We are pleased to share some updated statistics on the current state of affairs in the world of weddings. The Wedding Secret connects brides to wedding specialists in their area and their infographic is a great way to get an understanding of the wedding industry in the UK.
Archive for the ‘Wedding Industry’ Category
Weddings in England
Friday, November 1st, 2013Wedding Rings Direct Tour
Thursday, October 17th, 2013Wedding Rings Direct recently opened up their amazing wedding rings workshop to the lovely people at the UK Wedding Shows. After a welcome drinks reception in the showroom, the group was taken through the making of a wedding ring from start to finish, choosing the right metal for your wedding ring, choosing the right diamond and selecting the right wedding ring style.
The team were then taken on a tour of the on-site workshop where bespoke wedding rings are designed and manufactured using traditional jewellery-making methods; a highlight of the workshop tour included being shown the hand-setting of diamonds. There were lots of details about the process that were shared at the event and lots of interesting facts and advice from Wedding Rings Direct, as highlighted below :
- Platinum is the most popular choice for wedding and engagement rings due to its hardness, rarity and naturally white sheen that will never fade or change colour
- Palladium is more affordable in comparison to Platinum
- Depending on what carat you choose, the colour and hardness of white and yellow gold rings will differ
- A fantastic attribute of titanium is that it is hypo-allergenic
- The 4 C’s are a good place to start when trying to understand diamonds; Cut, Colour, Carat and Clarity
- The diamond cut is often confused with the shape of the diamond; however it is a measure of how diamonds facets interact with light
- Cut is the only C that is influenced by the human hand. The rest are created naturally as diamonds form in the earth
- The colour of the diamond is measured on a scale from D to Z, D is colourless this allows more light to pass through, giving the diamond more sparkle
- Carat is often confused with size however it actually refers to the weight, there are average dimensions for each carat size
- Clarity is the visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions and surface defects called blemishes
Workshop overview:
- Wedding Rings Direct use traditional methods of manufacturing the majority of their Wedding, Engagement and Eternity rings which are handcrafted in Brighton by their in-house jewellers and diamond-setters
- Maintaining a focus on traditional manufacturing values over the years means Wedding Rings Direct provide classic high quality precious metal wedding rings which are able to stand the test of time.
- Their workshops prioritise by wedding date and offer an express manufacture where it is necessary. If you feel that a one-to-one appointment would be more beneficial you can visit Wedding Rings Direct in-house experts who will show you examples from the selection of rings that they hold in their showroom.
- The beginning of your rings journey starts with the blank. A blank is the unfinished ring which is made before any polishing or decorative elements are added; it’s made in the required metal, profile, width, depth, metal and finger size that you choose.
- The second stage of manufacturing your ring is taking account of the style and design of the ring.
- The last step of your rings journey is deciding if you would like the ring engraved – there are a few options to consider depending on your taste and the type of ring you have chosen.
North of England Wedding Awards Winner Pansy Potter’s
Monday, August 5th, 2013Bev Howard from The UK Wedding Shows was delighted to be a judge at the 2012 awards and will also be judging the New Business category at the forthcoming award ceremony organised by Liz Clarke from The Wedding Guide in York on 9th September 2013.
The winner of the New Business award in 2012 was Scott Crackett-Baker from Pansy Potter’s Florist who was delighted at the response to his business at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena show in January, where his stand was the prize for winning an award in 2012. He contacted Liz to tell her what a fantastic response he had received as a result of attending the awards and then exhibiting in Newcastle, and we are delighted to share this with our readers.
“Last year when I won Best New Comer to the Industry within the competition, it came with a prize of a stand at The UK Wedding Show at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, in January 2013.
I had 17 enquiries at the show, 3 of which I could not take up, due to being booked on their date, 14 couples had consultations resulting in 10 bookings which has translated into over £10,000.00 worth of new business being generated! I did not need to pay out to do other Wedding fairs throughout Spring 2013, giving added value too.
What an amazing prize it turned out to be! OVER £10,000.00 of business is amazing; that prize for new businesses is truly manna from heaven and allowed me to build my stock holding, move into new premises and look confidently toward the future for Pansy Potter’s. I have rebooked my stand for the UK Wedding Shows, knowing the return is worth every penny of the investment.
Being “Award Winning” and getting a foot on the ladder, an opportunity to sell yourself and your business is a real helping hand after exhausting all your savings when starting up and it is beyond amazing for any new business lucky enough to win. I wanted you to know what that prize turned into for me - from enquiries to pounds in the bank, so you can be assured of the excellence you are delivering in the quality of your awards, their value and what it actually turned into for me as the winner of this category.
My real test is this year entering the “big” Boys and Girls section ”Wedding Flowers” where I will be up against long standing, highly regarded Florists in our region. This gives me drive, focus and determination to provide a consistently high level of service not just for my customers, but because I then ask them to make their experience with Pansy Potter’s transparent to the industry and report it through the voting system.
So Thank You, I truly wanted you to know how much The Wedding Guide and The UK Wedding Shows has assisted me, empowered me and connected me since entering the competition last year.”
