Almost any random walk along Taipei's streets will reveal at least one shop specializing in some portion of the "wedding business," including elegant photographs, magnificent dresses, exotic hair fashions and make-up, traditional wedding invitations, and assorted banquet paraphernalia.
Beyond this, there are numerous bakeries that do most of their trade in supplying the engagement cakes that are sent out to friends and relatives before the formal engagement ceremony. But the big profit on the food end of the production falls to restaurants. Some observers say that it is the wedding banquet business that makes it possible for so many large restaurants to thrive in the city.
Jewelers also delight in hearing the regular rings of cash registers thanks to the wedding business, for nearly every young man presents his fiancée with the gold ornaments appropriate to the occasion. And when the happy wedding date arrives, florists can make a sale of as much as US$1,500 if a wealthy bride-and groom-to-be walk in the door. For years, the "wedding support" enterprises have been discrete operations. But Taiwan's modernization has brought a new face to the service industry.
Probably no one represents this change better than T.H. Chen, who could very well be considered the "king of the wedding business." Seven years ago, Chen—who was then a wedding photographer—decided there was no reason why couples should tire themselves out visiting so many different stores to make their marriage arrangements. Today, thanks to Chen's innovative business sense, young couples need not worry. They can visit his "wedding palace," the 72,000-square-foot, full-service Sesame Wedding Plaza.
"Mine was the first such company in the whole world," Chen boasts. His accomplishment certainly is dazzling. As customers approach the main entrance, the broad glass doors open automatically—without even an "Open Sesame"— and a lovely, soft electronic voice welcomes visitors and their wallets to a setting that would indeed be comfortable in the Arabian Nights.
The store is crowded and buzzing with a barely controlled excitement as couples, often with relatives, roam about the obviously high-class establishment. The showrooms are filled with large, soft-focus photographic canvasses, rows of flowing gowns, and the kinds of objets d'art that would look quite comfortable on a Hollywood set.
Pre-wedding plans have a ritual all their own in modern-day Taiwan, and Chen has made it possible for future husbands and wives to go through them all in a single location.
The bride-to-be, and now sometimes the groom-to-be, can arrange to have hair sculpted and sprayed, and face made up to perfection, at the hands of several of Chen's 20-odd beauty salon specialists. While the lucky lady chooses her wedding wardrobe from among the 1,000 gowns for rent, her equally fortunate counterpart can select an appropriately matched tuxedo.
In another corner of the store, a small jewelry shop awaits their selections, then the couple can decide upon the setting they would like for their wedding photos from among nine fashionable studios. For nature lovers who would prefer a somewhat different atmosphere, there is a secluded, outdoor courtyard to meet their requirements. Couples—or families—who are willing to pay a good deal extra can even have Chen himself as their photographer instead of one of the 20 others on Sesame's staff.
But these services are only the beginning of what is available at Chen's enterprise. Couples can peruse slick brochures illustrating a wide variety of engagement cookies and cakes, purchase engagement gifts and dowry items, decide on wedding invitations, order flower arrangements and bouquets, select a dinner menu and make banquet reservations at one of 20 restaurants, buy the special dried plums that are popular at wedding feasts, arrange to have their nuptials videotaped, reserve a limousine and chauffeur, and even arrange a discount for a honeymoon trip. Exhausting. But still far better than going to individual shops for each item. To top off all its services, Sesame even offers counseling on family planning and martial happiness.
Chen began as a wedding photographer, and he is still especially sensitive to this part of the market. With around 400 photo studios in Taipei, he must keep his prices competitive. The basic in-house services—hair, make-up, dresses, and photography—cost from roughly US$600 to US$3,000. A typical couple normally opts for a mid-range package in the US$1,200 bracket. The more expensive rates include videotaping and a new, rather than used, wedding gown. On many of the other services, such as banquet reservations, customers are promised cheaper rates than if they were to go to those businesses themselves.
Chen says that when he first opened Sesame in 1983, no one in the wedding photo business believed his idea would work. And it did take some time before customers trusted his enterprise to be competent in all these formerly specialized areas. In fact, Chen says he lost over US$645,OOO in the first six months.
But soon thereafter his idea caught on and his clientele started to build. Today, business is booming. Although Chen will not divulge his sales figures, he does say that Sesame has had a fairly steady 70 percent annual growth-rate—impressive enough to encourage further expansion. He has opened a store in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, and is about to open another in the central Taiwan city of Taichung. Beyond this, he has expanded into the dressmaking business, with three shops now operating in Taipei.
Success breeds imitation. In Taipei alone there are currently 10 other stores emulating Sesame's full-service approach, and many other wedding photo studios are offering various extra services on a smaller scale.
But Chen claims he will not be out-done. "My goal is to surpass any and all competition," he says. "Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to do everything No. I."
Chen can probably lay claim to making pioneer marketing decisions in other areas as well. He says that he was the one who first encouraged engaged couples to have their wedding photos taken several weeks to a month before the actual weddings. His intention was to make business more stable throughout the year instead of clustering around auspicious dates in the Chinese lunar calendar. The practice has caught on and is now virtually standard practice throughout Taiwan.
With couples opting for early wedding photos, Chen says about three years ago he had another idea that would add to the joy of the occasion. He encouraged his customers to hang their expensive photos at the wedding banquet itself, giving all the guests an opportunity to view the lovely couple in various styles of formal dress. Oftentimes, couples pose in both Western formals and traditional Chinese costumes.
The strategy—and flattery-apparently worked, as many banquet guests can now attest. Several oversized, framed photographic canvasses now don many a banquet site. Good business advertising aside, the photos do add a nice touch to the proceedings.
Chen has also had an impact upon the wedding fashion field. He says his own designers have been behind some of the frequently changing trends in wedding banquet dresses. Not long ago, he introduced shorter dresses that broke with floor-length tradition. And in a departure from red and white gowns, more than 20 percent of his bridal customers now don chic black evening attire.
To maintain himself as the "king" in his field, 36-year-old Chen spends long hours in his posh office. When asked about his own wedding plans, he answers with a wry smile: "I guess I'm not really suitable for marriage. I'm too busy working."