We’ve been pretty busy trying to keep up with everything and things are looking like staying that way with some great new products that have just arrived…like the stunning handmade crystal candle holders and votives!

We’ve also got some brand new and exclusive designer chair covers coming soon too, like the ruffled lycra covers these are gorgeous and exclusive to La Sposa.  About 4 weeks til i have the samples so i’ll be uploading pictures as soon as possible.  These are the sort of covers that can put your business on the map!

Also we are looking at supplying some of the nice Chiavari/Tiffany chairs so if you could please let us know if this is something you may be interested in.  Of course like everything else, we will be offering the best quality at the lowest prices!

And finally a quick mention of some of our preferred clients in the industry, feel free to check out their work if you’re looking for hiring or photography.

Jo at The Exotic Lily Event Hire has just launched her website with some stunning photo’s showing off her work – www.theexoticlilyeventhire.com.au.  For anyone in the Newcastle area she is literally THE BEST decorator.  In fact, even if you’re not in Newcastle she would be worth travelling for when you see the quality of her work.

For wedding photography take a look at www.weddingsnapper.com.au – Simon has some great work on the site so for any Melbournians please give him a call.

And remember, if you are looking to hire we unforunately cannot help you directly but we have contacts all over Australia who would be delighted to help.  So when you are getting quotes and comparing what’s out there to hire, ask if the products are from “La Sposa” so that you know you’ll be getting the best!

Thanks and regards,

Ili

La Sposa is a family owned business run by myself and my wife and with some extra help from our family members during busy times.  My son, although only 1 year old is keen to help too but I might wait a few more years before getting him involved!

What this means for our customers is that when you need to talk to us, when you have questions or problems, you can call us directly and deal with the two people who know the business inside out and will do anything we can to help.  We also encourage feedback on our products and if there’s something that can be improved we will certainly try and do so.  We pride our business on service and quality and will always listen to our customers if we have failed to achieve this.

So who are our customers then you might ask? Hopefully you are but if not our main customers are actually the small to medium wedding & event hire business.  These are the people that week in week out go to different venues and do a fantastic job in setting up the chair covers, sashes/bows and table decorations.  The photo’s on our website are from some of our customers and i think you’ll agree they look absolutely stunning! 

However we also supply to the hospitality industry around Australia including some small resturants as well as some larger hotels.  The main products we supply to these bigger businesses are table linen and chair covers

We also have many brides (and to a lesser extent grooms!) that purchase items for their own weddings like the photoframes and coasters we sell that are used as bomboniere/favors.

And more recently we have been able to help some of the smaller marriage celebrants set up their business with a few items like tablelinen for the signing tables and a handful of chair covers and sashes for the seats of the bride and groom.

So whether you are a big business, small business or no business at all we are here to help you with anything you need.  We dont believe in treating customers differently if they buy just 1 item or if they buy 1000 items.

The only customers we cant help are those looking to hire chair covers and sashes etc as we are purely retail and wholesale sales.   Actually, that’s not entirely true…although we cant hire out our products we can certainly point you in the direction of our clients who would be happy to help with your hiring needs.  And you know the products you hire will be of excellent quality if they carry the ‘La Sposa’ label!

And finally, since it’s been quite some time since i’ve uploaded any photos, i thought i would include a few today.  My little buy turned 1 recently and below is a picture of his very first hand painting…he’s quite an artist already!

Tip 1: Choose the right cake shop
If you have a favourite bakery nearby, then that could be the best place to start. You can ask for recommendations from your friends or family also. The availability of cake decorators might be restricted so make sure you visit the cake shop to talk about the designs, flavours and any extras you want to add to your cake. Make sure to give them a detailed description of exactly what you want your cake to be or better still take a picture with you. Make sure you give the baker enough time to prepare, approximately six months ahead of your big day would be ideal. You may need to pay a deposit for this.

Tip 2: The right taste
Apart from the look of the cake, bear in mind that cakes are made primarily for eating and should taste as good as they look good. The texture and flavour of the cake itself is important. When searching for a cake shop, ask for cake samples of the flavours you want.

Tip 3: Check on your budget
Wedding cakes vary greatly in price. The cost primarily depends on the cake design you would like. Something with an elaborate design is obviously going to cost more as you have to pay for the cake decorator’s fee on top of the cost of the cake itself. Most cake shops can tell you the standard number of servings for each cake type so keep in mind the number of guests are attending your wedding so you will know how much money you would allocate for the cake.

