You want your guests to have fun at your wedding, right?! You like the idea of having some sort of interactive photo opportunity for your guests to enjoy but you’re just not sure if photobooths are your thing?
What if you can still have the fun and excitement of an interactive photo opportunity with photos your guests can still take home without the booth? Imagine a roaming photographer whose images are printed on the spot as photo magnets for guests to take home that night. Read on and we’ll explain the advantages of on-the-spot photo magnets for your wedding day which also work perfectly as wedding favours.
As a professional photography company, we are fans of promoting an alternative to a photobooth at weddings. Why? We’ve seen the happiness guests experience when our roaming photographer captures their dancefloor moves or takes a snap of the family in front of the incredible sunset. Simply put, we can go where a booth can’t.
When planning a wedding, you want your guests to be entertained and take home a wedding favour they will actually keep reminding them of the good times that were had. Our roaming photographer goes around to all your guests and captures them having fun. The young ones, the golden oldies, the dancing divas, and the table talkers – we’ll get them all. We turn those moments into memories that stick. Photo magnets, made on the spot for your guests to take home as wedding favours. These wedding favours will be stuck to fridges for years to come. What a great way to remember how awesome your wedding day was!
That’s not even the coolest bit! Your photo magnet frame is fully customisable to suit your wedding styling. You get to choose the colours, text and graphics you like best.
If you haven’t seen on the spot photo magnets before you may be wondering how does this magic happen? It takes two to tango, and this is the same number of people it takes to create on the spot photo magnets. You will have a photographer and an assistant on the day who are both committed to providing unlimited photo magnets to you and your guests during your reception.
We’ve been creating personalised on the spot photo magnets since 2013 so you can rest assured, we have the process finely tuned. Our experienced event photographer will walk the room, stalk your crowd, and keep on clicking until they get the money shot. All images are quickly processed for quality control and then our assistant turns them into photo magnets while the photographer goes back around to your guests to take more photos. Our team are committed to ensuring your guests have the best experience and receive multiple magnets to take home at the end of the night. We also guarantee our team is fun!
Magnetic Shots crew are all friendly and are genuinely happy to be there. They’ll interact with your guests and dance along to the music while they make your magnets.
Every booking includes classy wooden prop signs that get a giggle from your guests. You can even pre-order a customised sign with your own wedding hashtag or couple name. Handmade locally by Aubs and Sull, your guests can use this sign all night long whilst you get to take it home and keep it forever at the end of the night.
I already have a wedding photographer; can I still book Magnetic Shots?
Absolutely, yes you can. When we work alongside other photographers, we respect their craft and work within your wedding timeline. Generally, we concentrate on capturing your guests while your photographer focuses on you and your spouse. Just make sure you let your photographer know we’ll be there so it isn’t a surprise when we say hi to them. Here’s what Bec from Azure Creative Photography has to say about working the same wedding as Magnetic Shots, “Working with Magnetic Shots is seamless and fun! They fit in perfectly alongside the photographer and are never intrusive and are always around to capture the fun of the party! Would recommend.” – Bec
Did you know you can book Weddings by Magnetic Shots and include our wedding photography and photo magnets all in one package?
If you choose us for photo magnets, wedding photography or both, we guarantee you and your guests will have an awesome experience.
There are many ways you can schedule us into your wedding day to receive the best bang for your buck. Our packages not only provide your guests with wedding favours they will be sure to keep, they will also provide you with all the photos and memories you’ll need to remember your special day by forever.
While your guests enjoy canapes and lawn games post ceremony, we capture them mingling and have these images turned into magnets ready for them to collect at the start of your reception. You’ll likely be with your photographer during this time, so we’ll capture these moments for you, so you don’t miss out on any of the action.
If your photographer is signing off after your first dance, chances are there’s still fun to be had and memories to be captured before the day is over so that’s where we come in. We’ll step in as the food is cleared and capture your guests at their tables to ensure everyone has a photo taken of them. We’ll be right at your side as the dancing continues and will continue taking photos until the bouquet is thrown or the bar closes. Your guests will have fun with our props, and you’ll have all the naughty end of night celebrations recorded to have a giggle about later.
