Once the date has been set, what better way to give your guests a little snippet of what to expect than with stand out stationery! Pen and paper at the ready for some useful tips!
What’s your name and where do you come from? Helen Scott Design specialise in beautiful high quality, personalised Wedding Stationery, with collections and designs for every stage of your wedding, from Save the Dates and Invitations, to On the Day stationery and Thank You cards. Tell us a bit about the business I started Helen Scott Design back in 2011 after completing a Graphic and Communication degree at the University of Sunderland. Originally focusing on Graphic Design for other small business, I found my love for wedding stationery after being asked to design some for a friend. I enjoyed the whole process of working with the bride, coming up with a starting concept and developing it to a finished product. What's the general advice you would give to couples getting hitched? Send your invitations out with plenty of time for guests to RSVP, they may need to check if they can get time off work or sort babysitters before committing to saying ‘yes’. You will most likely be set a deadline by your venue regarding confirming final numbers, giving yourself more time allows you to chase any last minute (and forgetful!) repliers. Remember you don’t need to order invitations for every guest, I’ve had so many couples prepared to order 100’s of invitations, but when talking to them further it turns out they are talking about individual guests. Remember one invitation would be per couple/household, which will reduce your final numbers. So what makes you different from the rest? Coming from a Graphic Design background gives me the skills to create a bespoke design service those couple who would like to incorporate specific themes, designs or other aspects to allow for that truly personal touch. I also follow the trends and launch collections to compliment these. Any tips? Don’t buy your postage before you know the size and weight of your invitations. If your invitations are slightly larger or made up of different inserts, then they may need more than a first-class stamp. Taking them to the post office to be weighed will ensure you pay the correct postage and they are sent correctly. It is also important to consider this extra cost when organising your budget. General advice for newbies in the industry Research is really important for any business to succeed, look at your target market and work out your unique selling points that will make your business stand out from the rest. Also connect with other complementary wedding business, working together is a great way to get your name out there! I’ve worked with many other suppliers on styled shoots and networked at a range of different events. I find a lot of work has come from work of month and recommendations from other wedding suppliers. What are your plans for the future? My hopes for the future are to grow as a business and extend my collection ranges. I have so many ideas for new designs and products that I hope to launch soon. I also want to branch out into other event stationery such as Christenings and Birthdays. www.helenscott.co.uk www.facebook.com/helenscottdesign
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As there has been a lot of interest in my monthly blog, I've decided that it will be fortnightly instead so that everyone gets an opportunity to be under the spotlight! Happy reading :) What’s your name and where do you come from? Collette Evans I'm a makeup artist and photographer from Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Tell us a bit about the business I started taking photos aged 12, aged 15 got my first bit of work experience in a portrait photography studio in Barnsley and soon gained a job, Went to college and studied photography at HND level and then gained a job at a commercial photography studio in Sheffield shooting products, events, pr etc. Set my business, Picture Perfect Photography up just over 5 years ago, at first specialising in weddings but since I have ventured into other areas including fitness and commercial/business. In 2016 I did my makeup training and so now I can offer this to my clients, I think the two services compliment each other well and my clients seem to love the concept. What's the general advice you would give to couples getting hitched? Plan ahead and deligate! Also book vendors early and keep a spreadsheet for all costings. Dont fanticise too much about the insignificant details that you see on Pintterest (I’ve been there and done that), yes have a theme but spend your hard earned money on the big things first and then decide what you can afford for added extras later down the line. So what makes you different from the rest? I like to give a very personal service, it goes without saying that each client is given my full attention during the wedding day but I think that what makes me different is my customer service standards. I provide a special viewing premiere after the wedding, where I present their images and also a rough draft of their wedding album, they also choose their bespoke album cover options then. This is guided by me and dont like to rush my couples either, for a single appointment I usually book out 3 hours minimum. Any tips? When choosing your photographer, first look at their style and make sure you like it, secondly make sure you like them as a person! They will be at your wedding all day so I cant stress how important this is. General advice for newbies in the industry Forget college, go get work experience, I learnt more this way. What are your plans for the future? I will be exhibiting at The Wedding Affair wedding show at Wakefield Cathedral on 21st October 2017 and I'm currently having a new website built with fresh branding. t: collette_photo fb: pictureperfectbarnsley IG: pictureperfectbarnsley www.colletteevansphotography.co.uk Kerensa is one of the first people I made contact with in the early days of my career. Starting out is hard and getting people to believe in your abilities and see your vision is a challenge, but Kerensa gave me that chance and took my business cards and the rest is history! Thank you for your support! xx
What’s your name and where do you come from? My name is Kerensa and I own a beautiful bridal boutique in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, called Bijou Bridal Boutique, supplying brides with gorgeous British designed bridal wear and accessories. I have also just introduced a superb brand new bridesmaid collection by Motee Maids. Tell us a bit about the business Opening the bridal boutique almost three years ago was a complete dream come true! Running my own business has been in my blood since I was a young girl helping out in my Dad's hi-fi and electrical store! Retail runs in the family and the passion for bridal started when I was a bride to be looking for my dream dress myself. I couldn't get it out of my system but I had to wait until my children were grown up and it was all worth the wait! I love it! What's the general advice you would give to couples getting hitched? Do a lot of research and always keep an open mind when looking for bridal suppliers. I find that if you make a connection with the person you are dealing with and you get good vibes from them, that is a very good start! So what makes you different from the rest? The first thing that makes my boutique stand out is that I do 'fly the flag' for British bridal! Everything in the boutique from wedding gowns to a pair of shoes, has been designed by leading British bridal designers and a good proportion of it has also been made in England. I have always believed that British goods are of exceptional quality and are also very competitively priced in the market place. For such a special day you want to make sure that the products you are investing a lot of money in are not going to let you down on the big day! For me personally, having been a finalist 3 years running since I opened, for outstanding customer service in the bridal wear category in The North of England Wedding Awards, means that I must be doing something right! Any tips? My top tip for wedding gown shopping is to enjoy the experience and keep an open mind on different styles of gowns. You may have a fixed idea of what you would like to wear but sometimes that may not be 'The One' and you may find something completely different than what you first imagined wearing. General advice for newbies in the industry It's a wonderful industry and you meet so many interesting and inspiring people along the way but it is exceptionally hard work! Very rewarding but also very hard! Accept help when offered as it can be tough setting up a business and always ask for help if you feel that you might need it! There is an abundance of help out there in this industry and at the end of the day we all want to succeed! What are your plans for the future? I love working in this industry and for me personally I would like to see my little boutique continue to grow and thrive and keep being a part of making my brides dreams come true by offering them the best possible customer service I can! www.bijoubridalboutique.co.uk |