Scott Crackett-Baker Pansy Potter’s Florist www.pansypotters.co.uk
2012 Winner and Entrant in 2013
North Of England Wedding Awards
Hosted by The Wedding Guide
BSPi awards for The UK Wedding Shows
Friday, May 17th, 2013Three Wedding Industry Awards for the UK
The country needs to be proud. The only UK member of an international body of Bridal Show Producers managed to scoop three of eight awards.
The UK Wedding Shows received the awards in the categories for Best International Fashion Show, for the Marketing of shows to brides and for Radio Advertising. This is an outstanding achievement.
The conference was held at Omni La Mansion del Rio inSan Antonio,Texas with delegates attending various seminars and workshops with guest speakers such as industry professionals Andy Ebon, Alan Berg and Sonny Ganguly. The BSPi conference recognises the work and achievements of some of the best bridal show producers in the wedding industry, with awards this year in eight categories judged by an independent panel.
The UK Wedding Shows have now received eight awards and Bev Howard, company Director, commented
“Wedding professionals continue to deliver outstanding services across the industry, but we need to be dynamic in our approach to our business and receptive to the changes and trends within the market. Businesses should strive to refine the services they offer to those getting married and as show organisers we need to facilitate this. Organisers need some recognition, and gaining these three awards is gratifying – it gives a real sense of achievement to all those concerned. Being a member of BSPi has enhanced our business and brought many opportunities. We are delighted to put the UK on the map in a very competitive market”
The North of England Wedding Awards 2013
Friday, May 10th, 2013Bev Howard, Director at The UK Wedding Shows, will be one of the judges at the 2013 awards. The award ceremony and Gala Dinner will be held on 9th September 2013 at the National Railway Museum in York and tickets can be booked online. The awards are Yorkshire and North East England’s most prestigious accolades for client service excellence, and recognise those businesses which go the extra mile for their customers, providing outstanding service and inspiring their customers to want to actively and positively promote them.
Registration is now open and companies should submit their entries by Friday 28th June and their customers can submit their reviews up to Friday 26th July. For more information on the voting process please click here.
Liz Clark launched The Wedding Guide in 2000 covering both Yorkshire and the North East with one bumper book. The business has always been very much a family affair and her daughter Nicola has become more involved over the last few years.
The Wedding Guide works hard to create a winning blend of personal contact (at exhibitions), with printed matter (The Wedding Guide book) and virtual media (web & e-mail). This ‘marketing cocktail’ is perhaps the most distinctive blend we can offer bridal businesses, combined with our personal approach and care for the needs of brides to be and businesses alike.
In order to give even greater recognition to the outstanding service offered by many fantastic businesses throughout the two regions, the North of England Wedding Awards in association with The Wedding Guide were launched in 2012. Nicola has been the driving force behind this project and has gone to great lengths to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. Liz & Nicola were overwhelmed by the response to their first Gala Dinner and hope to keep this as an annual event on the calendar.
Andy Ebon at The UK Wedding Conference
Thursday, April 25th, 2013This is the first of our occasional posts introducing the speakers that will be appearing at the first UK Wedding Conference.
The two day conference is aimed at businesses within the wedding industry who are looking to improve their day to day operation, look at new ways to market their business and reach clients, network with others within the industry and get some expert advice.
Andy Ebon is a well respected speaker, writer and business consultant who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the conference. He is a wedding marketing expert with over twenty years experience in this particular field and attends 90-100 events each year as a speaker on a variety of topics. Andy had his first taste of the business and marketing surrounding weddings as co-owner of Music Man Mobile DJ Service, a company based in San Francisco, which launched in 1977. Andy went from strength to strength over the next twenty years selling various businesses at a profit before setting up EBS Virtual Communications in 1996 which specialises in wedding marketing and small business consultation. With industry experience of over 2000 weddings and three decades of hospitality and wedding marketing, this inspirational speaker is not to be missed.
As Andy says himself “I don’t just lecture, I move people to act…That’s what I do.”
Exciting Launch of The UK Wedding Conference
Friday, November 9th, 2012The UK Wedding Professional Business Conference has arrived!
One of the main wedding exhibition organisers in the UK launch their new wedding professional business conference today.
Speakers have been sourced from within the UK and internationally. This will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the conference making it a definite date for any wedding professionals’ diary.
The conference aims to give every individual within the wedding industry a forum that not only educates, but allows them to develop and drive their business forward, making them a market leader in this ever changing industry.
Delegates can enjoy 23 sessions over the two days which will be complemented with workshops focusing on the more serious aspects of running a business including VAT and taxation, employment law, insurance, banking and pensions. A trade exhibition will run during the two days allowing delegates to explore the many services required to enhance a growing business.
Bev Howard, co founder of The UK Wedding Conference, commented “The conference is just what the wedding industry needs, it is going to be an innovative experience enhanced by exceptional speakers producing some stimulating sessions. Networking is essential now for every business and the conference and trade exhibition brings an ideal opportunity for face to face marketing, which is key to a successful sale and an expanding business”
For further details or to arrange an interview please contact:
Bev Howard
co founder of The UK Wedding Conference
119cEastbank Street
Southport
PR8 1DQ
T: 01704 517977 / M: 07584 231 850
www.theukweddingconference.co.uk
