Category Archives: Bridal Industry Research

Choosing Diamonds

10 May, 2013

When buying any form of jewellery it is important that you do your research to make sure that you are getting the best quality for your money.This is even more important when investing in an engagement or wedding ring. Diamond expert and founder of Diamond Manufacturers, Vashi Dominguez, offers his top tips for choosing the perfect diamond for your ring.

Shape:

The shape of the diamond will determine the look of the ring. If the diamond is for an engagement ring, the diamond will be prominent; if opting for a diamond wedding band then you need to decide whether you want round or square diamonds set in the band.

The Cut:

The cut is the most important factor when determining value of the diamond. A good cut lets a diamond handle light well and emit sparkle. Grades of cut range from ‘Super Ideal’ to ‘Good’, ‘Super Ideal’ being the highest cut grade.

In a well cut diamond the light enters the diamond and is reflected from one side of the diamond to the other and back into the viewer’s eye. This light is called the ‘brilliance’. In a poorly cut diamond the light ‘leaks’ out the sides or bottom of the diamond, rather than being reflected.

The Carat:

The Carat is the weight of the diamond. The higher the carat the higher the value and size.

Colour:

The colour of a diamond is graded by how ‘white’ the stone is. Grade D is colourless and Z has a yellow tint. The whiter the diamond the greater its value.

Clarity:

Clarity is affected by flaws known as ‘inclusions’ on or in the stone. Grades of clarity range from FL (flawless) to i3 (visible inclusions). The fewer inclusions a diamond has, the more valuable it is.

Budget:

Define your budget and only spend an amount that you are comfortable with when buying your ring. There are great tricks to saving money when buying diamonds, for example if you buy a stone that’s slightly under-size to the nearest round carat weighting, e.g. 0.9 of a carat, you’ll save up to 30%.

Ring Size:

Remember that smaller diamonds will look bigger on slender fingers, so make sure that the ring is right for the wearer.

Thank you Vashi for your insight - here’s hoping it helps many couples and planners when choosing rings this Summer.

 

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Global Wedding Market Survey Results (2012)

3 May, 2013

Last week we showed you some slides on how brides choose their wedding professionals and today we are continuing by showing you some more results.

Whenever we run our training courses we reiterate how important personality is to a bride when selecting her wedding planner. So its nice to see that the survey results back this statement up. The UK and global results were very similar so we’re just showing you the UK results.

All our members and many of our past students follow our code of business practice, one of our key statements is that our members must respond to emails within 48 hours. We have always felt it is imperative you don’t delay in any communication with a bride or fellow wedding professional, and the brides would agree. In this case the old saying “make hay whilst the sun shines” is certainly relevant.

All images copyright Nancy Ray Photography, www.NancyRayPhotography.com.

Survey results via Liene Stevens from Splendid Insights

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Global Wedding Market Survey Results (2012)

26 April, 2013

Last year we showed you some wedding survey results from Liene Splendid Insights . Liene has now conducted a global survey of couples (heterosexual and same sex) who were married March 2012 – March 2013 and has kindly sent the results to us. A total of 13,127 people took part in this survey from across the world, regions represented include:

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Australasia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • North America
  • South America

You can purchase the full survey from Liene for $59, more information available here.

Not only are we going to share some of the results with you over the coming weeks, we are also going to compare the global results to the UK results when there is a particular difference.

To start I thought it would be interesting to see exactly where are the brides finding the suppliers they are hiring?

  • 65% of UK brides found their suppliers via an internet search compared to 49% globally.
  • 42% of UK brides received recommendations from family/friends compared to 54% globally
  • And interestingly, recommendations from other wedding professional were evenly matched at 35-36%
  • But it would appear all that social media you’re doing doesn’t necessarily mean a bride will book you from it

The Global Results

The UK Results

Photo Credit

All images copyright Nancy Ray Photography, www.NancyRayPhotography.com.

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Grooms, Technology and Weddings….

29 March, 2013

We recently undertook a quick survey which looked in brief at two specific trends: Grooms getting more involved in wedding planning and the use of technology amongst couples planning their weddings.

Grooms and Wedding Planning

Almost 84% of UKAWP Members who responded to the survey have noticed Grooms becoming more involved in wedding planning over the last 2-3 years, with under 10% saying they haven’t noticed much change.

The most likely elements of the wedding for Grooms to become involved in are venue, entertainment, transport, photography/ film, food and drink, some of which may not be a surprise, but 27% of Grooms are very much involved with all parts the planning.

Clients using Technology in their Wedding Planning

Ninety one percent of UKAWP Members who responded to the survey have noticed their clients using technology to help manage and organise their weddings with the order of popularity as follows.

  • 62% are using various devices and programs to share photos
  • 49% are creating their own spreadsheets of venues and suppliers and sharing with their planners
  • 82% are using Pinterest or similar ‘mood board’ devices
  • 26% are using video calls to show venues/ dresses/ other ideas
  • 41% are using specific wedding planning apps on their phones

We hope planners will find this to be valuable information as it demonstrates some of the ways in which the market we work in has changed. Involving the Groom, and in some cases perhaps working predominantly with him, is key, and keeping up with the various ways in which clients wish to interact and share planning data is very important and will doubtless continue to be so.

 

 

 

 

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UKAWP Study Tour to New York - Day Two

21 November, 2012

Continuing our report of the recent New York Study trip, having had a tasty Tuesday with Sylvia Weinstock we looked forward to a wonderful Wednesday and were not disappointed….

We spend the first part of the day oohing and ahhhing at the splendor and overall gorgeousness of The Plaza ….the perfect backdrop to wedding related films, such as ‘Bride Wars‘ in 2009.

Following a full refurbishment which saw, amongst other things, part of the building becoming condominiums (now there’s a lovely thought) and the movement of the kitchens from the ground floor to the same level as the Ballroom, The Plaza looks to attract beautiful weddings.

Emily Reifel, Social Sales Manager, showed us around all the different spaces, showing how beautifully a wedding can flow, culminating in the stunning Ballroom which boasts incredible lighting systems cleverly installed in the same ivory colour they are mounted on such that only the likes of nosy planners would notice them at all.

Emily was so engaging and enthusiastic about The Plaza and her role within it – a great networker and flexible in her thinking. She would be a joy to work with on a wedding.

We moved from The Plaza to meet Meredith Waga Perez who owns Belle Fleur florists , based on Fifth Avenue. See below some photos of one wedding they recently styled..

Meredith and her right hand lady Ashley were incredibly giving both in terms of their time and an overview of how they work with brides and planners to create the desired look for each wedding.

Indeed, whilst we were there we were lucky enough to meet Michelle, a planner from New Jersey, who was waiting to meet a client with Meredith. Michelle kindly talked us through how she works with her clientele.

We were all overwhelmed by the fabulous array of linens which Ashley showed us wedding industry specialists have access to – way beyond anything available to us here. It interested us to hear that sometimes the florist will organise linens: something which would be rare in the UK.

Thank you ladies for your time and your interest in us.

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