About Weddings::: Prep Talk - Abaniko, Sinamay, atbp.

While going over a back issue of an imported bridal magazine, we were curious to find a familiar-looking product it called "paddle fans". Given that simple 'Martha Stewart-ish' makeover by adding a ribbon and a paper tag with hand calligraphy; the humble abaniko turned into a beautiful place card holder fit for an elegant reception.

Call it lukso-ng-dugo (familial instinct), but off-hand we knew that the abaniko featured in the mag could have only been painstakingly hand-woven by a fellow Filipino. To be sure, we googled the name of the company selling it in the states: "Bliss! Wedding Market," and landed on the site www.blissweddingsmarket.com. While exploring the site, we were surprised to see more of our native handicrafts, from banig bags and favor boxes to sinamay pouches and ribbons. We also learned that a lot of their products were already featured not just in one, or two, but numerous US bridal magazines, such as: Martha Stewart Weddings, Bride's, Wedding In Style, and Modern Bride to name just a few. We also found out that the site is owned by couple named Florante and Cheryl Galvez , which just sounds too Filipino to us (or Mexican if we were mistaken!). So, we went ahead and emailed them to ask.

Through our correspondence, we learned that Florante and Cheryl are first generation Filipino-Americans who started blissweddings.com, right after their honeymoon back in 1995, to address the lack of information on the web about planning a wedding. We could say that they are pioneers since WeddingsAtWork.com came four years after that, fueled with that same 'lack-of-info' motivation. In hindsight, it proved to be the most successful business model in developing a wedding planning website since most that survived the dot.com crash are run by couples who've actually gone through the process and got-by the hard times with sheer passion to help other soon-to-weds as tradeoff for profits.

Bliss! has indeed come a long way since then. Now through it's sister site, Bliss! Weddings Market, Philippine-made handicrafts are being showcased to the world as beautiful wedding favors that even we Filipinos will surely adore. In fact, the Galvezes are here in the country as you read this, scouting for more dainty native products to offer in their ever-expanding catalogue. With all the not-so-good news affecting our country the past year, we decided to aptly start the New Year with a something positive; and seeing our native handicrafts gain some worthy exposure in glossy bridal magazines in the US is definitely an exciting development. Pinoy craftsmanship is indeed world class!

John & Benz: You guys are first generation Fil-Ams, where exactly are your parents from?

Cheryl Galvez: My parents hail from San Fernando, La Union and Florante's parents come from Bigaa (Balagtas), Bulacan.

J&B: When and how did Bliss! Weddings Market get started?

CG: We opened our virtual doors in early March 2001. We, also have an online wedding planning magazine called Bliss! Weddings, which we started way back in 1995. We wanted to supplement this planning resource with an e-commerce property. We decided to focus on a very narrow market - the wedding favor/favor packaging industry. In the world of do-it-yourself projects and scrapbooking, brides are looking for innovative products and creative ideas that they can assemble and embellish according to their wedding color, style and budget. This flexibility allows our customers a unique wedding favor!

J&B: When and what prompted you to sell Philippine handicrafts in your store? What do you see in them?

CG: About 2 years ago, we decided to sell items from the Philippines as a way for us to build a brand and reputation. We have many competitors and we needed to find a way to differentiate ourselves from the rest. The products from the Philippines are of higher quality than that of China. Items made in the Philippines are unique and classy.

J&B: Are these Exclusives or there are other stores in the US that sell these?

CG: When you search on the keyword "weddings" in Google and Yahoo, you will always find us listed in the Top 3 listings on the search results page. You can imagine the amount of visitors we receive because of our high ranking. Therefore, we consider ourselves a main player in the online wedding gifts and supplies market. While there exists hundreds of online wedding supplies stores, we consider only a few of them as our competitors. There are a couple of online competitors, who we feel are on the same plane as us, selling limited items similar to ours BUT are made in China. For example, many of the sinamay bags sold on the Internet are actually from China. We want to sell items strictly made in the Philippines.

J&B: What has been the response of the American market so far?

CG: The response has been favorable! Especially for summer or beach themed weddings, our customers love and adore the tropical-looking products.

J&B: What do you think are the reasons why US bridal mags featured these Philippine-made products that you sell?

CG: It's because they are unique and affordable and of high quality in craftsmanship. People are constantly looking for unconventional and non-traditional items that can be re-purposed to accent a wedding.

J&B: What product feature (on which magazine) had the biggest impact on your sales?

CG: Our Sinamay products are very popular with the clients and Modern Bride has featured the products.

J&B: The products look so pretty in the mags and in your site's catalogue. What enhancements/embellishments did you add to these products to appeal more to the US market?

CG: To offset the roughness of the sinamay material, we accented some of the products with smooth, double-face satin ribbon in beautiful rich colors. Also, we personalize string tags and stickers with the couple's names and date to show that you can add a personal touch to our products. My idol, Martha Stewart, has inspired me to offer products that are unique and can be easily assembled and/or embellished to suit your taste and budget. My "Bride" Ideas section showcases my Martha Stewart-inspired concepts using the products found within our store.

J&B: Are you planning to add more to the product line from the Philippines? How often do you visit the country to look for suppliers?

CG: Yes, we plan to add plenty of more products from the Philippines. We visit just once a year but we'd like to increase our visits more often. We're interested in seeing all types of products made from different materials (sinamay, buri, capiz, etc). Potential suppliers can also send info to service@blissweddings.com.

J&B: Do you think there is still a room for growth for Philippine-made favors/favor packaging to further penetrate the US bridal market?

CG: Yes, I think there is a bit of room for growth. The material and look of these products are beautiful and unique and make wonderful accents to a lavish affair.

Florante and I are proud of our heritage and are able to share with our American customers the beautiful handiwork of the Filipinos. American and Filipino tastes are similar when it comes to wedding style and we will continue to promote our homeland through our wonderful product offering.

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prep talkback: Send comments and queries to P.O. Box 233, Greenhills, San Juan City 1502 or email: mail@WeddingsAtWork.com.