Tip 4: Flowers as decorations
Flowers have always been a tradition at weddings. You can also put them on cakes, either fresh flowers or artificial ones. If you are choosing fresh flowers make sure that they are free from chemicals. If you are not sure which flowers to choose the perhaps sugar flowers might be safer.

Tip 5: Where to put the cake
If you wedding is on a hot summers day your cake might end up melted under the heat of the sun. In case of this you should try and find somewhere in a cool shaded area. Never place your wedding cake near the dance floor where it can easily be knocked over and also make sure that you have a sturdy table to place the cake on.

So by following these simple tips, you should be able to find the perfect cake for your perfect wedding.

We thank all of our customers for they’re loyalty and thought we would provide a quick update on our family.  Our little boy Raffaele is now 7 months old and even more adorable now (if that’s possible!).  He’s already learning about the family business and is already keen to help out mummy and daddy!

Here’s a couple of pictures of my little man…

In regards to business, we are looking forward to the upcoming wedding season and to all of our existing customers and new ones, please let us know if there’s anything we can do for you.

We can now supply organza sashes in any colour and size at relatively short notice if we dont currently stock it.  If you can allow 2-3 weeks we can have it in for you.  Satin sashes may take a little longer or some extra freight charges may be incurred if we dont currently stock it.

We are in the process of sourcing a new range of vases and glassware too, it’s taking a little longer than expected as we want to ensure good quality.

Feel free to post any comments or contact me or Emily if there’s anything you would like to ask.

Regards,

Ili

#1 – If a deal is too good to be true, it’s too good to be true. I can’t believe people are thinking they found the deal of the century when they buy a “genuine” 1 carat diamond for under $1000! Then they get it evaluated by a proper jeweller who tells them it’s barely worth $100!

#2 – Testimonials saying, “I was so satisfied with the customer service of company x because they took care of me and the product was wonderful and I want them to marry my first born daughter and blah, Blah, BLAH,” are a load of bunk. People just don’t write this type of thing very often, and if they do, it’s probably because they were asked to.

#3 – Click on their security certificate. Simple Simon. Is it from a company you recognize or can verify on Google? When you’re entering your credit card information does it say https:// instead of http://? (The “s” stands for secure).

#4 – Call the phone number listed. If there is no phone number or someone answers speaking Swahili, good luck. You’ve been warned.

#5 – Try out there customer response email. Is their email address joecoxhulahips at fake email dot com or is it service@weddingringsforever.com, (or something else legit)?

#6 – Don’t buy from the first place you see unless you’re happy paying a higher price knowing it’s EXACTLY what you want. What ever happened to comparison shopping? I always feel sorry for those couples I see drive away with a new car from the first lot they stopped at.

#7 – Internet sales are usually just a marketing ploy. What you find is a good deal today will still be a good deal tomorrow. Don’t be afraid to sleep on it. Sales never end, they just change shape and form.

#8 – RRP is a scam. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price is usually founded upon a survey, not what people are actually willing to pay. Anyone can go around and eventually find some crack head willing to pay $295 for a pair of sneakers that just cost $2 to import from China. At Wedding Rings Forever we only use list price comparisons, and they’re actually based upon other prices we find our competitors selling the same products for. You may look at the list prices and say, “That’s ridiculous.” It is beyond me how people can charge so much and still sleep at night. You usually end up paying for their commercials, advertising, commercial building lease, and other overhead that we’ve been able to avoid.

#9 – Number 10 could be a whole other slew of reasons but I will just sum is up with BE SMART. If you have to enter your Social Security Number to buy a blouse, is that smart? If you agree to help the Prince of Nigeria wire 8 billion dollars to his bank in Omaha to help his dying sister, is that smart? If someone contacts you asking for all your personal information rather than you seeking that product out, is that smart? I would expect more from the savvy internet generation we live in.

Well, there it is! Good luck and happy shopping. Remember that the most important part of the wedding band is not the band at all, but rather who is wearing it and how it symbolizes love for one another.

The wedding industry appears to be going strong depsite the recession and global economic downturn which is great news for everyone involved!  It’s also good to see brides and grooms still spending the time and money to plan a great wedding rather than being pessimistic and worrying about things that may or may not happen.

I think what seems to have changed though is that people are looking more for value for money and how can they drive their wedding dollar further.  Everyone knows weddings can be expensive, as  recently married man I know how our budget stretched and then stretched some more!  People have to be much smarter with their money which is where La Sposa fits in.

