Jakarta. The road to saying “I do” is, more often than not, paved with hectic times for the couple. Preparing a wedding is certainly no easy feat, especially when hundreds of people — from your closest friends to long-lost relatives — are invited to the ceremony, as is customary in Indonesia.

Lasaprima Kenzahra, a business executive working at a travel startup in Jakarta, faced an agony familiar to brides-to-be while planning for her wedding last April. There were countless tasks in her to-do list at the time, including booking a venue spacious enough for the guest list, finding a caterer who could whip up delicious buffet dinner and, of course, finding the perfect attire for herself and the groom.

Luckily, Lasaprima’s mission in finding the right vendors who could help organize the wedding did not require her to leave the desk.

“Websites like Bridestory.com were very helpful for me in preparing my wedding. The beautiful photos and clear explanations [in each vendor’s page] encouraged me to apply as a member so I could stay updated,” says Lasaprima, whose wedding ceremony was held in local Betawi tradition at the Thamrin Nine Ballroom in Central Jakarta.

With weddings becoming a booming industry in Indonesia — think couple-baiting expos regularly held — it is no wonder that tech entrepreneurs are eyeing the opportunity to grab a slice of the pie (make that the wedding cake).

The man behind Bridestory.com, Kevin Mintaraga, is one of them. As its chief executive, he envisaged the startup he co-founded as an online marketplace to connect engaged couples with wedding vendors.

“When I planned my own wedding there was no platform for me to find wedding inspiration and vendors. At the time, I did everything manually with word-of-mouth information. I believe it wasn’t only me who was facing the same headache, so it occurred to me that a platform like Bridestory.com was needed,” says Kevin.

Geared toward brides-to-be

Visitors to Bridestory.com would notice the similarity of its web design to that of a Pinterest board. Kevin explains that his team decided on this layout because many people, including himself, are using the social site to find wedding inspiration.

“We also observe that women tend to be more visual compared to men — they like to scroll through many beautiful images and inspirations. And because our website is mainly geared toward brides-to-be, we created such a look. But unlike Pinterest, when you find something you like on Bridestory.com, you can immediately know and contact the vendor behind it,” he adds.

On the website, users can conveniently browse vendors offering services of any kind — décor, makeup, catering and even MCs and DJs — by categories, countries, cities and budgets.

Thanks to the seamless user experience, one can also filter the vendors based on a color that suits the atmosphere for the planned wedding. When a user selects “pink,” for instance, she will be presented with an array of service providers whose previous works were dominated in that particular shade: pink flower arrangements, cupcakes, veils, you name it.

Launched in April 2014, Bridestory.com now features more than 10,000 wedding vendors based in Indonesia. Kevin mentions that the top-searched categories now include photography, venue, wedding dress as well as wedding planner.

“We also curate vendors with good reputation in the ‘Diamond Vendors’ section, such as five-star hotels as venues,” he says.

Lasaprima can attest to the ease in wedding planning that the website offers.

“I think most of the vendors I hired for my wedding can be found on Bridestory.com, from the venue to the honeymoon package provider,” she says.

In order to promote their services on the website, a wedding vendor can create an account for free.

“But after a period of time, a vendor should pay a subscription fee to continuously be featured and receive business inquiries via Bridestory.com,” explains Kevin.

Vendors can showcase their best works in their profile page to attract the browsing couples. Similar to other service-based websites, Bridestory.com users are also encouraged to give reviews for each vendor based on their experience.

The majority of Bridestory.com users and vendors are still based in Indonesia, but the startup is readying itself for an international expansion this year. The website already showcases vendors from 13 other countries as far-flung as Israel and the Dominican Republic. (Need a wedding dress in Tel Aviv? You can find it here.)

Kevin says that this strategy highly correlates with the fact that weddings have become a globe-spanning affair these days.

“Now you can see lot of foreigners from Australia or Japan who are getting married in Bali. It must be hard for them to find wedding vendors on their own over there,” Kevin remarks, saying that this is where Bridestory.com comes in to help.

“Wedding vendors can also work anywhere in the world. The photographer I hired for my wedding, for example, came from Sweden. She had a different style from local photographers here, but with a highly competitive rate,” he adds.

In addition to this expansion, Bridestory.com has a mobile application currently in the works to increase the engagement between couples and wedding vendors.

“We believe that every bride has their own dream and story. Our platform has a mission to bring that dream wedding to everyone,” says Kevin.

Financing the special occasion

While a couple may excitedly plan their wedding, there is perhaps one thing that they would rather not discuss openly: cost.

For those not lucky enough to be born to the manor, paying for the once-in-a-lifetime event can burn quite a hole in the pocket.

“Wedding costs are very expensive,” said Abraham Viktor, chief executive of Wedlite.com, a startup that facilitates loans for marrying couples, earlier this year.

“Some of my friends financed their wedding using non-collateral loan from banks, and they were charged around 3 percent per month, which is very high,” explains Abraham. “When I learned about that, I thought there should be a better product.”

His solution to this is by providing loans at a lower interest rate through Wedlite.com. To apply for a loan, users can submit an application form along with documents like bank and salary statements.

