Coast Publishing acquired Duly Noted Wedding Guide

Coast Publishing Limited of Halifax has acquired Duly Noted Wedding Guide, a twice-annual title that has been around for about seven years. By so doing, it opened up a whole new area of revenue for the company.

"We are excited about all the possibilities this opens up to us," says Christine Oreskovich, publisher for Coast Publishing in a release. "Lots of Coast readers get married, and we've looked at getting involved in the local wedding industry with a guide, but Duly Noted owns the market. By doing this deal, we get to build on a solid foundation and use all our experience to make Duly Noted even better. It's a perfect match." 

The outcome will be that Duly Noted will begin immediately printing 15,000 copies of the free, digest-sized publication -- a 50% increase -- and making the guide available at more distribution points. Coast Publishing staff will create the editorial and put the publication online with a directory the company says is the most comprehensive in Nova Scotia.  

Started in 2003 by sisters Nicole Venema and Cindy Midgley, Duly Noted grew to become a go-to source of wedding planning information. "We weren't publishers, but we knew a wedding guide would work," says Venema. "Now I'm excited a dedicated publisher can take it to the next level." Venema and husband Michael Smith will continue to operate their Halifax stationery store Duly Noted Stationery, specializing in event invitations.

Coast Publishing is independently owned and publishes The Coast, a 17-year-old free weekly newspaper, started originally by a group of college friends who admired New York's Village Voice. The company also publishes HalifaxMatch.ca and four glossy City Guides, including the titles Food & Drink Halifax, Green Halifax and Buy Local Halifax.