At every wedding we keep aside a special package of photo magnets for our couples. Inside are all the wedding magnets of you with your guests and all the images on a USB as well. We can also send you a link for easy download and social sharing.
So, when we were asked to booth or not to photobooth? We said no to the booth and yes to photo magnets as wedding favours our guests will actually keep.
All packages include unlimited photo magnets and complimentary props. With our minimum 2 hour hire period (good for up to 100 guests) starting at $770 (daytime rate), you know your guests will take home memories that will stick and get to look back at the good times they had at your wedding for years to come.
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Did you know that by the time October rolls around, you’re less than 90 days from Christmas?! Some businesses have payment terms longer than that. Christmas Parties are usually at least a week before that, so by October it’s well and truly time to start planning your Christmas Party!
You want to thank your staff and celebrate the year you’ve had together while letting a little bit loose before the silly season kicks off. You want everyone to have great memories together to look back on, so they’re excited to come back in the new year and smash goals.
The past few years have been a nightmare for a lot of businesses (how many hours of glitchy Zoom meetings have you endured working from home?!) so it’s time to really reward your staff with something memorable. It’s time to ditch the standard format of hiring a bar area, putting on a small tab and milling around making small talk until your guests head out for their Christmas break.
We absolutely love helping our clients create epic Christmas Parties that leave their staff going “Wow! That was a great party!” We love the look on peoples’ faces when they arrive expecting a minimalistic party in the same old format they’ve been to every year before and are instead blown away.
Here are 5 Ways To: Take Your Work Christmas Party To The Next Level!
1. Book An Unexpected Venue
The pub people walk to sometimes for after work drinks, or your work lunch area, are not going to blow anyone away or make them feel special. We’re not saying go wild and take everyone to Vegas – just think slightly outside the box. A new bar in town, a local boat charter or even a bowling club can be really impressive AND affordable venues.
Navigating this can be overwhelming. If you’re confused or can’t make the vision fit the budget, we can help. We know the tips and tricks to make every event as affordable as possible. Whether it’s negotiating rates with the venue, perfecting the amount of catering so you don’t waste money and food/drinks, or the most cost effective way to get everyone there safely.
2. Capture The Moment
Photobooths are really effective way to help your staff remember how much fun they had, both in terms of recall and cost.
They’ve evolved a lot from the old rectangular boxes you’d cram yourself in to at the mall and close the curtain – from a camera and photo printer on a tripod to incredible 360-degree video platforms where the camera spins around your guests and takes a super fun video. Add some of your business’ branding, a fun backdrop and the ‘Christmas 2021’ and you’ve got nostalgic keepsakes for your guests.
We regularly work with a huge list of amazing vendors who can help create these keepsakes while we make sure it all runs smoothly on the night. Get in touch to let us guide you to the one that will work for your event and your budget.
3. Give Them What They Like
There is absolutely no reason your Christmas Party needs to just involve food, drinks, music and mingling. Think about your staff and what appeals to them. Will a lot of your staff be wearing leather dress shoes? Hire in a shoe-shine station for a luxe unexpected twist. Why not hire a masseuse to give your staff 3-minute shoulder massages?
Are you distributing new uniforms or branded company wear like travel mugs at the event? Why not hire in an engraver and let your staff feel extra special as their new gear is personalised just for them while they enjoy the party?
By now you’re probably realising a theme here – the unexpected. These are just a few great ways to add the unexpected to your work Christmas Party that you might not have thought of. We keep across all the new and exciting things our industry has to offer and can help find the right one for you!
4. Show Them You Know Them
Staff awards can be a lot of fun and you don’t have to stick to the titles everyone knows, get creative!
Did someone in your team do something particularly memorable that everyone (including them) still refers to months later? Put it on an award! Be absolutely sure it’s something they don’t feel embarrassed, judged or bullied about but have fun with it.
