Planning a wedding can be headache. Finding the right venue, photographer, and cake is no easy task, with hundreds of options at all price points. To help generate ideas for the special day, brides turn to leading wedding magazines and websites, such as Martha Stewart Weddings.

Begun in 1994 as part of the Martha Stewart Living empire of television host and media magnate Martha Stewart, the magazine has become a leading resource for brides’ event planning. The Fall 2009 issue of the quarterly publication (there are also occasional special issues) was dedicated to planning a wedding reception. The Reception Issue picked up on an important trend in wedding planning: the DIY wedding.

The DIY trend, where couples take it upon themselves to construct key features of a wedding — forgoing a wedding planner, making handmade invitations, even sewing a wedding dress — predates the current economic downtown. It enables brides to customize and take control of the event, reduce carbon footprint, and control costs. As wedding prices continue to rise while couples face decreased financial resources, the latter factor becomes increasingly important.

Martha Stewart Weddings: The Reception Issue explored the DIY opportunities of a punch tool kit. Using card stock or wall paper, a 1/8-inch hole punch, and leaf and flower punches, the magazine transformed such items as stationary, cup cakes, a flower-girl crown, escort cards, and boutonnieres. One ingenious piece suggested printing out a favorite poem or piece of text (wedding vows, perhaps?) and making little flowers and leaves from the words, arranged in a faux bouquet.

Among the DIY items were wedding favor boxes. Wedding favor boxes are small presents left on reception chairs or tables that say to guests “your presence here today is appreciated.” Martha Stewart Weddings used standard white jewelry boxes from S.Walter Packaging to create unique wedding treats.Vintage wall paper, metallic craft paper, and pages from books, punched into leaf and flower shapes transformed our already-elegant jewelry boxes into one-of-a-kind gift holders. The magazine quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said “the greatest gift is a portion of thyself.” Using S. Walter jewelry boxes, Martha Stewart Weddings showed how you can give each guest a piece of your own handiwork.

The magazine picks out small 3x2x1 white jewelry boxes from the S. Walter catalog, but there are a variety of colors, sizes, and styles available with which to craft your own wedding favor boxes. Be a little inventive with how you decorate the box or what you put in it — that is the essence of the DIY wedding. Small colorful shoppers, like high-gloss color eurototes, can also make great wedding favor carriers. And these ideas aren’t just for weddings. Promotional events and jewelry boutiques can also benefit from sprucing up these elegant boxes and bags. Explore SWalter.com now for more great DIY wedding ideas.

The King of Prussia Mall is one of the largest shopping centers in the world, the largest mall on the East Coast, and arguably the largest mall in the United States. Begun in the 1960s and dramatically expanded and improved in subsequent decades, the mall is now home to over 400 stores, many of them upscale retailers. The mall is situated in the Philadelphia suburbs (about 25 miles from the headquarters of S.Walter Packaging), but it attracts visitors from all over the region and beyond (up to 25% of mall visitors are out-of-town tourists). To communicate with its customers and potential visitors, King of Prussia Mall sends regular direct mail pieces. The latest piece featured a cover photo of an arrangement of branded apparel, gift, and specialty boxes, many of which were created and supplied by S.Walter Packaging.

King of Prussia Mall is home to many leading retail stores. With two large structures joined by a pedestrian walkway, it features several anchoring department stores, including Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, and Neiman Marcus. Many high-end retailers have their only area store in the mall. Cartier, DKNY, Lois Vuitton, and Hermes all have an outpost. Top name designers Gucci, Michael Kors, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Tory Burch have a space. Until one opened on Philadelphia’s tony Walnut Street shopping corridor, the area’s only Apple Store was in K-O-P (as it is known to locals). Of course, the mall is also home to outlets for such popular clothiers as Abercrombie & Firch, Gap, and H&M.

What all these stores share is a focus on appearance and brand identity. They understand that customers are not just attracted to the products they sell, but to the brand which those products represent. The statement ” I shop at Hugo Boss” says something about the person saying it, it places them in a identifiable comradery of Hugo Boss shoppers. Building a brand identity builds customer loyalty, attracts new customers, and most importantly, increases sales.

A solid brand identity depends in part on the products, and all these retailers sell quality merchandise. But it is about more than that. It is about the look of the store, its location and signage, the appearance of its salespeople, and the packaging it uses; what’s outside the box matters almost as much as what’s inside it. Wrapping products in color-coordinated tissue and placing them in custom printed gift boxes, like those on the King of Prussia mailer, tells customers that the store values its merchandise as much as they will. The packaging can then become something of value, so the necklace is returned to its Tiffany’s box and the shoes go back into their Cole Haan box. Attractive packaging will be carried proudly and reused, so it creates a natural advertising platform for a retail brand.

S. Walter Packaging is proud to see so many of our clients featured on the correspondence of one of the country’s largest and most upscale shopping complexes. We are firm believers in the power of custom and coordination packaging to carry the brand further. These retailers provide firm evidence that the finest stores share this belief.

