Favors

Caricature artist - fun or lame?

My first post, yay! I wasn't sure if this belonged under favors or reception ideas because it kind of falls under both, so my apologies if it doesn't fit here. 

What's everyone's opinion on caricature artists at the reception in place of a photobooth and as part of the favor? I feel like - at least in my area/circle of friends - photobooths are kind of played out (literally every event I've been to in the past 4 years or so has had one) so I wanted a slightly modified version. We're considering hiring two artists to come in for two hours of the reception (8-10pm, after dinner and spotlight dances are over) and draw caricatures of the guests. This would not be their only favor, especially since everyone wouldn't necessarily want one or get one (they can do about 15 per hour each, so 60 total, and we'll have about 250 guests). I feel like it's a fun thing to do and to watch (especially for the people who don't dance) and a memorable thing to take home, but does it make it feel too much like a county fair? Should we increase the hours so they can accommodate more people? Reception venue is the ballroom of a private golf club, so it's relatively upscale. We've also hired dueling pianos for the entertainment so I think everyone will be having fun regardless of whether they get their portrait drawn. We really want it to be a unique, memorable party.

THANKS all!

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Re: Caricature artist - fun or lame?

  • csuavecsuave member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited January 2014

     "We've also hired dueling pianos for the entertainment."
    Stuck in the box. 
    First, the bolded is so cool! 
    As for caricatures, I have never done this before so I would enjoy the experience even if I don't keep the picture for long after (but who knows?).  I think this can work for kids (if you have them) and adults so it sounds like a win to me.  60 doesn't seem like that many so I think increasing the hours is a good idea.  If you do this I don't think you need to offer another favor, but of course if you do an choose something additoinal that will be well liked (edible) then it is just an added bonus.
  • Someone else posted before about having a caricature artist and it was a huge hit, so I say go for it! Definitely increase teh hours though. I'd have them then entire reception.
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    Anniversary
  • This would be so fun! I would definitely increase the hours, if budget allows. That's the last thing you want to hear is people gripe about how they didn't get their turn. 
  • csuave said:

     "We've also hired dueling pianos for the entertainment."
    Stuck in the box. 
    First, the bolded is so cool! 
    If you do this I don't think you need to offer another favor, but of course if you do an choose something additoinal that will be well liked (edible) then it is just an added bonus.
    1) Haha it took me more minutes than I care to admit to get unstuck from the box on another post. :) 
    2) THANKS! I'm so freakin' excited about that. We're keeping that a secret from our guests so I was kinda geeked to get to spill the beans to strangers.
    3) K that's what I thought. I'll talk to the mister and see how we can squeeze more time into the budget. He's the financial wrangler of the couple!
    4) For our other favor we're thinking coffee packets with a customized label on it - FI and both our families are total caffeine junkies, plus we figure we can use any/all leftovers, AND I think "love is brewing" is too cute of a slogan to pass up. If we have the moolah leftover, I might make mini glass bottles of homemade flavored syrups (vanilla, cinnamon, etc.) that could go in the coffee, or tea or cocoa or ice cream or whatever else they like (if there's any unfortunate soul hiding in our crowd who DOESN'T like coffee!), since I'm a total Martha about stuff like that. :)

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  • Someone else posted before about having a caricature artist and it was a huge hit, so I say go for it! Definitely increase teh hours though. I'd have them then entire reception.

    ITB: I agree with this, because unless they draw super-duper quick it's going to take awhile to get through all the guests who want one done. Then if someone gets left out-they basically lose out on what is supposed to be a favor. But I do like the idea! It's so much fun to see the outcome.
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  • Yes, one of my friends who is another Knottie had one, and it was a hit. 
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
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  • can I come to your wedding??! lol kidding but it sounds great and different than the normal entertainment.  Love the piano's and think the caricature artists would be a hit!
  • I wouldn't use the caricature artist myself because I do not like their style or the way they accentuate certain things.
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  • So for our senior graduation party we had a caricature artist, well we had two of them. There was a line the whole time they were there and we only had 90 students in my graduating class. It was a hit, but you may ask how long it takes him to make them to insure everyone gets a chance and no one feels left out.

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  • So for our senior graduation party we had a caricature artist, well we had two of them. There was a line the whole time they were there and we only had 90 students in my graduating class. It was a hit, but you may ask how long it takes him to make them to insure everyone gets a chance and no one feels left out.
    As I said above, it's 15 per hour per artist. Our demographic is a bit different than a group of high school seniors, so I don't anticipate every single guest wanting one. I also don't foresee it being that big of a draw that more than a few people at a time would wait in line - it's a wedding after all, this isn't the only thing to do - people will be dancing, eating, drinking, mingling - plus it's not everyone's thing. We're definitely weighing the cost/benefit of having them there for more hours to accommodate more people though, without making it too much of a focus. Thanks all!

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  • I think it's a fantastic idea, and a great change from the photo booth! I also agree on upping the hours, maybe just 3 instead of 2 just in case the demand is higher than expected. That way they can also do 90 which is about a third of the guests. I also wonder, are children invited? If so, it's possible you'd want to make sure the artists are there long enough to do all the kids and some adults. As an adult, I would let kids go in front of me, but I would also be a bit disappointed if I wasn't able to get one, sounds really fun!
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  • I attended a wedding last year with a caricature artist at it.  I thought it was a really cute idea.  Guests get a unique souvenir and its additional entertainment during cocktail hour while you are taking pictures.  FI and I still have the picture he drew of us and have been looking for a frame for it.
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  • BrandNewJ said:
    I think it's a fantastic idea, and a great change from the photo booth! I also agree on upping the hours, maybe just 3 instead of 2 just in case the demand is higher than expected. That way they can also do 90 which is about a third of the guests. I also wonder, are children invited? If so, it's possible you'd want to make sure the artists are there long enough to do all the kids and some adults. As an adult, I would let kids go in front of me, but I would also be a bit disappointed if I wasn't able to get one, sounds really fun!
    I do have to say that you never know. That was just the example I had off the top of my head. I know my family would love it (even the older folks) and people would disappointed if they didn't get one and wanted one, they may feel left out. I just wanted to warn of that, because I would hate for a guest to feel left out.

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  • The last wedding my FI and I went to had a caricature artist. It was so much fun! The second dinner was over, the line started and was there until the end. The artist was amazing and she took our pictures after our drawings. I would suggest it, it sounds lame, people may say its lame, but in the end its an AMAZING keepsake that they can have from your wedding. Ours is hanging up in our living room. :)
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  • We hired a caricature artist, it was fun for us and for our guests! We ordered a custom stamp to post to the bottom of the picture near his signature so people would remember it was from our wedding.
  • I think the idea sounds amazing, but I think you need to increase the hours so more people can enjoy it and the line isn't so crazy. Wish I could afford it for our wedding! 
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