Is someone known for their compassion and charity work outside of the workplace? Show them you know them with an award that reflects that, like ‘Passionately Human’. Is someone always chatting their way around the office? Maybe they’re your ‘Social Butterfly’ award recipient!
5. Hire An Event Planner!
With over 15 combined years in the industry, we have far more than 5 ways to take your work Christmas Party to the next level! We already know the best venues and suppliers to bring it all to life and with us on site managing every detail, you can get back to the real goal of your event: celebrating the year you’ve had with your staff.
Don’t think you can afford a planner on a tight budget? Working with these great suppliers over and over means we have access to exclusive industry rates. Usually the savings we secure for you offset your investment in our services.
That means you get a next level work Christmas Party your staff will remember for years, you don’t have to deal with the stress and time it takes to plan it yourself AND you get to enjoy yourself on the night knowing everything is being taken care of by professionals. It’s a win-win-win!
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With the government roadmap in place and vaccination rates soaring, we’re so excited to be getting back to holding live, COVID-Safe events! From festivals to weddings and everything in between, our calendar is bursting with activity for 2022 and beyond. We don’t just love organising events though – naturally, we’re in our element going out and getting involved as guests at the fantastic events on offer across the country.
Events have come back with a bang overseas, showing us just how much fun we’re in store for very soon! “Strong demand is proving that fans are eager to get back to the experiences they love — it feels like every week we have another event breaking a record,” Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich wrote. “For some of these record-breaking on sales, we have millions of fans lining up for just a few hundred thousand tickets.”
As we’ve all heard in the news, ‘post-COVID’ isn’t really an accurate description as the way forward is managing and living with the virus. Naturally, outdoor and seated events are returning before other events which means getting creative and adapting to this mode of event delivery.
Here are a few of our favourite events that have thrilled and entertained in a COVID-Safe environment, to get you excited for what’s just around the corner here in Australia!
Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai is an incredible event celebrating global collaboration and unity, ‘Connecting Minds and Creating The Future’ through sustainability, mobility and opportunity. For 170 years, World Expos have provided a platform to showcase the greatest innovations that have shaped the world we live in today. As an indication of the prominence of these expos, in 1939 the first ever live TV broadcast was made the New York World’s Fair!
Celebrated Tenor Andrea Bocelli, who performed at the Opening Ceremony, summed up the event and its significant timing perfectly: “We have all gone through a year that no one could ever have imagined. For a year, we have lost the essentials, our freedom and, in a sense, and even our dignity. Now we finally see the light and I hope that this event will also help to instil in everyone a sense of optimism, a desire to achieve and to put what has been behind us.”
To protect that light and help move forward, guests all need to show proof of at least one dose of a COVID vaccine recognised by the WHO or a negative test to attend. They are even offering free tests on site each day with results turned around in under 10 hours.
Spanning a mind-boggling 6 months from October 2021 – March 2022, the event is an absolute behemoth and brings together the very best from a wide range of industries and expertise.
You would need close to that long to experience, see and do everything on offer! Cultural stage shows, A-list pop star performances, sports workshops, personal fitness consultations, lunch made by robots (or Michelin Star Chefs if you prefer), business matchmaking apps – there’s way too much to sum up here.
Check it all out on the Expo 2020 Dubai website and join us as we drool over the experiences those lucky enough to get to UAE get to enjoy!
Lollapalooza 2021
Now a global music festival, Lollapalooza actually started as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction back in 1990. Today it’s considered one of the largest and most iconic music festivals in the world with its home base weekend-long event held in Chicago annually. Like so many events it was cancelled for 2020, opting to stream headliners on Youtube.
In 2021 it made a triumphant return, with an estimated 100,000 people descending on the festival each day!
They showed the world how handling a MASSIVE non-seated, impossible-to-social-distance event is done. The COVID plan included mandatory masks anywhere indoors and proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test required to enter.
According to tweets from the organisers, more than 90% of attendees showed proof of vaccination and 8% showed a negative covid test. 600 people were turned away just on the first day of the festival for not meeting the vaccination/test requirements – a drop in the ocean for the 100,000 capacity event and necessary precaution to keep their festival alive and punters safe.
