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Story by
Vanessa
Published on March 5, 2008 in Etsy News |
Photo by sixhours' "The Forgotten Bride" |
Dear Sellers,
As a bride-to-be, I've noticed firsthand a little something called the "Wedding Industry." Bethela, who works on Etsy's Business and Finance Team, put it in perspective for me: it's a 50-70 billion dollar industry, and 9 billion dollars were spent online for wedding-related items, according to The Wedding Report, Inc's 2006 study.
Personally, I'm going through the process of planning a wedding right now and I've been amazed by the multitudes of details and decisions a bride-to-be has to make. We can choose to say "no" to a lot of the commercial stuff out there and we can choose to say "no" to the inner Bridezilla that consumerism tries to coax from within our romantic hearts. And so — being a working bride and an Etsy admin — I've turned my sights to our handmade marketplace for advice, for things I need to buy, and especially for quality custom orders. I want to express something personal about myself and my fiance in our wedding and I want to spend my money supporting indie artists and maybe learning how to make a few things myself. Etsy should be a great place to do just that.
Here's what we at Etsy are doing to about it:
- We've been working hard on developing original content for our first Storque Handmade Wedding series. The series will last about a month with posts every day. Many Etsians have volunteered in this forum thread to contribute their own stories to the Storque series and also share their expertise from their own experiences as sellers and brides.
- For this series, we're doing a targeted push to cross-pollinate content with several design and wedding-related blogs and websites.
- We're placing Etsy-branded ads on targeted blogs and webites. We'll list these here once they're confirmed.
- We will be plugging the Wedding Category and its Showcase in the Handmade Wedding Storque series.
- We'll also be linking to the Wedding Gift Guide.
- We are timing the launch of this series with the re-launch of Alchemy, which we think could be a huge asset for sellers interested in doing custom orders.
And so I'm calling on Sellers to help make Etsy a destination for wedding-related items. Here's how Sellers can help:
- If you do custom work for weddings, you should list a sample pack for sale in your shop. Soon, Alchemy will re-launch and custom-orders will be even more convenient. To be included in the Storque's related items, we need a listing number and need a listing to be able to show off what you do.
- If you have never put any of your items in the Wedding Category, now would be a good time to test that out and track your views and sales.
- And, I noticed that there are about a million spots still open on our Weddings Category Showcase. This will be getting increased traffic.
- Blog about the Handmade Weddings series when it launches. Link back to the Storque!
- Post your favorite wedding-related blogs below in the comments.
- Give us your suggestions for sub-categories for the Wedding Category in the comments below.
In my opinion, the Wedding Category is under-utilized! We will fill you in on more details with timing and advertising here as soon as we can. Let's make it kick some bridal butt and show the world how personalized, creative and beautiful handmade weddings can be! Grrrr! — Respectfully yours, the Handmade non-Bridezilla
Wedding Gift Guide | Wedding Category | Wedding Showcase | Handmade Wedding Series
| Tags | ads, blogging, Handmade Wedding Series, marketing, selling, Showcase |
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82 comments Login to add your own!
theisland
Very cool! I'm currently beading a veil for my friend's wedding, and I was wondering how much of a market Etsy has for wedding items. That's definitely something to consider!
Congrats on your wedding!! All the best!! :)
fernfiddlehead
Vanessa -- I think this is fab. When I got married (almost 21 years ago?!?!?) I made everything. My friend took the pictures. A friend's band played the music at the reception. Our families performed at the ceremony. Good luck and, oh yea, this etsy wedding thing is a GREAT idea.
staceyrebecca
Vanessa, I didn't know you were getting married! Congratulations! Let me know if you need.um...uh....felt?
gemmafactrix
If I have a bridal line, am I allowed to list this in weddings, or should it stay in jewelry?
Alesi
very excited about this
I currently have pieces in the wedding category already. I design some jewelry specifically with brides in mind. I have also done jewelry for entire bridal parties in the past. Its a lot of fun!
IWillFly
I am terribly hesitant to put items in the wedding category, I feel they get more exposure in the clothing or jewelry section, but with more attention being focused on the wedding category that may change.
