What they probably don’t understand is more than a few months of meticulous planning, let alone the hefty budgets that are often needed to put these adoring visuals on their lives. The 200 Mid-Atlantic weddings that Lindsay Shachtman, planning director for the Mavin House event in Ipswich, Massachusetts, stopped last year are just one example.
“We lost the groom for a while because he was on the wrong channel of a long distance transceiver, she said.
“In the water, five fixed boats cannot be stationary. Everything moves constantly,” she added.
But here is the magic. None of the turbulence was evident in the photograph.
“That’s the beauty of the photograph,” Shakman said. “It can show perfection in an otherwise incomplete scenario. The couple will never see. They don’t know how difficult the photo is, what enabled their demands.” Other wedding experts with similar experience feel the same way. They share the behind-the-scenes effort required to create visually compelling moments. Entrance
“This is usually a first impression of a wedding,” says Scott Worfell, director of creative and operations at Putnam Design in New York City. “It sets tone and expectations, so it requires a great factor.”
This is often achieved by flowers.
Flower arrangements have shifted from tables to huge backdrops and ceiling coverings at wedding venues. These non-permanent configurations are painstakingly assembled and are extremely expensive.
“They need to be substantial, sound, interactive and enduring power for an intensive experience,” the company creates between 15 and 20 megaflower arrangements a year. Each one needs to bring together 12-18 people, from florists and designers to logistics specialists and builders. Next, Warfel said, you need to consider installers and demolition railers, as well as “electrical teams and power supplies.”
“If you’re in an open field, there might not be electricity,” he pointed out. “The more elaborate – the sconces, lighting, paints, wallpaper, molding – these will be more expensive.” According to Warfel, depending on the size (average 12 x 15 feet), complexity, design and number of flowers, these installations can run between $15,000 and $30,000.
Big arrival
“We’ve been working hard to get into the world,” said Roni Peterson, owner of LP Creative Events in Alvada, Colorado. In 2022, she hosted a wedding of 700 people at Arapaho County Fairgrounds in Colorado. The groom arrived via helicopter and the bride was in a carriage.
The biggest challenge was finding a large location that could hide both modes of transport and provide enough space for helicopters to take off and land safely, Peterson said.
Additional logistics included finding certified helicopters and renting them and hiring pilots. We had to ensure a flight pattern. Other tasks include providing floor plans and site maps, obtaining permits and safety approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration and local governments, and obtaining permits from the nearest airport. For example, if the pilot got sick, Plan B was also needed.
“It took five months for a spectacular 10-minute arrival and a red carpet walk to staff,” Peterson said. She noted that there are several dedicated workers. Among them were a second team for radio communications for takeoff and landing, seven internal team members for crowd management, and three undercover agents. The cost incurred was about $8,000, and the bride was an additional $1,500.
Special effects
“We’re doing fireworks right now,” says Stefanie Cove & Co, an event planner in Los Angeles. said Neely Shell, production director of the film.
She has adjusted several displays, but notes that the plan may be labor-intensive. “People think you press the button and it’s finished,” Shell said.
The main challenge is finding and ensuring that it is safe and secure. “Fireworks are often a surprise to guests, so they have to be hidden in the bushes and trees and buildings cannot sabotage the show,” Shell said.
There are many other factors to consider, such as safety regulations. Ensure necessary permits vary by state. Choose from a variety of fireworks, each requires its own console. And they have professionally edited music tracks choreographed on fireworks. Many people, including electricians and lighting teams and sound specialists, need to be hired to separate it all. Then there are the actual fireworks crew, firefighters and crowd controllers.
A colorful, three-minute display, usually with fireworks of 75 or more, plans to take two months and costs between $30,000 and $50,000, Shell said. It is free to pray that it will not rain, but it is precious.
Natural environment
Holding a wedding in the great outdoors will definitely offer unforgettable moments and visuals. However, these settings are controlled by the weather.
Shachtman recalled the experiences of 200 Mid-Atlantic guests off the north coast of Massachusetts, exactly where the couple first met on a boat ride in the ocean.
The project involved securing a tide schedule. Visit the port dock. They then contacted the US Coast Guard, which had to close the port because other private boats were unable to enter at the same time. Having had to rent a marine grade transceiver, Shaktman had to hire a sound technician, allowing boat guests to listen to the ceremony.
“There were a lot of details to consider,” she said. Her 30-person team included the boat captain and his staff, land and sea audio and visual technicians, and a photograph and video team.
The three-hour ceremony and round-trip paired with a drone photo cost $50,000.
Building from scratch
“Last year, the couple wanted to hold their wedding weekend in a remote private lunch near Aspen, Colorado. “There was no running water, power, bathrooms or roads. Over eight days, with the help of 50 people, we built an essentially temporary wedding venue from scratch.”
This meant renting water, trucks and three industrial generators as well as a luxury toilet trailer with climate control. The floor was built on uneven terrain and expanded into multiple structures, including a custom built, covered platform for the ceremony, sitting 15 feet above the ground overlooking the valley.
The catering kitchen needed a unique, covered structure with water access and power. “We also created a getable suite and ceremony rain backup, each with additional coverage that includes heating, ventilation, air conditioning and aesthetic considerations,” Campbell said.
Another issue was transportation. The steep, dirt road meant ensuring some adjusted shuttle transfers for the sunset and ceremony. The tent required permission and local officials had to sign off for construction.
“The vision was amazing. The guests were taken to a completely different world, both emotionally and physically, over the weekend,” Campbell said of the end result.
“But to separate it took a lot of effort into planning, vendor vendor teams, and a huge investment in temporary systems that you would never see in photos.”
This article originally appeared in the New York Times.
