Galleries and Craftspeople Are Tapping into a Changing Bridal Market

by Maryann Ondovcsik Illustration by Marni Backer

Craftspeople and the galleries that serve them are among the last businesses in the country attempting to get a slice of the $35-billion bridal market. That's a shame, since virtually every retailer selling anything that might be used by a newly married couple is cashing in on the idea.

There are bridal registries not only in the obvious places -- department, jewelry and gift stores -- but also at wine shops, L.L. Bean, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and even Home Depot.

There is no reason that craft galleries shouldn't get in on this. Many of the handcrafted items found at fairs or in galleries, including jewelry, ceramics, glass, silver, wooden salad bowls, boxes and handwoven throws, are similar to those in department store registries.

As Cele Lalli, editor-in-chief of Modern Bride, explains, "There is something about a hand-done craft that is an expression of love and appreciation. As we know, alternative gift resources are attractive to people, especially those who have already established their households."

Perhaps galleries have looked at the cup as half empty instead of half full. Yes, there are problems with one-of-a-kind items, and yes, it can involve phone orders and long distance shipping. Yes, a special touch-screen computer such as the kind used in department stores is out of the question for small galleries and yes, marketing and advertising can be expensive.

But none of these problems are insurmountable, and there is a lot of business potential here. Remember those wonderful statistics like that $35 billion -- yes, billion with a B -- market?

According to Modern Bride, the $35 billion breaks down as $6.7 billion for wedding and reception services, $600 million for wedding gowns, $3.6 billion for honeymoon travel, leaving a whopping $24.1 billion for wedding gifts and household furnishings.

With that kind of money up for grabs, no wonder bridal magazines are so chock full of advertising. But of even more interest to this market is the fact that brides are so much older today. The average age of the Modern Bride reader is 25, and brides in their late 20s and 30s are not uncommon.

Unlike the 17-year-old girl of years past, who traded her parents' home for her husband's, today's bride has probably attended college, had a job and an apartment alone or with roommates. So, unlike the traditional bride who came to her marriage empty-handed, today's young woman already has plenty of household stuff. Ditto for the groom.

As the director of the bridal registry for Marshall Field's in Chicago says, "Usually they've taken an inventory -- who has the can opener, and who has the better vacuum. They probably both have all the everyday necessities and can register for finer things."

Then there is the case of the 'Encore Bride'. According to Brides Magazine, in 34.3 percent of American weddings, either the bride or groom, or both, is marrying for the second time. When divorces were considered shameful, second weddings were sedate affairs with two witnesses and not much of a reception, if there was one at all.

But divorce is a fact of life. "A second wedding is not a shame," says the wedding services coordinator at Woodward & Lothrop in Washington, D.C. "It's two people making a commitment to each other, and that should not be downplayed."

When second weddings were quiet affairs, the idea of getting gifts, much less registering for them, was taboo. But today's encore bride is not the least bit hesitant about registering. She knows her friends will buy gifts anyway, so why not get exactly what she wants?

"And don't forget that a divorced person is often marrying a never-married person," says the director of wedding services at Carson Pirie Scott in Chicago. "And there are all those new relatives who never bought gifts the first time."

The point here is that a bride who has been living on her own or had a previous marriage, probably has all the household necessities. Since she's well supplied with dishes, linens, pots and pans, and small appliances, she can afford the luxury of registering for special, handmade crafts.

That's particularly true if she's already a fan of such work and has long been a customer of her local galleries. In fact, the few galleries who have registries were virtually forced into it by good customers who were getting married and wanted those types of gifts.

The owners of Artifax, with galleries in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Va., are a fine example. "We've had a registry since 1991 because we had couples coming in who wanted unique handmade items, not the sort of traditional wedding gifts you can get at Hecht's," says owner Stephen Swan, referring to his local department store.

"Besides," he continues, "I remember when I got married 17 years ago, there was no place I could register for the kind of things I personally wanted to receive. So we saw a need and filled it."