Earmark
this is fantastic! i would love this, we create custom wedding invitations from simple invites to elaborate invitations! I actually just did a wedding dress three day blog feature all using etsy designers!
kirby
I am happy to hear this, as this is something that is going to be relevent to me in the next year, and love LOVE the idea of a handmade ETSY-style wedding. I want to just say NO to commercial wedding blah-ness. :)
gemmafactrix
See, this would be a great occasion for items to be allowed in multiple categories. :)
jamieribisi
I handmade most of my wedding items and also bought items from Etsy sellers. I got my jewelry here (but did not search under 'wedding'-- I tend to think that it would be only tacky items available. I just wanted something handmade with a vintage feel and a bit of color.) We made the groomsmens' boutonnières out of felt, ribbons, and acorns. Bought vintage china for the place settings. We made our own invitations and reply cards out of recycled materials and twigs. Tons of ideas-- we just needed the time to do it and we did!
Photos--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pidjin/5...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pidjin/s...
OriginalsByLynnette
This is perfect. I just got a custom order for a vintage-style necklace, as well as selling lots of my vintage bobby pins to brides to use instead of headpieces.
giantwombat
This is great! I painted my own aisle runner for my wedding last august, and I think it's great for brides to have handmade customized details to make their day special (and as non-commercial as possible)!
JewelrybyJaime
I'd like to see a jewelry sub-category.
I love to make pearl jewelry that would be perfect for brides-I actually have a wedding section in my store, but I don't want to loose the non-bride client looking for pearl jewelry...
Or is that already in existence?
KiwiTreeBotique
Nice to hear. Very.
When I got married, I wasn't yet familiar (alas!) with Etsy... so I made so much myself. My husband and I designed the invitations, website and used our money to support the local Botanical garden and architectural museum, instead of a reception hall. I made the jewelry for my bridesmaids & the mothers. Arranged the flowers (boquets, corsages, etc... no table distractions necessary at the awesome reception location) If only I had known about Etsy. It would have been exactly what I was after!
As a side note, I would love to do custom work for weddings. I think some packs of my matches have recently been used as bridesmaid gifts too... :)
MewPaperArts
Etsy will take the "wedding industry" by storm! I'm also a bride-to-be (just four weeks to go!) and I have found some great items for my wedding right here! As an invitation designer I look forward to hearing from couples who are looking for something unique and non-traditional for their wedding stationery.
Check out the adorable caketopper I bought from http://missavocado.etsy.com She's even customizing it for me!
graceartandantiques
I agree--perfect opportunity for cross referencing in multiple categories....I already have a wedding category, but some stuff could go elsewhere as well. I'm working on new wedding things with the season fast approaching, and I'm thrilled that you're launching this. I think there's a big interest in vintage wedding stuff, too. Look forward to participating.
Atalanta0jess
My partner and I are buying our wedding rings off of Etsy (in just a few days, once our pay checks are all deposited!) I'm also thinking of buying a veil of some sort.
Our wedding is going to be super small, and all about love love love, and I'm so excited to have some handmade items (that I like to imagine were made with love) be part of that!
rubyandcrickette
hi guys!
i'm fairly new to Etsy so still trying to work out what's what... i am all for hand-made for brides, i do a lot of custom work for brides to be without the 'bridal' price-tag! i know what it is like to be on a budget but still want to look great and cater to your guests...
- i have only just uploaded some of my bridal pieces onto here from my website to see how it goes...
i dislike the fact that people take advantage of blushing, gushing brides... then again women get sooo caught up in this 'special' day that they end up blindly throwing their money left, right and centre till they have little money left for jewellery (well from my experience anyway) or their 10(!) bridesmaids!!! LOL!!!
but yeah bring it on - anything to boost traffic in order to get sales is worth doing!!!
ps - if i had discovered Etsy before i got married - i could have gotten a very unique set of wedding bands :( instead of settling for mass produced over-priced ones... :P
SomethingBold
I'm excited to read about all the things that are in store for the weddings category! So many of my customers seem so relieved when they've finally "found me" on Etsy for the birdcage veil they've been searching for. We should make it as easy as possible for brides out there to find all the great wedding items on Etsy!
PoPkO
Hey Vanessa, congratulations!
