Off-hand we knew that the abaniko featured in the mag azine could only have been painstakingly hand-woven by a fellow Filipino. To be sure, we searched for the name of the company selling the abaniko via Google and we discovered the website www.blissweddingsmarket.com , the official site of the Bliss! Weddings Market. While exploring the site, we were surprised to see more of our native handicrafts, from banig bags and favor boxes to sinamay pouches and ribbons. We also learned that a lot of their products were already featured in numerous US bridal magazines , such as: Martha Stewart Weddings , Bride’s, Wedding In Style and Modern Bride to name just a few. We also found out that the site is owned by couple named Florante and Cheryl Galvez, names that sound just too Filipino to us (or Mexican if we were mistaken!). In no time, we decided to e -mail them.

We learned that Florante and Cheryl are first generation Filipino-Americans who started a company called Bliss! Weddings, and eventually the Bliss! Weddings Market, right after their honeymoon back in 1995, to address the lack of information on the W eb about planning a wedding. We c an say that they are the pioneers in this field since WeddingsAtWork.com came four years after that, fueled with th e same ‘lack-of-info’ motivation.

The Bliss ! Weddings Market has indeed come a long way since then. Now, through the World Wide Web, Philippine-made handicrafts are being showcased to the world as beautiful wedding favors. By the way, the Galvezes are here in the country scouting for more dainty native products to offer in their ever-expanding catalogue. With all the not-so-good news affecting our country the past year, we decided to s tart the New Year with something positive; and seeing our native handicrafts gain some worthy exposure in glossy bridal magazines in the US is definitely an exciting development. Pinoy craftsmanship is indeed world class!

THE INTERVIEW

John & Benz : You guys are first generation Fil ipino -Am ericans; where exactly are your parents from?

Cheryl Galvez : My parents hail from San Fernando , La Union and Florante’s parent’s come from Bigaa (Balagtas), Bulacan.

J&B : When and how did Bliss! Weddings Market get started?

CG: We opened our virtual doors in early March 2001. We also have an on -line wedding planning magazine called Bliss! Weddings that we started way back in 1995. We wanted to supplement this wedding planning magazine with a company that offers actual products for wedding favors. We decided to focus on a very narrow market: the wedding favor/favor packaging industry. In the world of do-it-yourself projects and scrap booking, brides are looking for innovative products and creative ideas that they can assemble and embellish according to their wedding color, style and budget. This flexibility allows our customers unique wedding favors.

J&B : W hat prompted you to sell Philippine handicrafts in your store? What do you see in them?

CG: About 2 years ago, we decided to sell items from the Philippines as a way for us to build a brand and a reputation. We have many competitors and we needed to find a way to differentiate ourselves from the rest. The products from the Philippines are of higher quality than th e products from China. Items made in the Philippines are unique and classy.

J&B : Are these e xclusives or are there other stores in the US that sell these?

CG: When you conduct an Internet search using the keyword "weddings" via Google and Yahoo, you will always find us listed among the Top 3 on the search results page. You can imagine the number of visitors we receive because of our high ranking. Therefore, we consider ourselves a m ajor player in the on- line wedding gifts and supplies market. While there exists hundreds of on - line wedding supplies stores, we consider only a few of them as our competitors. There are a couple of on - line competitors that we feel are on the same plane as us selling limited items similar to ours , BUT their products are made in China . For example, many of the sinamay bags sold on the Internet are actually from China . We want to sell items strictly made in the Philippines .

J&B : What has been the response of the American market so far?

CG: The response has been favorable , e specially for summer or beach- themed weddings . O ur customers love products that give enhance a tropical ambience .

J&B : What do you think are the reasons why US bridal mag azines featured these Philippine-made products that you sell?

CG: It’s because they are unique and affordable , and are of high quality. People are constantly looking for unconventional and non-traditional items that can be used to accent a wedding.

J&B : What featured product (on which magazine) had the biggest impact on your sales?

CG: Our s inamay products are very popular with our clients and [the magazine] Modern Bride has featured them .

J&B : The products look so pretty in the mag azines and o n your site’s catalogue. What enhancements/embellishments did you add to these products to enhance its appeal in the US market?

CG: To offset the roughness of the sinamay material, we accented some of the products with smooth, double-face d satin ribbon s in beautiful , rich colors. Also, we personalize string tags and stickers with the couple’s names and their significant dates to show that you can add a personal touch to our products. My idol, Martha Stewart, has inspired me to offer products that are unique and can be easily assembled and/or embellished to suit your taste and budget. My "Bride Ideas " section showcases my Martha Stewart-inspired concepts using the products found i n our store.

J&B : Are you planning to add more to the product line from the Philippines ? How often do you visit the country to look for suppliers?

CG: Yes, we plan to add more products from the Philippines . We visit just once a year but we’d like to increase our visits. We’re interested in seeing all types of products made from different materials ( sinamay, buri, capiz, etc). Potential suppliers can also send their information via service@blissweddings.com

J&B: Do you think there is still room for growth for Philippine-made favors/favor packaging to further penetrate the US bridal market?

CG: Yes, I think there is a bit of room for growth. The material and the look of these products are beautiful and unique , and make wonderful accents to a lavish affair.

Florante and I are proud of our heritage and , we enjoy sharing with our American customers the beautiful handiwork of the Filipinos. American and Filipino tastes are similar when it comes to wedding style s and we will continue to promote our homeland through our wonderful product offerings.