Really English Card Company

Recently, we were contacted by a local company about one of their product and we thought we'd pass it on to our followers.

Given the recent economic dip, there's never been a better time to support local businesses and this company are based in the same town that we are. In fact, they're just up the road. 

So, if you've been following our Twitter and Facebook feeds, then you might have noticed that we've been mentioning The Really English Card Company. 

They design and hand draw greetings cards and then sell them to members of the public directly or via businesses or galleries. 

They're also willing to apply their talent to anything specific that you might have a need for: wedding or civil partnership invitations for example.

They've got some fantastic designs, and you can find their website here

It's reminded us of how many small, independent businesses there are in the local area that could help a wedding or civil partnership stand out from the rest. It's easy to get carried away with big, flashy organisations: those with dynamic, well-ranked webpages and 40,000 likes on Facebook. The problem is however, that the business they're aiming at you is also what they're aiming at every other couple.

The wedding industry can sometimes resemble the high street: plenty of choice, but with everyone looking in the same places, and buying the same things, it can be hard to stand out.

Therefore, we shouldn't always look big for inspiration, but small and local.  Bespoke and unique additions to weddings are now within reach of most people. If you're budget conscious, sometimes it just means looking a little harder. In an economic climate where small businesses are really struggling there is no reason why a couple feeling the pinch of their wedding budget can't help local industry, or even hobbyists, and in return receive a unique, quality service.

If there isn't a local business that can help you, then you can use the internet to find other small business that are local to other people. If you can't support your own town or county, then support someone else's.

It's about being smart with your searching.  What's mainstream and popular are always likely to be expensive, even with the high levels of competition between vendors, because the wedding industry has proven to be very robust even in serious economic downturn: there will always be a demand for weddings.

1. Check with friends & family to see if they have any skills or talents that you could utilize. This will not only help to keep costs down, but it'll also give you some genuinely unique additions to the day. Ask them, too, for any businesses or services that they know of.
   
2. Phone up your local Chamber of Commerce and ask if there are any businesses that fit in with your theme or ideas. Don't assume that because they don't normally do weddings that they won't or can't help you.
   
3. When asking for prices, don't tell the vendor or service that you're getting married unless you have to. Prices normally rise when people hear the word wedding; they'll assume you'll be willing to pay more.
   
4. Search for small, local companies via the internet and then call them to negotiate what you need and how much you're willing to pay. Just because something isn't listed as a service doesn't mean they can't help you. 

We'd love to hear you're own experiences of using local suppliers for your wedding day. Get in touch via our comments box below or with our social media accounts.