This is the fourth part of our six-part series on wedding receptions. In previous installments, we have been talking about the nitty-gritty details of dealing with your various vendors. The focus of these articles has been how to get the best products/services possible. This article will take a lighter approach. We will discuss some extreme reception options and the not-so-traditional options. Many of the ideas mentioned will put a large burden on your budget, but they are intended to get you thinking creatively. These ideas, as you will see, do not fit everybody's personality. They are worth considering if they do appeal to you.
EXTREME RECEPTION OPTIONS
Production: This area is non-existent in many couple's wedding budgets. Production is a broad term that encompasses things such as projectors, props, staging, sound, lighting, special effects, etc. Large companies have huge production budgets but there is much that can be done with less than a multi-million dollar production budget. In the world of what a production company can provide you, the sky is the limit. Anything from a single flood light to a military tank can be provided.
The "Grand Entrance": This is one area where some production can really spice things up. The typical entrance for receptions is to have the bridal party simply enter and walk to the head table as the emcee announces their names. Sometimes, appropriate background music is played. Rarely, does much further planning go into this tradition. We must not forget that the grand entrance will set the mood for the rest of the evening to come and can become an extremely important sign of the evening to come.
Many things can be done to enhance this entrance. Picture this. The lights dim, the emcee announces for the guests to direct their attention to the main entrance, mysterious or exciting music begins to play, a spotlight illuminates the main entrance from outside, the bridal party is enthusiastically is announced as they enter the dimly lit atmosphere. When it comes time for the bride and groom to enter everyone is waiting excitedly to see what will happen next. The music changes as your guests are requested to rise for the entrance. At this point a cloud of fog appears in the doorway and the outlines of the bride and groom appear. Their names are announced as a loud burst of streamers highlights their entrance into the room. Everyone applauds enthusiastically and knows that this evening will be something to remember. Now your guests are ready for a good time.
Your Names in Lights: This option won't hurt your pocketbook as much as some of the others. A simple effect can be to put the bride and groom's names in lights and project the image around the room. This can be done in a couple different ways. The cheesy way would be to buy or rent an LED advertising sign like that sold at Sam's Club and program it with the names. The real way to "project" the names is to either hire a company to use a laser light (which can come in handy later in the night) or to use what is called a "gobo" projector that will project the image using a slide or a custom created design. This adds to the atmosphere (and who doesn't want to see their name in lights).
Change the Ambience: What does every banquet hall have in common? The answer is that they all have the same type of lighting. They use simple incandescent lighting that is dimmed to create an appropriate "mood." Well, this setting is anything but original. Most brides and grooms try to create a better mood by placing candles on the tables and this helps a little. Hiring a production company to create colored washes of light on the walls (especially behind the head table) is fairly cheap and effective. This will look much better than the typical dimmed lights along with candles and Christmas lights.
Projection Video: This is a must if you have an extremely large guest list or just want something unique. Projection video is becoming more and more common. One of the uses of projection video is for IMAG (Image MAGnification). In the grand entrance example, IMAG could have been used to project a live camera feed of the entrance door for the guests that could not directly see the entryway. Also, it may be used for projecting the toasts, cake cutting, first dances, and just about any other event that will take place. Another use is to project a video presentation or slide show at some point in the evening. Later in the night, the screen may be used to project music videos as your disc jockey entertains. There are many uses for this piece of equipment.
As previously mentioned, the budget to make these ideas a reality ranges from reasonable to outrageous. When working with a production company, most everything will be custom quoted for you. Let them know what you need and they will require some time to create a custom price quote for you. Calling around asking for prices will not lead to any knowledge being gained. Many of the items necessary may be rented and you can save some labor charges if you have time and knowledge to setup and teardown the equipment on your own. Other ideas will require a professional to operate and make a reality. If you are interested, then find a company and work with them. This can be a really neat and original idea to bring some excitement into your reception.
As always, if you have any questions on your particular event please feel free to email me here or call my toll free office number at 877-504-0186. I will do my best to answer any questions and help you in any way possible. All events deserve to be the best they can be.
