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Rich With Novelty

I must admit, I’m a bit cynical about weddings, and started working on this issue with just that attitude. But a recent New York Times article, focusing on the connection between income and happiness, shifted my perspective. It cited a study that indicated a high income doesn’t guarantee happiness. Once you attain it, the thinking goes, you’ll just covet what your new neighbors have.

The study is being challenged by newer research, and while I believe happiness is more about attitude than income, the idea of people wanting what others around them have got me thinking.

I realized the notion definitely applies to me. While I was hardly well-heeled while working in New York City publishing, I dreamed of wearing the seemingly effortlessly put together ensembles of executives. Now that I’m on the suburban mommy circuit, it’s an oversized planter or pair of Gucci sandals that gets my heart racing.

More importantly, however, this concept is at the crux of every bridal sale, and it will hopefully get us all through whatever economic bumps emerge down the road. In essence, it’s also how trends originate and circulate.

We’ve seen this occur with save-the-dates. An antiquated item originally used for destination or holiday nuptials, they’ve recently been reborn as a bridal must-have. The new ones succeed so well because their reinvention hasn’t included any rules — they can be as informal, witty or coordinated to the rest of the paper trousseau as the bride wishes.

Because the bridal climate constantly evolves, it remains exciting and fresh. I’ve found my cynical self dazzled by so many elements — lace, monograms, maps and yellow, to name just a few — all repurposed and reinterpreted for today’s brides.

To speak to these “new” brides, stay on top of their trends. We are all fortunate to play a role in these most important moments; after all, there aren’t too many in life when one chapter definitively ends and another begins. Help your customers make the most of this standing in the doorway; what you create together will only increase in sentimental value as the years roll by.