Where have I gone?

Sorry for the break in posts so early on in my blog.

I am following advice to change to another software – I thought that I would be able to do this by myself but it’s proving too technical for me.  So I am having to get expert advice.

Hopefully this will be sorted out soon and the blog that I envisage will start to take shape.

Please check back frquently to see what’s happening. Or, if that seems a bit too complicated you could

a) send me your email address via the comment box, so that that I can contact you when I’m up and running;  or

b) you could follow me on Twitter where I will no doubt be so elated that I will shout it from the roof tops. My Twitter username is gothicbydesign.

Will be with you just as soon as possible.

#1 In Need of Inspiration

Although my aim through this blog, at least initially anyway, is to collect as much information from you all as you are willing to give me, I thought it would be rude not to give something back.  Every few articles I also intend to put together a few links in the hope that they will be of some inspiration to you.

Todays finds are as follows:

Searching out a relevant exhibition at any gallery or museum can give you a whole load of ideas to carry through into your wedding planning.  These days it’s easier than ever, with the aid of the internet, to search for ideas and view images from all around the globe.  Obviously, visiting these exhibitions in person, is always going to make a bigger impression on you than simply viewing on a laptop screen but, but we can’t all go jetting off around the world, or even fork out the railfare to London at the drop of a hat can we – after all, some of us have weddings to pay for!

 V&A Museum period wedding photos 

wedding of 1890 - image taken from V&A website

I came across this website when meandering one day.  I think there are some fantastic images here to pull a lot of inspiration from, whether it be for outfits, atmosphere, or even ideas on how you want your own wedding photos to be composed and compiled.  The article is a forerunner to an exhibition of wedding dresses from Victorian times to present day, to be held in 2013, and they are collecting photographs for a database; the beauty of this is that the page will continue to hold more and more images over the next few years.  Have a look!

Other V & A pages that might intrigue are:
Gothic: A Night of Record

Gothic Quiz
Understanding Styles

 

I hope you found visiting this page and the above links to have been a valuable use of your time.   Let me know how you end up using any the information.   And give me some idea of any topics you’d like to see me cover in the near future.

Again, thanks for time
X

Do you want a UK one-stop goth wedding website?

Morgan Design Wedding Invitation

OK, so one of the main reasons new businesses fail early on, so I’m told, is that business owners often have an idea or a product that they think the world needs, but not one that the world wants.  No point putting all your efforts into something that people don’t want no matter how much you think they’ll benefit from it.

So my first question to you people out there is “Do you want a UK based, all encompassing one-stop shop, full of information, inspiration and links to as many goth/alternative-dedicated wedding suppliers as will join me?”.

Or do you feel that there’s actually no real need for such a service?  When you were planning your wedding did you, or if you are currently planning your wedding do you, feel that there was/is enough comprehensive information and direction out there to put you in touch with businesses that could help you bring the vision of your wedding day to a glorious reality?

Over the 5 years that I have been running a medieval/gothic wedding invitation and accessories business (www.pageantdesign.co.uk), I have looked on many occassions for interesting and relevant sites to advertise my wares.  And I found there to be very few indeed.  I tried advertising in the mainstream sites, such as hitched.co.uk, but with little success – it would appear that my customer base don’t use them too often.  There seems to be a plethora of suitable sites in USA but very few in UK. 

So this then makes me wonder whether the absence of such a site means that other people have tried and failed because no one wanted what they offered, or could it possibly just be that no one else has had the idea yet?  Could it really be the latter?  The chances seem slim.

Of course, I’ve haven’t actually got through the process of networking, compiling and organising yet that putting together this kind of service will require.  If any of you have any advice or warnings for me I would be very grateful for your comments.

So please tell what your thoughts are on the questions that I’ve raised today.  I don’t mind if you write a sentence or an essay.  If you want to leave a private message please use the link on the home page of www.pageantdesign.co.uk.

Please save my blog to your favourites.  I would love it if you revisited me often and gave me some feedback.

Thanks for your time xx

The mission of this blog

Welcome to Gothic By Design!  This is my first article and I thought I would take the opportunity to outline why I have created this blog.

I am interested in finding out, from the gothic and alternative communities, what services and products they feel are lacking in the marketplace when it comes to organising their perfect wedding day. 

For the past 5 years I have run a web based business called Pageant Design (www.pageantdesign.co.uk), based in the UK, which has provided wedding stationery and other accessories.  My main influence has been medieval and gothic design which I think comes through in abundance in my designs.

But I have always felt that I wanted to be more that just a provider of wedding stationery.  I have a couple of ideas forming on structuring a web-based business designed to provide quality information for engaged goths, including a directory on some description on goth/alternative dedicated venues/products etc.  I want the content and inspiration of my new venture to come from myself, readers of this blog and other wedding service providers that I plan to make friends with on the way.  I want the standard and relevance of the products and businesses involved with me to be based on a common desire to provide exactly what people want, rather than advertising revenue.

So this blog, at least initially, is me doing my market research.  I am interested in learning about the wedding planning experiences, past and current, of all genres of the goth/alternative world – from vampire/horror/Hallowe’en gothy do’s to contemporary, highly-stylish gothic inspired events, also punk, rockabilly, psychobilly, steampunk, victoriana, and anything else you think should be included.

 Over the coming weeks I plan to post articles covering specific areas of wedding planning in the hope that some of you out there will be good enough to regale me of your stories, frustrations, solutions and recommendations.  It would be great if you would post your comments here as something you say could prompt a good response from a fellow reader.  However, if you prefer to contact me privately I have a link on the home page f my website www.pageantdesign.co.uk  together with a few questions that were going through my mind at the time.  Please note that I plan drop this website at some point in favour of the new plans as stated above, so this link will be broken at some point.

So please join me on my quest to gather together all of the information that you hold individually, to create the perfect site that you wish existed today.

Thank you for reading this! xx