How Pen Turners Can Capitalize on Wedding Season

Wedding season is in overdrive this year with so many postponed couples finally getting a shot at their big day. But how does this relate to pen turning? We’ll tell you.

This surge in event planning offers an opportunity for pen turners in Canada. Approaching popular wedding venues, wedding planners and other event vendors in the area with your finished products could mean scoring a bulk handmade wood pen order.

Before we explain that further, let’s talk about how you can sell your wood turned pens to the happy couple.

Marketing & Selling Your Finished Pen Kits to Wedding Couples

Think wedding favours.

It’s typical for couples to offer a favour to their wedding guests. We’ve talked to several local pen turners in Ontario that have taken on orders of 50-100 woodturning projects for the Future Mr & Mrs.

Not looking for an undertaking so large? Create one finished sample and market that pen blank and pen kit combo as a “wedding party proposal gift”. This gesture, where the bride and groom present gifts to potential bridesmaids and groomsmen, has become the standard in 2022.

When creating an online listing for your pen, make sure to include the keywords “groomsman gift”, “bridesmaid gift” and “wedding pen” in the product title and description. Whether it’s on Facebook, Etsy or Shopify, having these key words will make certain your product will appear when the happy couple is researching gifts for their besties.

When it comes to product photos, make your listing as Instagrammable as possible. New bridesmaids and groomsmen love to share their proposal gifts on social media. By making your product look its best, it will sell itself to the next husband and wife to be. Try a nice backdrop like a guestbook or chocolates to show the couple how they could box up their wedding party gifts.

Check out these sample photos for some inspo.

Pay for Your Pen Turning Supplies With On-going Revenue

Pen turning tools and kits can add-up.

By approaching local wedding venues with your pen turning projects, you have the opportunity to create on-going revenue for yourself.

Did you know the average spend on a wedding is between $22,000 and $30,000.

With wedding venues hosting three or more weddings a weekend, they’re not shy with the thank you gifts they offer their clients on their big day. Venues won’t bat an eye at spending $50-$100 on a finished wood turned piece for their valuable clients.  

Up the ante with custom engraving and you may have scored yourself enough dough to support your ongoing pen-turning addiction, covering the cost of all your pen making tools, pen blanks and kits. And isn’t that the dream?

Here’s a list of some great project ideas to bring to wedding venues
Psst! Kitchen accessories are a wedding hit

• Salt + Pepper Shaker kits
• Measuring Cup kits
• Wine Bottle stopper kits
• Heirloom Pepper Grinders

We recommend checking out The Wedding Ring or Wedding Wire to see what high end wedding venues are close to you. Set up a quick meeting with the manager and stop in with a selection of your product.

The same can be done with local wedding vendors like florists or cake bakers. Even if they don’t purchase from you, small businesses love to support other small businesses. This industry is all about word-of-mouth, so get in there.

What Pen Kits Wedding Clients Want To Buy

If your wedding couple wants to buy a finished pen for each guest, odds are they’ll want a low-cost option. On the high end, wedding couples will spend around $20 for each guest favour.

Here are some alternatives to the Slimline pen kit that all ring in under the $5 mark:

• Budget Streamline pen kit
• Budget Round Top European pen kit
• Budget Easyline pen kit
• Budget Comfort pen kit

All these pen turning kits are eligible for quantity discount pricing too, so mix and match away!

Acrylic pen blanks are a popular choice that average around $3.99 per blank, but if acrylic isn’t your style, or the bride insists on a wood pen blank here are some options that come in under $2 per blank:

• Osage Orange
• Cherry
• Sapelle
• Leopardwood
• Padauk
• Purpleheart (A favourite for the ladies!)
• Bloodwood
• Caribbean Rosewood
• Olivewood
• Palo Santo
• Walnut
• Wenge (A favourite for the guys!)
• Yellow Tarara

When it comes to single custom orders, many couples want to sign their marriage license with a beautiful writing instrument, knowing it will be in their wedding photos for a lifetime.

Without a doubt, there’s a sentimental tie to the pen they used to make their marriage official. This memory will be recalled every time they use this keepsake in the future. Remind them of this when you’re creating their custom wedding pen.  

Also point out the multi-purpose use behind her finished pen. Not only is it the perfect photo op during her ceremony, but also a showstopper sitting beside her guestbook during the reception.

The Algonquin rollerball and fountain pen kit is a popular choice for marriage license signing. Starting at $12.99, it’s the perfect mid-high range kit for your client. It’s also one of the only rollerball/fountain kits that comes in a satin chrome option- a subtle soft tone for a romantic wedding.

The “geometric” style has been a trend for many 2022 brides, so a great option for modern couples is the Magnetic Vertex, available in both rollerball and fountain pen kits. The facetted edges on its magnetic cap sparkle in the light, especially in the gold pen kit plating. How should you price your finished pens? With the Vertex starting at $19.99 per kit, you can price this finished pen at around $60 and make a bride very happy.

For custom turned pens, wedding couples typically prefer a high-end pen blank. Offer burl pen blanks like Maple Burl, Amboyna Burl or Alaskan Yellow Cedar burl and adjust your price accordingly. Or for the bride who loves a splash of colour, upgraded acrylic like poly resin or Fusion pen blanks are a great option. 

Lastly, and we can’t emphasize this enough, don’t underprice your work.

Wood turners are passionate about what they do. You love turning, so it doesn’t feel like work. But don’t forget that you’re an artisan, creating something one-of-a-kind from scratch with your own hands.

You may feel the desire to price your work lower than you should, but your clients don’t under-value your skill, so you shouldn’t either.

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