Framing for the 'Just-Married' market: the sound of wedding bells can bring a new crop of young buyers and a bevy of mementos down the aisles of frame shops

Art Business News, June, 2003 by Tricia Bisoux

It's June, a month for walking down the aisle, standing under the chupah or jumping over the broom. It's the wedding season, which not only heralds the unions of happy couples everywhere but also represents an important market for custom picture framers. For where there are weddings, there are also photographs, documents, fabrics, flowers and other precious keepsakes requiring creative display and conservation framing.

It makes sense for framers to target soon-to-be-newlyweds, said Judi Meade of Art-en-Ciel in Montreal. After all, this is a time when most newlyweds are melding their decorating tastes, buying their first pieces of furniture and purchasing their first houses. "They're generally young couples in the process of decorating their first homes--they've set it as a high priority," said Meade. "They frame frequently and can become customers for life."

Many framers, however, may not be reaching this market to the fullest, framing only the occasional wedding photo or invitation. But by promoting their services to brides- and grooms-to-be--not to mention to their gift-buying cadre of family and friends--framers can turn that trickle of occasional orders into a steady flow of customers seeking wedding-related frame design and gifts.

Moreover, the time before, during and after the wedding can be an important window of opportunity when framers can educate newlyweds about the benefits of custom framing and, in the process, cultivate a new generation of long-term customers.

Woo the Wedding Set

According to Bride's magazine, the average wedding costs $19,000. On average, newlyweds spend 40 percent of that budget on the caterer, 14 percent on clothing, 10 percent on entertainment, eight percent on flowers, seven percent on the photographer, four percent on invitations and other stationery, four percent on gifts, three percent on the reception hall and two percent on transportation. That leaves eight percent--or an average of $1,520--for "miscellaneous."

Framers can and should set their sights on at least part of that "miscellaneous" spending budget and even a smidgen of the gift budget. They can do so in a variety of ways, from targeting advertising to creating displays of photo albums and small gifts to offering special gift certificates to throwing an all-out, in-store bridal blitz. But it takes time and planning to pinpoint customer preferences, create promotions and coordinate them with the annual wedding seasons.

It's important to note, for example, that the most popular months for weddings are May, June, August and September, with July and October close behind, according to www.WeddingGlobe.com. That means that early spring to late summer is prime time for framers to take some or all of the following steps:

Create sample displays. Targeted, in-store displays, placed in a highly visible part of the store during the wedding season, are great ways to heighten a frame shop's profile in the bridal market. Donna Dickeson of D&J's Custom Framing & Art in Lewiston, Idaho, finds that a gorgeous sample display of wedding memorabilia inspires much interest in her shop.

"We just used a picture of a bride and groom from a bridal magazine, the invitation from my niece's wedding and other objects," said Dickeson. "The sample has worked very well for me. I won a blue ribbon for it in a PPFA competition, and I've done a couple more just like it for customers."

Advertise in bridal-themed issues of local publications. Most major newspapers print a wedding-themed supplement during the wedding season, while many areas have at least one bridal magazine or newsletter. These resources can be the perfect places for a frame shop to reach brides-to-be, said Leann Pelvit, owner of the Silk Rose Gallery in Sidney, Mont. Framers should consider not only advertising in these issues, but also providing wedding-related framing articles, educational information and press releases for potential editorial coverage free of charge.

"Our local paper does a bridal issue every year," she said. "I've even supplied them with copy for articles. I offer a discount on wedding framing in my ad. If we advertise, they also include our coupon in a coupon packet they give to brides who stop by the paper to advertise their engagements or weddings."

Pelvit's shop is in a small town with a population of 2,000, yet she still redeems about 10 to 15 coupons a year, mostly from people who have never been in her store before. "So for my investment of $55, I think I get my money's worth," she said.

Seek co-op advertising opportunities, In most areas, a variety of businesses offer services for weddings--from tuxedo rental to catering to custom framing. Banding together with a group of such businesses can be an affordable way to advertise to the bridal market, advised Beverly Tiger of Tiger Lily, a floral preservation and frame shop in Gladstone, N.J.

"I have joined the Association for Bridal Consultants as a way to get co-op advertising targeted to bridal magazines," she said.

Have stuff brides want. A good inventory mix is important to this market. Some shops may do well with high-end photo albums and picture frames; others might find that do-it-yourself shadow boxes and specialized framing displays go gangbusters; while still others may find gift cards and full-fledged bridal registries for art, framing and gifts are just what their customers were looking for.