I have a question about listing the sample pack in our shops as you suggested. What does that mean exactly?
and you said "To be included in the Storque's related items, we need a listing number and need a listing to be able to show off what you do." Where should we post this number?
I make real butterfly wing necklaces and have had a bunch of custom orders for weddings and am trying to show more brides how to get these too. cheers!
bstudio
Hi Vanessa, congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
I'm happy to read that the wedding category will be getting some attention as I have my ring pillows and embroidered cards listed there.
Here's a sample of one of my ring pillows, it's my dragonfly one which I know you like,
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
judysnow
Hi Vanessa, Congratulations on your up-coming Wedding.
I Have hand-made wooden Church House Birdhouses which you can decorate with my Hand-cut Mosaic Tiles from Vintage and Antique China Glass and pottery.
Please visit my shop and have a look at these unique Church Birdhouses made by my husband "PapaHoney" just type in
judysnow seller name. thanks and Wonderful Memories for your Wedding
MissAvocado
Bravo Etsy for helping promote handcrafted weddings! I can't wait to see the features. Coming from a family that helped put together my sister's wedding by ourselves (cake, dress, flowers, food, photography, and even the officiant!), this really rings true and is refreshing.
InvitaPaperStudio
This is exciting! I defiently think there is a market for wedding related items here on Etsy. Ever since i started listing wedding invitations in January, my views have gone up, and specially my wedding invites get tons of views! A very popular item for me is save the dates, brides are always looking for ways to be creative :)
LHCalligraphy
Vanessa,
What a great article and very informative. Etsy has been such a success for me. I love it on here, and I have been getting so many inquiries and views from brides I never would have gotten and I only signed up in January. I sell sample packets on my site so I am wondering about listing the numbers on storque as you mentioned. Also, I have a calligraphy related wedding blog, www.luckyorchidwedding.blogspot.com and another great blog is www.snippetandink.blogspot.com. Thanks so much for the article and congrats on your engagement!
tortillagirl
I wish that Etsy existed when I got married in 1996! I would have so bought everything here, handmade.
I still did my part, though. I had my dress designed and handmade by a retired Spanish couture designer, my headpiece designed and handmade by a friend of hers, my cake handmade and decorated by the friend of a colleague, a buffet lunch catered by one of my neighbors...and it all looked so good! :-)
Now I want to add some wedding-related items to my shop. Thanks for the inspiration!
tamar
Merry wedding Vanessa!
What a great idea, I hope it brings more business to all of us :)
Here are my Flower girl Fairy crowns:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=...
Tamar
Kemunett
Dear Vanessa, Congrats to you and your fiance. I am new to Etsy and I do solely wedding products.My first product on etsy are my rice holder pots (item #10016638).I'm actually making 100 of them for my cousin's huge wedding.I'm excited about this great idea of yours and would love to know what brides think of my products. Visit my shop 'kemunett'.
MagicIsland
Congratulations Vanessa!
I have wedding photography posted in my online shop. I also use all handmade wedding albums in my 'real' store. The wedding category on Etsy is great! It has just about everything you might need. Thanks for promoting it.
PamperingBeki
I'm so excited to see this! Congratulations Vanessa on your upcoming wedding!
Most of my wedding was handmade but that was because we were too poor to afford anything. It was nice but it could've been so much cooler if etsy had been around then!
I do a lot of wedding jewelry and hair flowers so I'm excited to watch this progress.
CaleraJewelry
Vanessa, congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
I got married last month, and I bought my invitations and thank you notes from a great Etsy seller. I got lots of compliments on them.
Also, I made jewelry for me and my matron of honor and wedding rosaries for me and my husband. Several people said I should add them to my shop, and, based on this article, maybe I will :)
Vanessa
ok, I just spoke with Customer Support about this Custom Listing idea I recommended and Popko had questions about.