“We partner with multi-finance institutions that will do the checking and survey on the applicants for us. They will inspect the condition of the customer’s collateral, such as the car or motorcycle,” Abraham says.

After the application is approved and the customer pays the first monthly instalment, the multi-finance institutions will directly disburse the fund to the couple’s chosen wedding vendors. Wedlite.com earns commission from their multi-finance partners for each loan made.

“We do this to ensure that the money is only used for the wedding purpose, not for anything else. Although there have been cases where our customers want to use the money themselves to, say, buy groceries because their own family will cook for the ceremony — we can arrange this, too,” Abraham says.

According to Abraham, Wedlite.com is now targeted at middle- and low-income segments in Indonesia.

“Recently, for example, we conducted a customer survey in Manado [South Sulawesi]. This way, we can serve couples all across Indonesia.”

The post Wedding Startups Say Yes to the Dress and No to the Stress appeared first on The Jakarta Globe.

Jakarta. Most people seem to have forgone the skill of penmanship for the modern convenience afforded by technology. Gone are the days when taking notes meant you had to scramble for a pen and paper — now some finger-taps on your phone’s touchscreen will do the job. “I realized how we now rarely write by hand. Even my handwriting was getting uglier,” says Veronica Halim, one of the pioneers behind the recent resurgence of calligraphy enthusiasts in Jakarta.

Her statement might be an exaggeration. After all, she diligently practices the art of calligraphy — jotting down graceful letters and flourishes stroke by ink stroke from the nib of her pen — and organizes regular workshops for advanced and novice students alike.

“I studied graphic design in university, where I joined a typography class that introduced me to calligraphy.  Afterward, I never really had time to practice it again until several years ago when I decided to do something in my free time that was away from my day job,” says Veronica, who owns a design studio that caters to corporate clients.

Even though Veronica mostly thought of calligraphy as a form of relaxation, she took this hobby seriously — even studying from an American calligrapher who visited Singapore at that time.

“Looking at my creations, many friends of mine became interested in this craft and asked if I would be interested in opening classes. At first I was hesitant because it’s very intense and might be boring for Indonesians in general. But apparently since I gave my first workshop, there has been a huge interest in calligraphy here,” she explains.

Veronica’s calligraphy workshops have taken place in various venues in Jakarta and beyond, especially cafes or teahouses that provide a serene setting to help the participants concentrate. “When you think about it, calligraphy at its most basic essence is something that people encounter every day — everyone can pretty much write with their hands, no?” she says.

In her basic class, she introduces the classic copperplate style, an elegant cursive script that was originally popularized in England during the 17th century. Its slanted angle requires pointed pen nib and ink to produce the contrasting thickness in each character. A beginner must master every form first by repetitively penning one — be it a simple curve or a majuscule letter — before continuing on to adjoining those letters to form words and sentences.

“Modern calligraphy is based on this copperplate system, which is very strict about its angles, letterforms, and technique of writing. There are many other styles out there, such as Spencerian and Gothic, but copperplate is the basic style that will prepare the workshop participants for their next step in calligraphy,” Veronica explains.

The tools that a calligrapher uses also determine the outcome. “Not every kind of paper can handle the ink we typically use. There are various inks with different consistencies, which will give slightly contrasting effects in the letterform, be it in the form of thinner or bolder lines. The pen and the nib also matter. Just like in any other craft, when you use high-quality products, you can really feel the difference,” Veronica says.

Olivia Marsha, who participated in one of Veronica’s workshops for beginners, admits that her interest in calligraphy started when she saw her colleagues bring their calligraphy kits to the office.

“Just out of curiosity, I tried to do it by myself, but after learning in the workshop, I realized that a lot of my techniques were wrong.  There, I learned about how to do calligraphy in the right way so that every stroke is balanced and consistent in forming the letters,” Olivia says.

This craft is certainly not for those who are impatient, as Olivia herself can attest. “I found calligraphy to be calming. When doing one letter, for example, you have to do three or four strokes — you have to be really patient. Otherwise, the result will be ugly,” she says.

Witnessing this kind enthusiasm from her students, Veronica is certainly enthralled. “Actually, I’m happy to see so many creative activities in Jakarta lately — not only calligraphy. Most people in the city have no idea what to do on the weekend, and this kind of activity lets you gather with friends, meet new people and learn an interesting hobby,” she says.

“Usually my class takes three hours, but it always stretches up to four. Even many participants didn’t want to go home before they finish their creations,” she adds.

Of course, the skill that one attains from these workshops is not reserved for mere leisurely pastime only. Veronica herself, for instance, has applied the tasteful beauty of calligraphy to a wide array of design projects, from wedding invitations and Christmas dinner place cards to gift labels and perfume packaging.

Meanwhile, Olivia once made her professional thank-you notes all the more impressive by giving them a personal touch of gold-painted calligraphy. As she perfectly encapsulates it, “The beauty of calligraphy is that it really enhances the meaning of every word we write.”

For more information on Veronica Halim Calligraphy, visit veronicahalim.com.

The post Reviving the Art of Calligraphy appeared first on The Jakarta Globe.