Visit swalter.com to see our selection of coordinated packaging or contact us today so we can put our experience to work planning your custom packaging program.

Something borrowed; something green.
With environmental consciousness penetrating every aspect of our lives, from grocery shopping to home construction, it’s no surprise that “green” is a growing trend in that most special part of our lives: the wedding day. If you take pains to recycle plastics, watch your gas mileage, and eat local foodstuff, why succumb to over-consumption in planning your wedding?

Arranging a green wedding means considering every aspect of the special day, from the venue to the party favor. Outdoor venues like arboretums and state parks are a good choice for eco-conscious brides. And picking a venue close to most guests saves energy required to travel. Young couples, used to using the internet for all communication, feel comfortable sending save-the-date notices and even invitations by email or by pointing guests to a special event website. Others send invites on recycled, natural paper and use small-reply envelopes.

On the gift registry, eco-conscious brides can direct guests to give philanthropic gifts to environmental organizations or other charities. Brides can take “something borrowed” to its conclusion and buy or borrow a second-hand wedding dress, or wear a dress that can be worn for more than just that occasion.

Jon Gangwer, owner of Wellspun Wedding Films, a leading Philadelphia wedding videos company, sees the green wedding trend first-hand: “we’ve seen more and more brides choose eco-friendly venues, create menus featuring local food, and using recycled paper or email invitations.” For photos and videos, the trend is to get most wedding images online, saving in mailing and printing. “Of course,” continues Gangwer, “this trend provides financial as well as environmental boost.”

Indeed, green weddings tend to be simpler, less costly affairs, with outdoor receptions, low-key decorations, and pared-down meals. And with over two million weddings every year in the United States, a more to eco-conscious planning could have worthwhile culminative effects.

S.Walter Packaging provides an array of product for weddings, including small, recycled paperboard gift boxes for favors, and gift wrap for reusable decoration. Events can be customized with printed (recycled paper) gift bags, a multi-use memento of that special day.

Whether they are made from paper or plastic, merchandise bags are a great packaging option for retailers small or large.

A mainstay at card shops, news stands, and book stores, merchandise bags are suitable for any retailer selling small items — beauty products, souvenirs, or jewelry, for example. They also make a great add-on for a larger packaging program, with customized plastic merchandise bags and matching larger plastic shoppers. Customized plastic merchandise bags are also popularly used as promotional giveaways, stocked with knick-knacks, postcards, and other small promotions.

The classic paper merchandise bag is constructed of tan-colored natural kraft paper. Usually made at least in part of recycled post-consumer fibers, natural kraft paper merchandise bags provide an earth-friendly and inexpensive way to package light retail purchases. For a classier look, go with the simple elegance of white merchandise bags, suitable for more upscale stores and more suited to custom printing or labels. Boutiques and art stores may consider using random print merchandise bags, which come in delightful and colorful printed designs on recycled paper. Each case of random print merchandise bags will contain slightly different paper prints, perfect and affordable idiosyncratic packaging for a unique independent retailer.

Choosing plastic merchandise bags yields many advantages too. Kraft paper bags may look the most earth-friendly choice, but recently manufacturers have been praising the environmental benefits of their plastic counterparts. They are reused more often (also a plus if the bags feature a business logo or name), weigh less so use less energy to transport and take up less landfill space; they are also often made of post-consumer recycled material, using little water and generating little pollution in their manufacture. More than that, plastic merchandise bags come in an array of bright, attractive colors, look great with custom printing, and are surprisingly close in price to paper.  They provide an inexpensive way to boost your brand and attract attention to your store. For added pizazz, look to super gloss merchandise bags, made of shiny and eye-catching low-density plastic.

One benefit of using merchandise bags as part of your retail packaging program is the range of sizes in which they come. Small merchandise bags may measure just 5×7^1/2“, ideal for postcards or mini-books, whereas large merchandise bags could easily hold vinyl records or large art supplies.

Merchandise bag dimensions are measured width by height, so a 12×15 merchandise bag is twelve inches wide (measured along bottom), fifteen inches long (measured along side from bottom to opening). On paper merchandise bags, the top of the bag, where the front and the back come together, often has zig-zagged, or “serrated” edges. These merchandise bags are sometimes called S.E. bags (serrated-edge bags). To ease opening, the front and back are often slightly different lengths. In this case, the height is measured along the shorter front side.

Usually flat, a merchandise bag may have an extra fold of paper or plastic on the side for easy expansion. This fold is known as a gusset. Bags sold as merchandise bags will not have a gusset on the bottom; a bag with gussets on the sides and bottom is commonly known as a “grocery bag,” “shopping bag,” or “SOS bag” (self-opening style bag). Dimensions for merchandise bags with side gussets are given as width x gusset x height, as in a14x3x21 random print merchandise bag. The gusset dimension is the maximum expansion size, so a 12x3x15 bag is holds roughly the same as a 15×18 bag.