Here's an example from moontreepress:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
This is one way to show up in bride-to-bes' search results. The thing for sale is a sample of your work. Another option is something like this:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
Where your title and description makes it clear that the customer is going to be doing a custom job with you. There just has to be a tangible item for sale.
ohsosuite
this is awesome, etsy needs to push all the handmade wedding loveliness that lives here! (Including my custom invitations!) wink, wink! thanks!
petalandpink
This is fantastic! I've been doing a lot of my wedding shopping here on Etsy. ChicAllure (chicallure.etsy.com) made my awesome hair comb for it. I also just made my day of jewelry and had contemplated listing it for custom orders. Thanks Etsy!
hannahmade
This is wonderful! I have been making custom bridal jewelry for years! Everything from the bride's earrings or necklace to the gifts she gives her bridesmaids!
annaspots
Thanks so much for giving the wedding section a little extra attention! I think you are so right in that this is an area of etsy which has huge potential!
I have to make a suggestion about the wedding subcategories. I think that a 'gift' subcategory under weddings would be wonderful. I would love to market some of my little bottle and cruet pairs as gifts for newlyweds, but that is hard to do under the current category (and tagging) system. I'm sure there are other sellers out there who feel like some of their products would be the perfect gift for a bride and groom as well.
aloka
Fantastic! Here's a popular wedding blog:
http://dantzlerdesignz.blogspot.com/. You can find other good ones at delightfulblogs.com, under the Wedding category : http://delightfulblogs.com/Wedding___....
I lent a big hand in this handmade wedding, blogged about here by the photographer:
http://tigerlilyphotography.typepad.c...
...from designing and metalsmithing the jewelry to helping design and put together the orchid bouquets! It was so much fun.
mezzo
SweeterThanMeBridal
I am so glad that the wedding section is getting some much needed recognition!! I would love to participate! I've got a listing for custom jewelry, the listing ID is 10070338. I have a wedding treasury here - http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php... - it's got some really beautiful things in it! Hope that helps :D
PoPkO
thank you vanessa. i understand the sample thing now. and it gave me a good idea too- to offer sample brochures of my work for a small fee. this way i can give them an actual pamphlet of my work to put in their bridal folders, instead of just a link to a picture online. heres an example of my custom order listing for bridal jewelry.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
alphaomega
cool.
a few years ago i wrote
"The Commitment Song"
(The Politically Correct Wedding Song)
and released it on my CD 'chronology.'
ayanacreations
Congrats Vanessa...I can't wait to see what happens. I make custom beaded wedding flowers. I'm so excited that the wedding section is going to get this attention. :D
arosebyname
I had listed a couple of items to the forum thread about adding to the Gift Guides, but never saw anything happen. I have a Wedding section in my shop and just sold an entire jewelry set to a new bride and I'm currently working on necklaces and bracelets for her nieces. I would love to be a part of this endeavor!
Anna
piperewan
a good amount of my business on and off etsy is in weddings. what i wonder is: my line isn't soley geared towards weddings. i use secondary tags such as: bride, bridal, bridesmaid, weddings etc. to identify as such, but i do not always want to put weddings as the top level category (an example would be my flowers, which are labeled as accessories, and garters, which i currently put in weddings as a top level category), which i don't want pigeonholed into weddings and not seen by say, burlesque dancers or ladies looking for adornment, and wouldn't necessarily be looking in the weddings section.
chakrapennywhistle
Hi there Vanessa,
Thanks again for this article:) I just wanted to share my story with everyone. Just yesterday, I had a request for a custom wedding date patch. The sweet gal that ordered it loved it so much that she quickly posted a photo of it on theknot.com forum. She is a regular on there and seems to have a close knit circle of brides who share in their unique finds. Since her post, my views have shot way up and I have made some sales. It has been a total blast! It seems that a lot of these gals are a bit new to Etsy. It is a lot of fun reading their reaction to the whole site! The only thing that I can really stress the importance of is making sure that titles, descriptions, payment options, etc. are very clear. Also, I can't wait for Alchemy:) I have never used it before and am excited to learn more about it. Okay, I must stop. Have a great weekend everyone:)
Oh here is my listing for the patches.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
Congratulations Vanessa!
jenspeaks
When I got married in 2005, I ended up doing a lot of things myself, including making my own bouquets out of crystals and wire. You can see them here:
http://flickr.com/photos/jenspeaks/se...
I'm now offering to make them for other brides with a custom listing in my shop.
I like the idea of offering a custom sample listing for jewelry as well.
