Wilson won a penalty nine minutes later following a clumsy challenge by Cardiff defender Bruno Ecuele Manga, but failed to double the team's advantage as his weak shot was comfortably saved by Etheridge.
Neil Warnock's side showed attacking intent after the break and their best chance fell to skipper Sean Morrison, who forced a sharp save from Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic after an hour.
However, Wilson made up for his earlier miss, ending Cardiff's hopes of a comeback by converting defender Simon Francis's cross from close range in stoppage time to seal the three points.
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Wilson said he was relieved to have found the net after his penalty miss and to secure Bournemouth's first win on the opening day of the Premier League in four attempts.
"It's never nice when it's saved but you can make it go one way or another, and thankfully, I've put it right," the 26-year-old told the BBC.
"There has been a good vibe in the squad in pre-season and we've brought that into today. It was difficult, and we knew it would be, but we got there in the end."
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said Cardiff were tough to play against, despite the scoreline.
"They are very organised, very well coached and managed," Howe said. "They have a playing style that is unusual in the Premier League - long throws, deep free kicks. We stood up to that test well and it's a really promising start."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond, Neville Dalton)
