We make weddings wonderful
Every bride wants their wedding to feel magical. Christina Quaine meets women whose businesses put a bespoke stamp on the big day
The women who put a bespoke stamp on the big day
“I work flat out between March and october satisfying big orders”
Heidi Lawton, 44, lives in nottingham with her husband and their children aged six and four. in 2009 she founded extra special Touch, creating handmade wedding accessories such as personalised embroidered napkins and handkerchiefs, and luxury garters.
the idea
When I got married in 2008 I made embroidered monogrammed napkins for the tables, as I really wanted a personal touch. I love monograms and I have a background in fabrics and design – I was a sales manager for a sewing machine company for 10 years – so it seemed a good fit. Our guests loved the napkins and afterwards, friends and family started asking me to make some for them. So it started as a hobby but then a business idea began to take shape. In 2009 I bought an embroidery machine and began selling a few designs through Etsy. After having my son in 2012, I decided I wouldn’t go back to work as a sales manager as it involved too much
travelling. I would be a stay-at-home mum while trying to grow the business.
Making it happen
I set up an e-commerce site through Word Press. It would have cost at least £7,000 to outsource it and I needed to do this on a shoestring, so I taught myself how to create a website – that was a huge learning curve. I also did my own product photography in the early days. I did very little paid advertising, instead concentrating on ensuring I came top of Google searches and promoting my business through social media.
Breakthrough Moment
I didn’t take any money out of the business for three years but in 2015 the turnover grew and I started taking a part-time wage of £500 a month to help towards the mortgage. My photography skills were getting better, I was getting more and more orders and it felt like everything was coming together.
SteepeSt learning curve
I’ve really had to work on the skills that don’t come naturally to me, such as updating my website, photography and keeping on top of my accounts. Sometimes it’s easy to think you know everything. You might know your product but you don’t know everything else that comes with setting up a business. The easiest thing for me is making the product because that’s where my skills are.
Where i aM noW
I work flat out during the wedding season, between March and October, employing two women to help with the embroidery. It’s always a thrill when a big order comes in – we recently sent 300 embroidered napkins to New York and 600 napkins to Italy for a wedding. My luxury garters and handkerchiefs, handmade with Nottingham lace, are also really popular.
My customers range from brides buying thank-you gifts for their parents to wedding planners bulk-buying napkins for the reception.
Last May, I moved into a business unit away from home – until then I’d been working in my dining room. Signing up for a year’s rent felt risky but we’re still here and we’re thriving. Now it feels like a proper business rather than something
I do when the kids are asleep. >>