Make Valentine's day romantic

With February 14th drawing closer it’s that time of year when romance is in the air. Every year flowers, chocolates and expensive candle lit dinners top the list of Valentine gifts but are they really romantic ?
If planning for the day highlights how important the gesture is then a survey on yell.com show that some people may be doing it from guilt or peer pressure and leave planning their Valentine’s present to 9am on the 14th with searches for florists rising 600% above the usual average and restaurants following closely behind.
I for one don’t consider a meal for two along with 20 other couples ‘Romantic’ and the respondents to a recent 200 survey on romance agree, with me. Even though we all love to be whisked away for a holiday, if that’s beyond your budget, smaller more personalised gifts where some thought has gone to it are much more appreciated:
- a handmade card
- a home made heart shape cookies or cake
- a meal with their favourite ingredients
- a tape of special songs
- a handcrafted piece of jewellery to match a favourite outfit from www.bohochicjewellery.co.uk

Marketing

At last I have managed to put some of my wedding collection up on my website. http://www.bohochicjewellery.co.uk/. Now it is just a matter of letting everyone know that I'm here and they can buy wedding accessories and gifts from me. Where do I start ? The list of options is endless

• Listing Websites


• Advertising in magazines/papers


• Craft fairs


• Wedding fairs


• Mailing lists


• Search engine optimisation and Ad words


• Leaflet distribution


• Word of mouth


• Contacting people already in the business - wedding planner, bridal shops, Wedding dress makers.

So I suppose the real question is how much do I want to spend. My first view was as little as possible but if I want this venture to work then I have to put something into marketing and getting the word out there that I exist !!

I've done the things that I can do 'free'. There are a few craft and wedding websites that have free listings that I have found so have added my name to the list and I have e-mailed local shops and suppliers to tell them I exist. I intend to also give them a call later in the week and see if I can visit them.

I attended a local wedding fair the other week. It was quite a large fair with lots of stalls and two fashion shows. There were also a lot of people there, it felt a bit like a cattle market and you had to go with the crowd. I felt a bit overwhelmed by everything so have decided to attend a few smaller venues where I hope it is easier to get to chat to the brides. I have also gone for the 'leaflet distribution' option at some fairs where they distribute your leaflets in their 'goodie' bags and you get a contact list of attendees. To encourage people to visit my website I have a competition going on until 30th April to win £300 of jewellery and hair accessories.

I'm excited and scared at the same time. I'll let you know how I get on.