Galleries and Artists Are Selling
the Ultimate in Weddings

little wedded bliss goes a long way. First, there are the bride and groom, who, once the ceremony is over, depart for the land of happily ever after. Of course, they’re not the only ones who benefit from the joyous occasion. Department stores, restaurateurs, and wedding planners, to cite a few, happily reap the financial joys that come from catering to the altar-bound crowd. These retailers and entrepreneurs know weddings are lucrative business.

“So many couples have established households prior to the wedding, especially those who have been married before,” notes Lisa Drumm, owner of Akron-based Don Drumm Studios and Gallery. “Since they’ve already got the practical items, we’re in a unique position to help couples get special handcrafted items. The fact that trends point to people being more eclectic in their tastes helps us, too.”

Wally Smith, owner of Smith Galleries in Hilton Head, S.C., says that infiltrating the wedding industry is tough because galleries and craftspeople are competing with the “big thick bridal magazines” that all young couples seem to read. “Unfortunately, our industry does not have anything which compares with those magazines,” says Smith.

Still, many believe that catering to the bridal market through registries, special events, online wedding sites and even word-of-mouth makes good business sense. “We’ve had a bridal registry for almost 30 years,” notes Linda White, operations manager of Piedmont Craftsmen in Winston-Salem, N.C. She sees the registry as an extension of the gallery’s mission. “Part of our mission,” White cites, “is to educate the public about fine craft and its use in everyday life.”

At Creative Spirit, in Oakhurst, Ga., the gallery can be reserved for bridal showers as a way to introduce buyers to the handcrafted work offered.

Gifts for the bride and groom

White makes it her business to stay on top of what’s hot in the wedding industry. She keeps her eyes on trends and evaluates what role handcrafts play in the bridal industry. “Most couples are looking at pottery items, the practical, useful pieces,” says White. “However, prints, wall hangings, clocks, birdhouses and decorative pieces also show up on the bride’s list.” She adds that “funky” seems to be the current trend and that brides are now eschewing the traditional matched china and silverware sets for more casual, mix-matched sets.

At Whippoorwill Crafts, with two locations in Boston, owner Karen Hohler does wedding sales both in-store and through the registry. Hohler says that wedding sales are defined by two groups. Couples in their 20s marrying for the first time are what Hohler calls the “safe” gift category. “If these people aren’t registered with specific items at the Crate and Barrels of the world, people want [to buy them] a ‘safe’ gift,” says Hohler. “We steer them toward something like Bill Campbell pottery — functional, reasonably priced and valued so you get a good looking gift for the money.” Hohler adds that blue is a popular color for “safe” gifts.

Hohler defines a second group as couples that are remarrying with already-established households. “Group two is more daring,” she says. “They need nothing in particular. We sell a lot of kaleidoscopes for this group. After that, the item might be for the particular interest of the couple — a dog mirror with their particular breed on it for example. Something for the yard. The pottery for these people is more daring in color and form.”

Gallery owner Becky Sizemore, owner of Creative Spirit in Oakhurst, Ga., is in the midst of establishing her gallery as a venue for bridal showers. “Couples will choose a particular piece of work they’re interested in and then their friends and family contribute to its purchase on the night of the party. My goal is for guests to learn more about us and enjoy the event. At the same time, the couple has the opportunity to walk away with a piece of art they love.”

To whet couples’ appetites, Sizemore is busy putting the final touches on a once-in-a-lifetime shower offer. “As a rule, couples will provide their own food and beverages. To introduce couples to the possibilities, I’m working with several local businesses to provide food, beverages, flowers, and cake for the first lucky couple that calls to reserve the gallery. I’m already working on a press release for the local newspapers. I have no doubt it will be great exposure for the gallery.”

At Don Drumm Studios and Gallery, attention is given to couples who already have established households, and who are interested in eclectic, handmade work.

Selling to the happy couple

Drumm says the relationship between handcrafts and the bride and groom can extend well beyond gifts. “There are so many items associated with a wedding,” she notes. “They may need gifts for the wedding party, a knife to cut the cake, goblets for toasting, all of which result in additional gallery sales.”

Delaware artist Margaret H. Johnson markets her handmade paper and books to couples for their wedding invitations and guestbooks. “I made the first ones for my daughter’s wedding,” says Johnson who lives in Dover. “I also made luminaries from handmade paper for the centerpieces on tables at the reception.”

Johnson markets her work through local shows, including the Hagley Craft Fair in Wilmington, Del. “I’m also talking to Communiqués Gallery in Greenville about an exclusive line to be sold at that location,” Johnson says. “Their shop is dedicated to invitations and announcements.”

Jewelry, particularly rings, is another highly lucrative area for handcrafts in the wedding market. California artist Lisa Krikawa’s engagement and wedding rings are carried by numerous galleries across the United States. Krikawa promotes her work through high end craft shows, including the American Craft Council shows, Contemporary Crafts Market in Santa Monica, Calif., and the New York Crafts Park Avenue shows.

Serving set made by William
S. Rogers, featured during the
bridal season at Piedmont
Craftsmen.

In addition to her jewelry business and Web site, Krikawa created www.ultimatewedding.com where she also markets her work and has links to other artists and retailers who sell every conceivable item related to weddings. No detail is overlooked, including matching and tasteful t-shirts so the bridal party can get comfortable after the ceremony, packaged activities to entertain the ring bearer, flower girl and other pre-teen guests, and luggage for the honeymooners.

Some brides and grooms also give jewelry to their wedding parties as thank-you gifts. Florida artist Susan Goracy relies on word-of-mouth recommendations through boutiques to sell her beaded jewelry in the bridal market. “I just received a custom order for a large wedding party,” says Goracy. “The bride and her future mother-in-law were recommended to me by a boutique I sell through locally.”

Goracy has her business listed on www.wednet.com but her gallery contacts send most of her wedding business. “I have also made myself known to a few local businesses who participate in the wedding industry as photographers and party planners,” Goracy says.

Many of the gallery owners and artists we spoke to believe that the greatest potential for selling handcrafts in the wedding industry lies with home furnishings and decorative and functional items purchased by the older couples. “We see greater awareness of the handcrafted item from couples who are older or who are ‘encore wedding’ couples,” says Smith. “They have developed their own style and they already have the necessities. They have the fine china and silver and have discovered that they only get it out once or twice a year and see that they want other every day items that are more personal.”

Sue Wasserman is a free-lance writer who frequently writes about the arts.