S.Walter offers a large selection of plastic and paper merchandise bags, in multiple sizes and colors, all at competitive wholesale prices. Plus, our easy-to-use Bag Builder makes it simple to customize your bags, making an affordable and convenient packaging option even better.

The “Great Recession” — as this multi-year economic downturn in now called — has forced companies large and small to cut costs and look for new ways to generate business. A well-considered packaging program can be an important piece of the cost-cutting puzzle.

Finding the best priced packaging wholesaler is obviously an important part of this program.  But small, cost-conscious retailers should go a step further. Look closely at a retail supply catalog and you’ll see opportunities to reduce packaging costs by substituting lower-cost items for similar, more expensive packaging.

Consider the example of white apparel boxes. While a case of 100 15″x9½”x2″ high-gloss white apparel boxes (a standard size for shirts, sweaters and the like) is currently* value priced at $39.97, 100 economy white apparel boxes in the same size are available for just $34.63* — a small saving that can compound over several orders.

Of course if price was the only consideration, we’d all be wrapping products in day-old newspaper and putting them in smiley-face grocery bags. For a retail outlet, packaging is one of the few tools available to communicate with customers, raise brand awareness, and generate interest. A bold packaging program featuring a contemporary design and a matching range of shopping bags and boxes can help a business navigate the economic doldrums by attracting attention to a store or company.

Consider eye-catching shopping bags like JellyBag™ ultra-gloss plastic shopping bags or two-tone matte Eurototes, available in a range of colors. Or get a retail bag design specialist to create a striking look for your packaging program with short-run printing or hot-stamped designs on your shopping bags and gift boxes. Create an indelible impression on your customer and added advertisement as bags are carried and re-used.

S.Walter’s century-plus history of supplying retail packaging and long-standing connections with suppliers and manufacturers have enabled our Value Price Strategy to offer competitive prices on all our products, be it gift wrap, shopping bags, or other retail accessories. With tens of thousands of easily searchable items is our catalog, its easy to find lower-cost alternatives in all product categories. And our in-house packaging design department is available to create a custom logo for printing on retail packaging. With S.Walter, it’s easier than ever to create a cost-effective packaging program that will save your company money and generate business.

*As of August 6, 2010

Join S. Walter Packaging as we celebrate Earth Day 2010 on April 22^nd. This day is set apart to honor our planet, while reflecting on the advances made towards a healthier Earth. Starting in 1970, April 22^nd has been a time to celebrate our planet, focus on inspiring awareness and develop an appreciation for our planet’s precious environment.

As a user and supplier of plastic bags, S. Walter is committed to green packaging initiatives. Through our “Bag It. Box It. Green!” Program, clean, dry plastic bags can be returned for recycling. The Recycling Kit includes a sturdy base announcing “Recycle here!” with space for two personalized labels (included in your order: call for details); a lid giving details of the program; a window sign; and the first two return bags.

During the entire month of April, S. Walter Packaging is promoting “thinking green” by offering our Recycling Kit to you at 10% off its regular price. At the Check Out, make sure to use coupon code: EA41 to get your savings! Hurry, offer ends May 4, 2010.

But wait! To thank you for choosing GREEN, S. Walter would like to reward you with a special, bonus coupon for purchasing the Recycling Kit.  This 10% off coupon can be applied to your next in-stock purchase of $150 or more between April 6 and June 8, 2010.

Disclaimer:  Offer applies to in-stock selected sale items only while supplies last.Your coupon must be redeemed online at the time of checkout and may not be combined with any other offer.

Christmas may not be white where you live this year, but white remains a perennial favorite for retail or promotional packaging. Whether it be bags, boxes, tissue, or other accessories, bright white packaging evokes an image of simplicity and elegance sure to carry your brand further. Now it’s easier than ever to coordinate your complete white packaging program with the Winter Wonder White Collection from S.Walter.

We’ve gathered together all our favorite white products into one place for your browsing convenience. Select from our assortment of white bags, from sturdy Kraft Eurostyle shoppers to simple white merchandise bags, all available in a range of useful sizes. Or go plastic with the strong yet lightweight Plastic Handle Shopping Bags; large side gussets, reinforced top and bottom, and heavy-duty handles make these must-have items for promotional or at upscale retail use.

In boxes, the classic white apparel boxes have become the standard for clothing stores and other retail outlets. These useful packaging items are included in a variety of sizes in our Winter Wonder White Collection. White is also an ideal color for jewelry boxes, gift boxes, and other gift packaging products. In all, there are over 100 white boxes available in our Winter Wonder White Collection.

To complete your packaging look, be sure to combine your box and bag purchases with white tissue paper, elegant gift wrap, ribbons, and bows. At other sites, you would have to search endlessly to find these essential packaging accessories; at swalter.com all white items are now handily organized into one place.

May your days be merry and bright, and may all your packaging be white!