That was also the case with Hanson Galleries in Houston, Texas, which has had a registry for 15 years. According to gallery director Larry Williams, the store does a big business in unusual gifts for bridesmaids and groomsmen, as well as doing a card registry to help a bridal couple select their own gifts.

If the concept of a gift registry is fairly new to the crafts industry, it certainly is old hat to many others. According to Brides Magazine, the concept of the bridal registry originated in 1935 as one jeweler's way of avoiding duplicate wedding gifts. However, Marshall Field's insists it had such a service as early as 1924.

It's generally agreed, however, that the concept started in the Midwest and South, spread to the East and eventually spread to the West Coast. There are no current figures for the number of bridal registries -- often called 'gift registries' -- since so many retail stores and catalogs have them.

The largest and most complete registries are offered by full-service department stores which can register a couple for linens, domestics and appliances, as well as the more traditional china, crystal and silver. However, today's couple is likely to register in three to four specialty stores in addition to the department store.

As recently as 10 to 15 years ago, there were still brides who hesitated to register because they felt it was 'tacky' (like telling someone how much they have to spend), but that's no longer the case.

Brides have been encouraged by the bridal magazines to register. They also know from their own experience that it's frustrating to kill yourself picking out a gift that will just be returned. Registries are a lot easier on everyone.

As for cost, well, most registries encourage the couple to pick out gifts in a range of prices so there is something for everyone. Retailers also note that in many cases, a group of friends will pool their funds for a larger item.

Another factor in the growing use of registries is the dispersal of the extended family. When people spent their entire lives in their hometown, it was easy enough for wedding guests to talk to the mother of the bride about her daughter's preferences, and then shop at the one local department store. Today, friends and relatives are spread out from coast to coast, and bridal registries have become a necessity.

The multi-unit department stores were the first to offer out-of-town services and mail order catalogs, which are also useful for this. But even the smallest gallery registry will be happy to provide copies or fax the list to out-of-town relatives.

"We can offer her an enclosure about Artifax that she can send off with her invitations, if she likes," Swan says. "You must also make sure the bride's mother and the groom's mother know they are registered here as well as at the department store.

"And if you're going into this business, you have to be prepared to do business over the phone with credit cards. You also have to be in the gift wrap business," Swan continues. "You must use a lot of good packing materials for shipping those gifts. When those groomsmen start throwing packages around, you can get some breakage."

Then there is the matter of setting up the registry itself. In the early days, a registry meant having the bridal coordinator fill out large white cards in her very best penmanship.

By the time the large department stores were dealing with 1,800 cards and multiple store branches, the system became unwieldy. Many of the large stores went to computerized registries by the late 1970s, often with user-friendly touch sensitive terminals.

Such a system is probably out of the question for a small gallery, which usually finds that the old card system works just fine. But, The American Craftsman, with four locations in New York City, opened a bridal registry over a year ago, simply because the new retail software it purchased had that capability.

While Jill Davis, assistant store manager for The American Craftsman, declined to be specific about this software, she is pleased with the way it works. "If a bride and groom wish to add, delete or change any choices, we can do it easily. We can also fax the list to friends or give them copies to share with out-of-town relatives. When friends want to shop by phone, we can help them select gifts that way."

Davis also notes that because the computer system is able to keep detailed records, including who purchased which items, she's able to give that list to the couple to simplify the task of writing thank you notes.

"We are also prepared to spend as much time as needed with the bridal couple to help them with their selections. We can also ship delicate pieces all over the world."

In contrast to this 'high-tech' approach, most other galleries are decidedly 'low tech'. "We do a very casual registry," Anita Hausafus admits. "We hand out invoice sheets to a customer, have them fill in the bride and groom's name, address and wedding date, then they go around the store and pick out items -- especially pottery, wine glasses and fire place accessories."

Starting a registry can be as simple as buying some large, white file cards, but promoting it can be a bit harder. A four-color, full-page advertisment in Brides Magazine costs about $30,000. Aside from being prohibitively expensive, running a national advertisement would be pointless for a local business.