Can't wait to see how the series turns out. Even though my wedding is past, I love all things bridal!
aloka
Oh, it would be wonderful to get connected with the knot.com!
This article inspired me, and gave me tips that I used today when I posted this custom jewelry set:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
If I hadn't read this article, I wouldn't have known about the wedding category!
monheganmoment
just a thought for sub categories - bridal party gifts! I will put an item or two in the wedding category for weddings that are inspired by, themed or located by the sea!
monheganmoment
I will come up with some wedding (beach, sea, coast, ocean) inspired items for decorations, bridal party gifts, etc... over the next few days. My niece is getting married soon and I've been asked to create custom jewelry for her bridesmaids and centerpieces as well for guests to take with them. I'll post my new creations soon. Thanks for the additional motivation!
AnneHolman
i think it is a great idea to promote wedding items on Etsy! a handmade wedding is really the way to go.
if i list my items under weddings, and the second tag is jewelry, will they still show up under a search for jewelry? not sure i want to be exclusive to the weddings category, though it does bring a great deal of traffic from what i've found.
Vanessa
Thanks for all your comments. I will soon be updating this post with a list of all the bloggers and website who will be contributing to the series. I'm very excited!
beadifulthings
"If you do custom work for weddings, you should list a sample pack for sale in your shop....To be included in the Storque's related items, we need a listing number and need a listing to be able to show off what you do."
I'm not really sure I understand what a sample pack is. Can you give a little more detail on this?
ClinkscalesArts
I think this is a fabulous idea.
Vanessa - can you give us any type of deadline for having the items/and or sample pack listed in our shop in order to be included in the Storque's related items?
Thanks so much and congrats!
MountainEagleCrafter
A suggestion for a wedding sub-category is "Bridesmaid/Groomsmen Gifts".
I make cotton soap sacks (which go very very well with handmade Etsy soap!) and in my listings for these I comment that I can custom-make sets in the wedding colors as gifts for the wedding party.
(or anyone else the couple wishes to give a thank-you gift to that won't break the bank!)
A small gift, yes, but one that will be used and appreciated!
Vanessa
I'll be able to give you a firm deadline soon. Just know it is very near...
And we're working with guest bloggers and other Etsians who are writing piece, so I cannot guarantee your item will be featured. This is a heads up for you to get in on the pool of items we'll be considering.
electricbluebird
I just started listing some of my headpieces. I call them Boho Bride. They are almost completely made by hand - all handmade flowers, beaded sprays, vintage buttons, etc. They are great for flower girls and attendants too.
I will send a sample asap.
UglyKitty
I'm not sure if this is where to include this, but here is my listing for the sample packs. I'd love to be included in the Storque Related Items. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
Thanks!
pinkangel
This is all very exciting and I must be some kind of psychic as I posted an etsy wedding post on my Crafty Bride blog the other day:
http://craftybride.blogspot.com/
I'll definitely link to the articles on the storque when they're up from my blog.
I look forward to seeing more as I'm planning my wedding for next October.
I've been meaning to extend my wedding range so this looks like a good time to do it.
lushbella
i'm not sure if this is the right place to say this, but emily over at eco-chic weddings ~ one of the blogs participating in the handmade wedding series ~ was kind enough to blog about my work. i recently composed an arrangement for a bride, who sent me some spare beads from her wedding gown, and so i would love to be included in the etsy wedding gift guide.
fubabee
Being in the midst of several wedding invitation and favor tag orders I must say that this is a timely endeavor. Would love to see all the articles once it's up.
reggieana
This is really exciting! Looking forward to seeing the list of targeted websites for advertising.
NiftyPear
I was a DIY bride in 2006 and it made for a very personal and unique wedding. I wouldn't have changed a thing.
This is a very cool item is for all those planning the shower for the bride:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
juniperberry
Very exciting. I was a definite DIY bride two years ago, mainly because I'm such a control freak it was easier to do it myself!
I'll also be posting more wedding stuff soon...wedding shower invites, and custom invitations.
Would love to know how to get more involved.
miraartz
Great News. I will be posting some custom guest books and Photo albums shotly.
