Jess and Emily, both from the Forest of Dean, set up their business -Bespoke Bride – several years ago, offering tips and tricks on crafting items for your wedding. However, it was the purchase of the Cricut Maker that enabled them to adapt their business model and begin creating and selling custom products for weddings and hen parties
As a result, they’ve brought in over £57,000 to their business and have continued to expand their online shop. We spoke to Jess and Emily about their business and how their Cricut is now an integral part of their offering.
Bespoke Bride
Jess and Emily are successful business owners and together make the dynamic duo behind Bespoke Bride, a one-stop shop for bridal and hen parties to source personalised designs and gifts which the pair make with their Cricut machine.
However, like millions of small businesses, they were forced to adapt their business model when the pandemic hit. “We had to close for two months as no one was having any weddings,” Jess explains. The good news is that Bespoke Bride is back up and running, and sales remain strong despite the pandemic. “This month’s orders have been great,” she adds. “People are definitely trying to embrace the situation a bit more.”
How Bespoke Bride came to be
Bespoke Bride wasn’t always in the pipeline; Jess used to be a wedding photographer and Emily used to make eco-friendly wedding stationery. “We actually live near each other in the Forest of Dean and I got in touch with Jess to ask if she could take some photos of my stationery”, Emily explains.
It was their shared passion for creativity that got them thinking about starting their own enterprise together. “Even though we had different careers we were both DIY crafters through and through,” Jess says.
“I knew that blogging was great for growing a business and that we would work really well together so I asked Emily if she wanted to work with me.”
And so Bespoke Bride was born.
However, setting up their own business together brought plenty of challenges. “We literally had no idea what we were doing at first and it was definitely a steep learning curve,” Jess remembers. Nevertheless, the two of them managed to get the hang of things. It was perfect timing as Bespoke Bride began to take off meaning that Emily and Jess began running the business full time together.
Taking the business mainstream with Cricut
“During the first couple of years we were probably doing one DIY a week at a time”, Emily says. But it was after they were introduced to Cricut that things really started to take off. “When we got the Cricut Maker our minds were completely blown. We couldn’t believe how many things that it could cut, as well as the different fonts that we could use. I remember both of us just saying to each other, ‘the things that we could do with this’!”
The Cricut Maker has been an essential part of their business for several years. They have even taught workshops in the past so that users can make the most of their machines too. “We get so many people asking us about Cricut and whether it is worth the investment,” Jess says. “I always say to them, ‘absolutely’!”
Branching Out
Bespoke Bride has marked its 11th birthday, and Cricut has played a huge part in enabling Jess and Emily to successfully adapt their business model. “Our main income five years ago or so came from advertising on the blog,” Emily explains. “However, we began to see across the wedding industry that people weren’t paying for wedding adverts anymore. We had to diversify”.
They used their Cricut Maker to create custom cocktail glasses featuring Beyonce. Jess explains: “We uploaded a DIY tutorial on how to make them and uploaded them to the blog and it just completely blew up. We had so many comments from people wanting to buy them. It got us thinking that maybe launching a shop would be a good option for us to get some extra revenue”.
The pair started using their Cricut Maker to cut stickers out of vinyl. They created different movie quotes and song lyrics for weddings and hen parties . They have gradually expanded their offering to include stationery, games, printables and clothing. The shop is now their main source of income, bringing in over £57,000 to their business.
“Without the Cricut Maker, none of this would have ever happened. We use it three or four times a week now to create new items for our online store,” Jess adds. “We’ve recently started doing custom eye masks and the Cricut EasyPress has been great for ironing on each design. Our customers absolutely love it!”
Jess and Emily’s advice for growing your business using Cricut
For those looking to start their own business using Cricut, Jess and Emily have some tips. “Following your passion is so important,” Emily stresses. “Make sure that you’re making things you love and enjoy creating!”
However, it is not just about the products. “Try to take a lot of photos of your creations from different angles,” Jess advises. “You want to really give the potential buyer a great look at how awesome your product is! Even if you’re just using your phone, always photograph your products in a good light. It can also help to get a good quality photo editing app to make your images light and airy.”
“We also think it’s great to share behind the scenes of you using your Cricut machine on your socials,” Emily adds. “People are always intrigued as to how a product is made and seeing a Cricut machine in action is always fun!”
Business investment
If you’re an event planner or organiser looking to level up your business, Jess and Emily see it as a worthy investment. “We truly believe that having a Cricut machine can improve your business in so many ways,” Emily stresses.
“When I got married the majority of decorations were made using Cricut. We made place settings, table plans, glass decorations with vinyl, placemats and stationery to name a few! We can only imagine the possibilities an event planner would have, especially with the range of materials it can cut. It’s literally an event planner or stylists’ dream.”
“Having the Cricut machine has definitely driven us to grow financially,” Jess says. “But more than that it has allowed us to provide our followers with another element to Bespoke Bride where they can personalise their hen parties and weddings so much more!”
Jess & Emily created a handy Media Kit Checklist on their blog to help businesses compile helpful content for press. Be sure to also follow them on Instagram and pay a visit to their website: www.bespoke-bride.com.
There are three Bespoke Bride Ready-to-Make projects in Design Space. With these designs you can recreate Jess and Emily’s look around your home:
Create an Abstract Cushion Cover: https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5af1652dd97ec52825dca9c2
Make Abstract Vinyl Glasses (seen above): https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5ae03e8258fff7443af5fbe0
Craft an Abstract Phone Case: https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5ae042bf9ab659276f25f776
For more information about using your Cricut for business, visit our Make to Sell pages where you will find tips and advice as well as other creative businesses using Cricut.
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