Shots from the Playground

[Bradfo69]

Just a few from last week. A couple times a year, I host a large event where I invite all my booked brides and family to a food tasting that is also a sort of mini bridal show with various vendors.

I emcee the event:



Then, as I am also the last vendor I introduce, hit them with this at the end:







Fortunatly it becomes a much easier sell after that. What's a wedding without lasers?

[planters]

They're lucky that your personal obsession isn't paintball!

Seriously though, do many of the receptions involve lasers? When they do, does the couple actually sit down and pick and choose features of that part of the entertainment just like the food and the music? Fascinating.

[Bradfo69]

Yeah, I don't think paintball would go over well at anything but the bachelor party.

Most of the people who have come for tours and have booked the hall discover than I'm into lasers, lighting and helping to create whatever "wow" factor they may be thinking about. During this event, I explain that I know it's not everyones taste but, if they are looking for something that makes their wedding stand out as one the guests will remember, lasers may afford that opportunity. I have demonstrated graphics and how they can be incorporated by doing things like the Pango show Recipe for Love by Harry Connick Jr. just before their cake cutting. I'll show them how lasers make an alternative to the static plain gobo on the wall and how with lasers it can be moving, have the fonts and colors change periodically and be much more attention grabbing and dynamic etc., and then also show them how beams can add to the dancing part of the evening.

I would say that a majority of weddings get something from me. Whether its uplighting, some non-coherent dance lighting, or lasers in some fashion. I had one bride that just wanted lasers for their introduction but not during the dancing. That's a lot of set up time and money for a 45 second effect if you ask me. My wedding this past weekend wanted everything - uplighting, lasers, club lighting and we did a very choreographed entrance for the bride and groom with LMFAO's Party Rock. It went very well and the guests went nuts. Funny thing was it was the brides mother who insisted on the lasers. I got a bit screwed though because she changed her head table arrangement at the end and I wasn't able to set things up to their best advantage. Most of the time for beams, I'm talking with the DJ throughout the night and keeping track of his "set list" and then using LivePro or Quickshow to punch cues, occasionally tweaking with a midi controller. I may mess around with the Virtual LJ thing this weekend.

I've had brides want various things such as air cannons shooting rose petals over the audience at the end of a ceremony, low lying fog and mirrorball for 1st dances, and other stuff. I try to help sell "wow". I'm just not really good at charging as much as I probably should for some of this stuff. As I've said before, if they're paying $10,000 for the whole wedding... they ain't paying $3,000 for lasers. But, they'll pay $800. And I'd rather do that 20 times a year as opposed to not doing them in hopes of nailing 2 or 3 at $3,000.

[Bradfo69]

I should clarify that a little... all my gear is right there and the set up and tear down is fairly quick. If I was approached about taking them to an unfamiliar location for an event, you betcha I'm charging more! And I have an event planner who wants me to work her up some pricing for that.