TrueViolet
This is a great idea! I just starting posting my wedding invitations 2 days ago. I hope to have much more up soon.
I too would love to get more involved with this!
sodapoprocks
"In my opinion, the Wedding Category is under-utilized!"
OMG SWEET! I feel the saaaaaaaaame way. This is going to be amazing! :] eeeeeeee
CarolsheARTCreations
As a former floral designer of bridal bouquets, I worked with many brides & their mothers. Through the years I've had some unusual requests...I once had a photo of a bride & her deceased father printed on fabric & appliqued it to an heirloom hankerchief. The mother of the bride cried when she saw it. This is a fabulous idea & I would love to be involved. I will be adding some of my Wedding creations soon!!!
bobishi
As a bride-to-be and an excited etsy user I am soooo happy that you have decided to push this area! I would much prefer to give my hard earned dollars to someone who has put their hardwork and hopefully some care and love into their work! Instead of the empty commercial giant that is constantly shoved in my face! I love etsy:)
VintageBlues
What a great idea! I've been to too many weddings that had "commercially made little trinkets that you don't know what to do with" for favors. Do I really need a plastic dove topped swizzle stick? That is why I create personalized seed packets. It's a lasting rememberance of a special day. I will be posting one of my wedding samples this weekend.
waisze
This is great news. We should definitely push to have brides look at handmade for their weddings rather than expensive commercial stuff.
waisze
I'm not sure if I should be linking it here, but...
I sell samples of these altered tins which can be used for wedding favors. (These were created for my own wedding last September.)
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
I also sell Mini-Scrapbooks as Bridal Party gifts.
KatLambrix
Great news, I'm so excited to hear this! I got a bunch of stuff for my wedding last year from Etsy, and this looks like it will be a great resource to direct brides to who aren't sure how to get started with Etsy or DIY weddings.
islandsilks
I just joined Etsy and am in the wedding category already. So excited to be here and can't wait for more exposure! come and visit!
armatodesign
Thanks for making such a targeted effort with the wedding category AND combining it with the re-release of Alchemy.
I just posted a wedding invitation design:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
and I also have a fill-in shower invitation I just relisted:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
I will (hopefully) be posting two more invitations tomorrow.
Thank you, THANK YOU for doing this.
Pavoreal
These are awesome news! I've been selling bridal jewelry and headpieces in my Etsy shop for about two years now and the customizing process is always a great experience. I just love to work with brides to create new pieces based on my designs and their personal input.
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
I will be listing a "Custom Hairvine" soon.
And congratulations, Vanessa!!
armatodesign
One more thing Vanessa: we have published a small video on how a letterpress wedding invitation is created. This will be very informative to those who don't know much about the letterpress process. I find it really helps to see it in action. Here's the link: http://armatodesign.com/GreenZebra/?p...
theprimypatch
Hi Vanessa...best wishes to you both on your special day.
I would love to be included in this category. I just had 3 weddings alone in my family within the last year and each of my niece and nephews were given their own personalized stitchery to commemorate their wedding day. It was what they cherished more than store bought gifts.
Here's my link -
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
Thanks for your hard work in putting this together.
chicbeadgirl
I am so excited about wedding season this year. I've already done two custom wedding jewelry sets with the second one just heading to Canada yesterday. Glad to be a part of all of this promotional stuff!
carolbarclay
Hi Vanessa, Congratulations, and savor every moment of planning your wedding! May it be a magical celebration.
I do a set that includes a custom platter and dessert-plate-favors for a bridal shower or wedding. (I created these for our daughter's backyard wedding) The guests loved the plate-favors so much, they didn't want to put them down when it was time for the dancing in the grass!
littlebbridal
I'm a recent DIY bride and new to the wedding industry as a professional crafter -- this feels like great timing!
kimonocards
I have an idea for place settings/giveaways: my handmade greeting cards made with vintage Japanese kimono silk fabrics. They can be placed at each guest's plate with a pretty nametag and then taken home to use as a gift card. I can make many designs; visit www.kimonocards.com and www.kimonocards.etsy.com
You can also write to me at: kimonocards@gmail.com
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i've just been searching etsy for the perfect ring - what good timing! brides are some of my own best customers as well. great idea!!!