Butterfly wishes

The practice of releasing butterflies during weddings is a relatively new one in the Philippines, which, like its Asian neighbors, traditionally associate butterflies with the spirit and the moment of death.

"Butterfly release was started by couples who have either lived or visited the United States and who thought releasing doves was old-fashioned. In the US, butterflies are associated with whispered wishes that rise to heaven and that come true. Releasing butterflies is also considered an environmental way of starting married life," said Acclaim Butterflies managing owner Charlie Gaw.

One particular Native American legend tells of how the Great Spirit fashioned the first butterfly, taking the black from a young girl’s hair, the yellow from the sun in summer, the green from the forests, and the blue from the lakes. The Great Spirit then gave the butterfly to his children on earth, telling them, if they told their wishes to the butterfly and its succeeding generations , these wishes would be easy to spot as they fly upwards and their wishes would be quickly granted. As a bonus, since butterflies do not make a sound, each wish would remain a secret between the one who made the wish and the Great Spirit.

"When we started participating in the twice-a-year Wedding Expo Philippines trade show, there were only three or four companies involved in butterfly release. Now, there are about 10," said Gaw, whose company is among the 200 participants in the 7th Wedding Expo Phils. to be held on Sept. 3-4 at the NBC tent in Fort Bonifacio.

Sustainable

Acclaim is made up of six MBA graduates of Ateneo de Manila University.

"We conceived the business after making the rounds of live butterfly farms and companies selling live butterflies. We wanted to help find a market for them," said Gaw.

Although growing butterflies as a business has been around for at least 20 years in the country, it remains largely a backyard business. The bulk of revenues comes from exporting pupa at $1 a piece to foreign buyers, who either raise them for resale at an estimated $10 a piece or for expanding an existing butterfly collection.

For its business, Acclaim has linked up with eight butterfly growers in Bulacan and Palawan who supply butterflies, mostly the wood nymph variety that comes in navy blue, dark brown, and lime green and with a wing span of between four and six inches.

"We have been able to bring down the price of live butterflies from P100 a piece before we entered the market to between P25 and P30, widening the market for butterfly releases to the B-C income market. We make money from volumes generated," said Gaw.

Logistics

Acclaim operates six company-owned mall outlets in Metro Manila. The outlets are order-taking as well as pick-up counters, where members of the wedding entourage are taught how to handle the butterflies and when to release them. An extra amount is charged and a two-day notice is needed if the company delivers.

For Visayas and Mindanao orders, the company has linked up Cebu Pacific to air freight the live butterflies. The butterflies are left up at the airport and must be picked up by a member of the wedding entourage.

The company provides cages with between 20 and 30 butterflies for release at a certain time during the wedding. For those who want individual releases, the company also provides decorated cages with ribbons that the bride and groom can release on cue.

Following the peak season for weddings, orders of live butterflies are at their highest during December, January, and June. During the summer months, weddings normally opt for flowers, which are abundant, rather than butterflies.

Preservation

Acclaim also sells dead butterflies with intact wings.

"Despite the care given them, butterflies have a life span of only two to three weeks. Instead of throwing them away, we started preserving them in gels as candle holders and paper weights. We have framed them as gift items and we have placed them in cards," said Gaw. "The market for these preserved items are not limited to our wedding clients."

Although competition for the souvenirs and gift market is picking up, Acclaim is unfazed.

"The market is big enough. We have met our original objective of helping build a steady market for the butterfly growers. As the trendsetter, our challenge is to come up with new uses for butterflies," said Gaw.