my work. You never know who a blogger is or who will read a post...or which customer will later write about thier experience. This is why I always believe in extraordinary customer service, regardless of the size of the order or the demands it takes to fill it. I am sure the world of blogging has assisted in the larger publications finding me; it also helps with a business name showing up in the search engines."

Just as I predicted! Blogging has a HUGE effect on businesses in the wedding industry!

Walmart Registry Disappointment

Well, this post is self explained in the title. To give you a brief background, I've had problems with registries. The first place we registered kept discontinuing products, so we switched to Walmart. A large retailer I thought was very reliable. Until a little letter found it's way to my mailbox... THEY ARE NO LONGER OFFERING REGISTRIES!

I will post my little letter in a while (new puppy chewed the scanner cord). On the PR side, just thought I would highlight some of the things I thought were good and bad about the way they approached this.

Good:
I did receive a letter explaining that my registry would no longer be active.

Bad:
I found out prior receiving this letter that this was happening. Someone tried to purchase a gift and seen the notice on the computer.

Good:
Walmart is offering registries for events until the end of January. I think gives people with events after January enough time to switch. My wedding is in May, so this included me.

Bad:
The letter was very vague as far as why this was happening. Think of a bride as a bomb: one spark near her and she blows up. Case in point, I'm stressed out enough with managing vendors, I didn't need to waste another entire day starting a new registry. A good excuse, or any excuse at all would have softened the blow.

I give Walmart a grade C when it comes to dealing with this issue. There were definitely things they could have done better. For example, inform registrants by email prior to EVERYONE ELSE knowing first (still bitter). Snail mail is so yesterday. In addition, the letter could be more detailed. I give Walmart credit for the window of time they have provided and admit I will still shop at Walmart despite feeling a little abandoned.

Niagara College Wedding Bells Project

Niagara College offers a post-grad program in Event Management. Applications are now closed for their third annual Wedding Bells program, but I thought it was so interesting being a student in a similar program and a bride, I thought it was worth a post.

The students of this program, as part of their assignment, will plan a wedding for a lucky Niagara couple this spring. Services will include:

• Researching suppliers and venues
• Coordinating meetings with suppliers and the wedding couple
• Presenting alternatives and options
• Assisting with decision-making
• Providing support and expertise
• Administrative support including reservations and ordering
• Consultation with other experts in the event management field
• Wedding day execution
• Consulting secondary resources for ideas and problem solving options

What a great idea!!! For those of you brides getting married in 2010, I would check back next summer. If I had only known I would have applied!

BC SPCA Buscuit Fund

The British Columbia SPCA posted a media release in January 2008. They were announcing their Buscuit Fund. The Biscuit Fund allows couples to support animals in need throughout their wedding.

First, in lieu of favours, the SPCA suggests a one or two dollar donation per guest. They eve provide a gift tag informing guests of the donation.

Similar to a registry, the couple can also request a donation to the SPCA in lieu of gifts. For those who love their pets, this is a great idea!

In terms of public relations, this is very cost effective. All they really have had to pay for is the website. The donations tags are downloadable and you can print them at home. I think this campaign has the potential to generate an abundance of donations.