When Long’s Jewelers launched its Wedding Band Weekend, the formula was straightforward: fill its 10,000-square-foot Burlington, Massachusetts, flagship with thousands of wedding bands and invite couples in to shop.
Two decades later, the event still draws more than 1,000 people across three days each March. But the approach has evolved — and that acknowledgment of changing times, says president Craig Rottenberg, is why the event continues to thrive.
“One of the biggest problems in the jewelry industry is stagnation,” Rottenberg says. “Every year we’ve taken a long hard look at that. We’re very driven toward remaining fresh but keeping what works.”
Building a bridal ecosystem
One significant area of growth has been Long’s strategy of partnering with other lifestyle brands focused on the wedding world. The jeweler now collaborates with Lizzie’s Bakery, repeatedly named Best of Boston for wedding cakes by Boston Magazine, as well as top Boston florists, a neighboring restaurant, and a local men’s clothing company specializing in wedding party tuxedos.
“It allows us to get in front of the right people before the event; it’s a great way to get the message out there,” says Stacy Goodman, director of marketing and e-commerce, who helps coordinate the weekend. “We’re leaning into social media as much as possible. When people come in the door, we really want to understand how people found out about the event.”
These partnerships help spread awareness through cross-promotion, and they offer attendees activities during potential wait times. “It’s a delicate balance,” Goodman notes. “We don’t want people to feel frustrated, so we want to make sure it’s staffed appropriately. We have partners on site who can give people something to do in the downtime.”
One telling sign of the times: Long’s now creates designated photo stations where couples can capture and share images of their rings. “We never would’ve thought about having these beautiful places where people can take pictures of their rings and show them to their friends,” Rottenberg says. “All of this is part of building this ecosystem.”
The shift reflects broader changes in consumer behavior. “The way people shop has shifted dramatically,” Goodman says. “People are less inclined to go to a big event, so we want to give them reasons to come. We want to be able to maintain this sort of traffic and energy and excitement, and that wouldn’t have been the case without evolution.”
Marketing has moved almost exclusively to digital and social channels, a far cry from the event’s early days. Yet the investment in experience — from the bright pink neon “Long Live Love” sign that greets visitors to the food, drinks, and festive atmosphere — reinforces that this is more than a sales event.
The core remains strong
Beneath the Instagram-worthy backdrops and bakery partnerships, the fundamentals remain unchanged: exceptional selection, patient service and recognition that couples are celebrating a milestone.
Long’s transforms its entire 10,000-square-foot Burlington location into wedding-band inventory for the weekend, drawing from its other locations and its suppliers to create what Rottenberg calls wedding-band heaven. The flagship’s central location serves customers from five New England states, and the six-store independent chain brings sales staff from other locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire to meet their own clients by appointment.
“We have very few people come to this event and walk away empty-handed,” Rottenberg says. “Usually, the store has 1,000 square feet dedicated to wedding bands, and for this weekend, we have 10,000 square feet devoted to wedding bands. If they can’t find what they want, it doesn’t exist. Or we can make it custom.”
Many attendees bought engagement rings elsewhere, and Long’s sees the weekend as an opportunity to establish what Rottenberg calls “a lifelong relationship of trust and value.”
“If they get the engagement ring first somewhere else, and we get them for the wedding band, they tend to become great customers over time,” he explains. “They want to come in and get it cleaned, checked and repaired, and a connection builds based on that sentimental item.”
Category growth continues
The average ticket continues to rise as couples invest more in quality and personal expression.
“There’s still a move toward quality,” Rottenberg says. “We used to spend a lot of time telling people, the wedding is one day, of course you should invest in the wedding itself, but don’t take it out of the wedding-band budget.” Lately, less education on the permanence of the band is necessary. “We’ve seen people want nicer and nicer rings over time.”
Goodman says couples are more often using the moment to express their personal style. Some brides start with two or three stacking bands, while men increasingly choose substantial, unique designs over traditional plain bands.
“We’re very bullish on all of the engagement and wedding category,” Rottenberg says. “Even the trend for proposals getting more elaborate and more fun is there. Celebrating life together is becoming more, not less, important.”
The March timing positions couples perfectly for New England’s summer wedding season, giving them time to receive custom orders before their big day. This year the event is scheduled for March 27 to 29.
And if someone comes in search of an engagement ring, they are not turned away, Rottenberg says. “It’s not really our game plan, but inevitably somebody walks in who’s looking for an engagement ring, and we just accommodate them in a private room. They associate us with diamonds and so assume it’s an engagement-ring event. That’s always welcome.”
Main image: Long’s selfie station. (Long’s)
