LuminousBoutique Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 OK. I'm getting more and more into wedding favors at some requests... 2 friends getting married this year, my mother in law getting married, and several casual friends asked for me to do their favors too. I found I really enjoy it, so I'm putting more effort into it.In my research I've been trolling large favor websites like "the knot" and such, seeing how my prices compare and whether its worth advertizing with some and so on.The thing I keep noticing over and over is that on the "reviews" of all of these items, you see "not as big as I thought" "smaller than I thought" "these are tiny!" yet.. in the descriptions its CLEARLY STATED 1.5" x2".. 2oz candle tins... la la. You get the idea. Any idiot who took the effort to look at a ruler or even think for a couple of seconds should be able to figure out what that size is. ok, maybe idiot is a strong word.. but for all the care, effort, and love brides put into their wedding... you would think they would pay more attention to something like that. have you guys run into this kind of thing? I never really have, but I'm worried about it now! Most of my orders are local, or well discussed ahead of time with a sample provided but MAN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbs Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Ha ha ha.. I'm one of those idiots you mention! I ordered something TWICE that had measurements clear as day but for some reason or another I missed it or just didn't pay attention to it. When you are excited about purchasing I guess all that "stuff" is too detailed to bother with. So. As an idiot I can tell you that I LOVE when I see something pictured next to a ruler or a quarter or whatever so I have a visual of the actual size.. just because I AM too lazy to pick up a ruler lol... seriously. I was a bride in 09 and with so many details, details, details it was hectic and cuhhhraaaazyy. I would have bit your head off for telling me my shoe was untied. Talk about BRIDEZILLA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbs Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 (edited) With local orders and providing samples though I don't see why you should ever run into these type of problems. Edited April 27, 2011 by sbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernadette Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I do alot of weddings out of town/out of country, only via the internet. Problems: 1. I take close up pics so potential customers can see product detail. Even with a quater, ruler, whatever in the pic for prospective, they still think it's bigger than it is because the item is enlarged.2. Every item has the dimensions of the item at the beginning of the description. Do they read it? Guess not because alot write and ask. When I write them back and give them the detail and tell them it's in the description, they always apologize and say they somehow missed that.Your best customers will be the ones that call and talk to you personally before they place an order, or have been at a function where your items were used and have personal experience with them before they purchase their own. It's a slippery slope...:tiptoe: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousBoutique Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 it really is... I guess we just have to accept not everyone will be happy, and expect that at least once I'll get someone saying "I thought these were bigger" lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I do weddings and have found that the measurements are rarely read. What I do is put an actual size pic in a link. I also put the wedding favor next to a recognizable item- like a quarter or a dollar bill. Then there is no mistake at all about the actual size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caryfh Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I'm giggling right now... only because the wedding favors you saw on The Knot... the ones with the complaint about the size, ya those are mine. The 2 ounce tins. The funny thing is that people want a bigger picture to see the detail, but then you're right, they never read the description, and really how big did they think they would be since they are "2 ounces"!! Unfortunately I haven't found a dollar bill to be the greatest prop for wedding favor candles (hehehehe, loads of sarcasm in that comment) so I guess we have to assume that the buyers will read the description. I'm glad to see that only one person was bothered by the size enough to comment, considering the 1000's of candles I've sold to The Knot over the past 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillowBoo Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I just did 70 favors for my daughter's bridal shower in the 4 oz. hex jars with a personalized label - their picture and the wedding date.They turned out pretty nice. they are substantially bigger than the 2 oz. tins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caryfh Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Sorry, I should add that wedding favor orders that I sell directly to the customer involve a lot more communication prior to the candles being poured and the customers never have a complaint - those supplied to The Knot are not personalized by my company, nor do I have any input regarding their pricing or pictures. Oh, and most are looking for a larger candle than the 2 ounce, though the 2 ounce ones are the cheapest to produce - more because of the cost of the tins and not just the fact that they have less wax. When I made them for my own wedding, I chose a 4 ounce tin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachelb5499 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I don't do candles, but I know what everyone is talking about when they say people don't read the size description and how the pictures can unintentionally be misleading. I don't know where you list (other than what you guys are saying about "the knot"), but a suggestion......when you take photos, why not take more than one.....one up close so they can see detail and one further away to give more perspective? (I have a program where you can "type" words onto the photo....maybe type a word description ON the photo itself....like "up close shot to depict detail" or something like that? And another that says..."photo to depict size." Or something like that....ya know? And/or if it were me, and it was a "big order," I'd probably be sending them a sample of what they get before pouring/proceeding just so everyone is "sure" about expectations, etc. But I don't know all of what goes into pouring just "one sample." either. Anyway, just my uninformed thoughts/suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousBoutique Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 all good suggestionsyeah its mostly just that I think there are people who just no matter WHAT you do... they wont pay attention. I'm wondering about something universal to take a photo wth... or hold one in your hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousBoutique Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 I'm giggling right now... only because the wedding favors you saw on The Knot... the ones with the complaint about the size, ya those are mine. The 2 ounce tins. The funny thing is that people want a bigger picture to see the detail, but then you're right, they never read the description, and really how big did they think they would be since they are "2 ounces"!! Unfortunately I haven't found a dollar bill to be the greatest prop for wedding favor candles (hehehehe, loads of sarcasm in that comment) so I guess we have to assume that the buyers will read the description. I'm glad to see that only one person was bothered by the size enough to comment, considering the 1000's of candles I've sold to The Knot over the past 5 years. Thats AWESOME! I'm glad to know those are handmade candles instead of straight from China, its refreshing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caryfh Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Let me tell you, it was pretty tough going when I first started making them because I operated a modified presto pot that might have held about 15 pounds of wax on a good day. But little by little I advanced and got to the point where I would order my wax at the pallet rate (instead of by the case, huge savings) and my tins in quantities of 5000+. And two years ago I had banked enough profit to buy my 80lb wax melter. I still make them all by hand, and sometimes I think I might go crazy when I'm staring down an order for 2400, but it allows me to be able to stay home with my little boys and move around when my husband's military job calls for it. I personally can't believe people would pay what The Knot charges for them, but the fact that the orders consistently keep coming in tells me that the bridal industry continues to survive the recession.However, my favorite favor candles are definitely the ones that people order directly from me, because I really feel like I'm helping to make their event special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousBoutique Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 2400???? GIRL.. thats amazing. I just did a wedding order of 640 beeswax tealights and I thought my eyes, hands, and brain were going to bleed, lol! I cant imagine 2400! whew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillowBoo Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 there is no recession when it comes to the bridal planning. Boy oh boy, you aren't kidding. Bridal type businesses are the way to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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