We are able to supply brides and grooms as well as wedding hire business, hotels and function rooms exceptional quality chair covers and table linens at cheap prices.    If brides and grooms aren’t prepared to purchase the items themselves (and then try to to re-sell or re-use them later) they can contact us and we will try to put them in touch with some of the many hire companies that use our products.  And because we sell cheaply, it means the hire companies that buy from us generally charge less than the others without compromising on quality.

Just have a look at these stunning pictures from one of my many customers, if you live in or near Newcastle I can put you in contact with this great business and they can decorate your event:

Brides and grooms can come directly to us for their bomboniere gifts however as we sell a great range of gifts at great prices.  From coasters to photoframes to genuine Italian chocolates imported direct from Italy, I’m sure there’s something to suit.

And not only for weddings but for birthdays, christenings and parties, our accessories and decorations can suit any event.

As a special ‘thank you’ to everyone, for a limited time every order over $50 will recieve a free sample of the italian chocolate ‘Torrone’.  Just mention this blog and the choccy is yours!

Thanks for reading and please contact me if you have any questions.
Yours sincerely,

Iliano Ciardiello.

Owner/Manager La Sposa – Wedding & Event Supplies

He arrived on Thursday the 22nd of January 2009 and is a healthy 8lb 8oz!

Thanks to everyone who has helped to make La Sposa a success, we are only going to get bigger and better in 2009!

I’ve also listed some new products, we now have some Christening/Party gift ideas not just wedding bomboniere.  We also have all of our chair cover and sash range in stock and ready to ship.

I’ve got some great new products being added to the site very shortly so please check regularly!

Thanks and regards,

Iliano

One thing that stood out to her was an idle-looking DJ who hit a few buttons on his laptop and appeared to take the rest of the night easy.

“I swear to god, the DJ was playing Solitaire throughout the dinner and cocktail hour,” Spence noted in an online forum at wedding-planning site TheKnot.com. “It seems sort of silly to pay someone a lot of money to sit at a laptop and put on songs when we can do the exact same thing.”

With their confidence in wedding DJs dented, Spence and her fiance are counting on their iPod to provide the musical entertainment at their wedding reception later this month. They’re among a growing number of couples making personal music players a central part of their big day.

Keeping wedding budgets in check is one reason couples are going the digital-DJ route. According to wedding-planning guide Bridal Bargains, professional DJs charge an average of $600 per wedding. A live band can run upwards of $1,000. If a couple has already plunked down $400 or so for an iPod or an iRiver, and spent hours refining their digital-music collection, it’s easy to see why a DJ might seem superfluous.

“What could be easier?” said Lori Leibovich, editor of IndieBride.com, a Web site for brides. “You bring it, you program it, it sounds great. It doesn’t surprise me at all that more people are doing it.”

Do-it-yourself wedding music has emerged as a popular discussion topic on IndieBride’s discussion forums, as well as those at TheKnot.com. In another signal that the trend is on the rise, the latest edition of the best-selling book “Bridal Bargains” features a section on “the iPod wedding.”

Celebrities are looking into iPods as DJs, too. Rock star Alanis Morissette, who’s engaged to actor Ryan Reynolds, has said during recent interviews that she may use an iPod at her wedding next year.

Article from cnet.com.au – http://www.cnet.com.au/mp3players/mp3players/0,239036128,240057123,00.htm?omnRef=http://www.google.com.au/search?q=wedding%20news%20article&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

That’s good news for the wedding industry, now all I need to do is get all these couples to buy chair covers and sashes!!

Article from The Age – http://www.theage.com.au/national/marriage-rate-on-rise-as-aussies-rush-to-altar-20080930-4qxy.html

Wedding bells were clanging with abandon around Australia last year, with the highest number of marriages recorded in a single year since 1990.

- Most marriages since 1990
- More than 116,000 registered
- First-time marriage age rises

More than 116,000 marriages were registered in 2007, figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today show.

But while the number of nuptials increased by almost 2% from the year before, the percentage of the population saying ‘I do’ is continuing to decline.

In 1998, there were 7.1 marriages per 1000 people, but last year only 5.5 in every thousand took the plunge.

Western Australia and Tasmania proved popular places to get hitched in 2007, with the number of marriages up by 6% and 5% respectively.

And bride and grooms are continuing to wait longer to make the commitment: the average first-time marriage age for men is now 29.6 years and for women 27.6 years. In 1989, the average was 26.1 years for men and 24 years for women.

The ABS statistics also show:

*76.8% of couples now live together before marrying

*March is the most popular month to tie the knot, followed by November and October

*63% of couples hired a civil celebrant last year, compared to 20 years ago, when almost 60% of marriages were conducted by a religious minister.