is this a bad idea for the reception?

juliaklee · June 2010

my fh and i went on a mini vacation for valentine's day to tampa, fl. while we were there, we saw a caricature artist....you know, the ones that draw the silly faces....anyway, we both wanted to get one but i was rushing him so we just ended up leaving instead of waiting in line and I've kinda felt bad about it ever since. anyway, i came across a caricature artist in our area that is reasonably priced and his samples look really good and i would like to surprise my fiance with this at the reception and use it as a small favor for the guests. We're having a medium sized wedding, nothing fancy and just doing a desert bar and candy buffett for the reception. im getting mixed reviews from my family and close friends and i dont want it to flop!! what do you think about the caricature artist? is it different, but in a good way or too carnivally?

trix1223 · June 2010

Here's my concern: How many caricatures can the artist do in, say, an hour? I'm guessing maybe 6 or 8? So that means that even in a wedding of fewer than 50 guests, it would take about 7 hours to do one of each guest.

And as a guest, I wouldn't relish standing in line for a caricature. (Well, to be honest, I would just skip it altogether as they're nms.)

If you can find a way to be sure that everyone who wants a caricature gets one, and that they don't have to stand in line, then okay.

But honestly, I'd rather enjoy the food, drinks, and mingling than a caricurist which just sort of screams "Boardwalk" to me.

vsgal · June 2010

We thought about this for our reception. The thing that changed our minds? The bridal show we went to had an artist. He opened his booth and people started lining up. I would say there was close to about 150 folks in line and he was there for the entire day. We walked past the line as we were leaving and overheard one woman say that she was in line for over 2 hours. Right then is when we said No Way! Your guests are not going to want to stand in line for two hours. They are there to socialize and mingle, dance, eat, drink and talk to you. They will not be happy to wait for the artist.

ndnikki06 · June 2010

I really like the idea actually! I'm all about different and fun ideas. I agree with some of the PPs though and I don't know if you'll be able to get everyone done in a short time.

amandah67 · June 2010

This is a great idea! We are planning on having one at our wedding because there are going to be quite a few kids there and only about 70 ppl total. Caricature artists are pretty quick when it comes to making a sketch. They can do only a head and just in black and white. Good luck with your search for your wedding! Does anyone know around how much it would cost?

kayla7231 · June 2010

If you really like the carnivally feel (as a PP so awesomely stated) then why don't you do something fun with it - for example, hiding numbers behind the place card, mix them all up and having raffles for whose turn it is with the artist - every hour or so your DJ could make an announcement (numbers 1-15 it's your turn this hour, make your way on over...) or put it in your programs, a kind of schedule type thing - but the DJ annoucing it and making a silly joke to go along with it would be much more along that feel of silliness... I know it is silly but it could work I guess maybe... (I'm trying!) at least you wouldn't have lines...?

juliaklee · June 2010

all good advice...thanks everyone! i don't expect every guest to want a drawing, mostly kids probably, and we're doing other favors so those who don't want one won't go home empty-handed. i dont want a long line in the middle of the reception though! the artist we found (in birmingham, alabama) was $80 an hour and he said black and white face drawings take about 6-8 minutes each. he has testimonials on his web site that were all good and he is hired often to do corporate parties so i guess he's used to large parties. the dj idea sounds really cute if we can get it carefully planned out. i just want something fun and different but i dont want it to be a disaster. another thought we had was renting a sno cone machine and having an attendant there fixing them. we're getting married in august in south alabama so its going to be really hot! originally, we wanted a coffee bar to compliment our desserts but its gonna be too hot. so we thought the sno cones would be fun and refreshing. any thoughts on that?

wallyandkristin · June 2010

We're having a photobooth. You could consider that instead. But if you love the caricature artist, then go for it! I am personally not crazy about caricatures but I do think the idea is unique and something people will remember. Do what makes you happy!

HKD817 · June 2010

It's a cute idea but I dont think it would work. Maybe if you are inviting children to the wedding this could be something for them to do to keep them busy but it may be a distraction.

jess0906 · June 2010

I think the caricature idea is really cute.

For the Sno Cones, I wouldn't do it unless you can get the clear colored flavors. Do you really want a bunch of kids and other people running around with something that will absolutely ruin your dress if they happen to spill it on you? What about a cotton candy machine spinning a color that coordinates with your wedding colors or just plain white?

tracy_k · June 2010

Be careful underestimating the number of guests who would want one... it may be more popular than you anticipate! We used to have caricature artists for our office picnic (all adults, no kids) and they were hands-down the most popular thing there. The lines were always super long.

How many guests are you having? Would it be possible to hire two artists?

mstar284 · June 2010

I like the cotton candy idea.

is this a bad idea for the reception?

Re: is this a bad idea for the reception?

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