But Lalli points out that her magazine can run smaller advertisements as well. "They have to advertise their service," she stresses. "But Modern Bride offers inexpensive classified advertising. We also have a section we call 'Best Bets' in which the page is divided up into fractional advertisements, and they draw a lot of response from readers. It's a great place to make readers aware of alternate gift ideas."

Running an advertisement in a local publication is also inexpensive and effective. In addition to lots of local bridal magazines, virtually every newspaper and regional magazine runs at least two bridal issues a year, just to garner that kind of advertising. Participating in local bridal fairs can also spread the word.

But don't forget the obvious in-store signage and word of mouth. And, just speak up! "We sell a lot of gifts for bridesmaids and groomsmen," Davis says. "So when an obvious bridal couple comes into the American Craftsman, we make sure to tell them about our registry."

She also points out the items that tend to make popular wedding gifts, including candlesticks, glass vases, goblets, jewelry boxes, frames and wine holders.

Galleries which offer wedding bands, including Hanson Galleries and Clarksville Pottery Gallery in Austin, Texas, have a built-in transition. "When couples come in to look at wedding bands, we give them a nice package about the wedding bands and our registry options," says a spokesman for owners Syddell and Arnold Popinsky.

As Stephen Swan learned, targeting the general bridal market is not always very effective. "Ads geared to all brides don't necessarily reach the selective type who wants craft gifts," he says. "We also tried direct mail to lists of people who have announced their engagements and found it was not terribly successful.

"We feel the best inroad is through our own customer base and making sure they know about the registry. We already have a strong reputation as a gift store and a lot of mothers or friends will bring in the bride."

One very clever and effective marketing technique is used by Osher-Osher Gallery in Lyndhurst, Ohio. "We've had a registry for about four years," says owner Shana Kazen. "It's a way to get unique wedding gifts, and we promote it that way in our ads. We also promote the fact that we give a $25 gift certificate to every bride who registers." Since brides traditionally register at least six months before the wedding, one of the main problems facing a craft gallery is the number of one-of-a-kind gifts. A bride may love something, but by the time Aunt Sally comes in to purchase it, it may be long gone.

However, the galleries don't really find this to be a problem. Many stress that lists should be updated regularly, and the bride should be encouraged to come in a month before the wedding to update her list with new items to replace those which may have been sold.

But since galleries work with an artist, as opposed to a 'merchandise line,' a customer who likes an artist's work will often be just as happy with another, similar piece. And realistically, many galleries carry stock pieces anyway.

"Yes, we sell one-of-a-kind items," Hausafus says. "But they are often part of a production line that can be very similar including goblets, functional glasses, water pitchers, etc. There is always stock.

"And for certain other items, we can usually find a reasonable facsimile. If all else fails, the bride and groom are happy to have a nice credit at the store."

There is a slightly different policy at Clarksville Pottery, since the production pieces here are literally made to order. "When a customer comes in and picks out a pattern, she must put 20 percent down just as she would with any dinnerware order," the spokesman explains.

"Then the bride can tell guests what she's registered for and they can purchase the actual pieces or give a gift certificate. But if guests don't purchase all the pieces, she is still liable for the rest of it."

Brides here can also pick out glassware, dinnerware and accessories. "But we really have to be careful to stress that because everything is handmade, there will be slight differences in the pieces. And they need to appreciate those differences.

"Sometimes a bride will have a picky mother who sends back some plates because they are not purple enough, and we have to be as diplomatic as possible."

The Hanson Galleries also offer a mixture of one-of-a-kind and production pieces, but Williams points to several items that do well as wedding gifts. "They include an oil burning candle, cutting boards, pewter measuring spoons and several 'romantic' items that make popular bridal gifts.

"We sell a lot of cream and sugars, where one piece sort of cozies into the other so it's a very loving looking gift," he says. "Ditto for a bird with a heart on its chest. We also do very well with a glass piece that features two figures, a male and a female, that form a heart. A lot of people buy that to put on the wedding cake."

Maryann Ondovcsik is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based freelance writer.