Business Opportunities Weblog

June 10, 2008 by Rich Whittle | 4 Comments

Entrepreneur.com:

As more than 2 million U.S. couples sort out their wedding budgets — which averaged $28,732 in 2007 — they’ll collectively be spending more than $62.8 billion this year to make the experience as memorable and personal as possible.

And sometimes that requires looking for entrepreneurs specializing in something a little more than ordinary.

At Wedding Ring Workshop USA, for instance, couples not only design, but also make their own rings with the guidance of an experienced jeweler.

“We don’t really sell rings, we sell an experience,” says owner Lewis Barnes, 84, who carefully selects jewelers across the country as much for their skills as their personalities. “It’s great fun, and it’s a loving memory for the whole of their lives.”

The daylong process includes lunch, a disposable camera to document the experience and a bottle of champagne at the end — when Barnes says their faces beam at their creations because the jeweler guarantees customers they won’t mess it up.

Nora Donston, 52, also found a unique way to enhance the wedding experience with her business, A Butterfly Affaire in Hemet, Calif. By partnering with a butterfly breeder, Donston farms beautiful monarch butterflies every week and then carefully and safely packages them in individual boxes. When the butterflies arrive, they’re healthy so ceremony guests can take boxes and release the butterflies together.

Since she started in 2000, her client base has consistently increased, not only among Hollywood clients and nearby zoos, but also among young couples who hear about this visually appealing and hassle-free alternative to throwing rice or releasing birds or balloons.

“The popularity of my business is more about the experience — it’s beautiful and spiritual to see all those creatures released into the air,” Donston says.

Photo by pixelfairy.

In Uncategorized | 4 Comments
Tags: Niche, Weddings, Women