With an incredible lineup of international musicians like Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Megan Thee Stallion, Miley Cyrus and Australia’s own Alison In Wonderland (just to name a few), across 7 stages of entertainment, it was definitely ALIVE!
Check out more here:
BMW Re:Imagine Today
What do you get when you combine the largest city palace in Germany, the Munich Symphony Orchestra, luxury cars and absolutely mind-blowing lighting design? BMW’s Re:Imagine Today concert which took place in September 2021.
An exceptionally talented collection of industry professionals worked tirelessly to transform the 1385-built castle into an immersive 360-degree audio visual experience for guests, celebrating the immersive nature of audio in cars and BMW’s partnership with world-renowned composer Hans Zimmer.
‘The concept of electric vehicles set the theme for the evening concert. “Hans is composing all the sounds for our electric cars, so we decided to also give this show an electric vibe,” explained Dr. Alexander Kotouc, BMW Group’s head of experiential marketing, adding that some of the on-stage musicians even played electric instruments to showcase the quality of the sound. “We wanted to make this show happen to celebrate our partnership—but mainly we wanted to bring joy to the visitors and to create an amazing memory for everybody who was there.”’– BizBash
Just imagine listening to over 30 of the world’s most talented musicians covering the hits of Hans Zimmer, including pieces from The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception and more. What an absolute treat for the senses! Over 150 guests attended the once-in-a-lifetime event and I’m sure they won’t soon forget it.
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It may surprise you that QR codes or ‘Quick Response’ codes have been around since the 90s, mainly used in the Japanese car manufacturing industry. 5 years ago, unless you were particularly tech savvy, QR codes were just a strange pixelated square you had to download an app to do anything with.
What changed the game was tech giants like Apple integrating QR code scanners into cameras – cut out the app, just point and click!
One of the few things we can thank COVID-19 for is making QR codes second nature to a lot of people, having to use them anywhere they go. This opens up a whole new level of guest interaction that wasn’t possible before without fancy tech like chips embedded in name badges with expensive scanners crucial to even use them.
Here are 5 Ways To: Get The Most Out Of QR Codes At Your Event!
1. Share Information, Not URLs
Instead of just putting your event website on advertising signage like posters, consider using a QR code.
Research shows that millennials are unlikely to make more than 3 clicks on their path to purchase. You can create a QR code for any URL so why not add one to your signage so people can just point and click to find out more?
2. Scan-To-Purchase
Significantly reduce your queues at the box office by having signage with a QR code straight to your ticketing page readily available.
Guests who are happy to purchase online can scan it and take their time, away from queues, making their purchase. The only guests who will need to go to your box office are cash payments and those who would rather not purchase online.
3. Feedback, Feedback, Feedback!
Continuous improvement is a core value of any professional Event Planner. One of the most valuable resources you can tap in to on this journey is guest feedback.
Years ago the most common way to gather this feedback from guests was by having a few iPads on stands with the form pre-loaded. While that method is effective, getting guests to queue and physically touch the same touchpoint (the iPad) isn’t COVID-safe.
Signage with a QR code to the feedback form allows guests to complete it in their own time in a COVID-safe way and mitigates reluctancy about having to queue, ultimately resulting in more responses and happier guests.
4. Form A Connection
A guest or potential client might be hesitant to fill out a paper form and quality printed documents like Info Packs are both costly and likely to end up in landfill.
Have a QR code handy that links through to a brief sign-up form guest need to complete to download the info pack and you’ve covered two bases – accurate lead capturing and digital info pack delivery!
5.Hire an Event Planner
The possibilities are endless for integrating QR codes into events! The fine line is knowing what to use them for, what not to and finding that perfect balance.
Endless, superfluous QR codes will give your guests QR fatigue and create a barrier, preventing them from fully engaging with the event. Ultimately, people are inherently social creatures and to truly engage them you need to build an emotional, personal connection. If they’re constantly scanning barcodes and looking at their phone, building that connection is incredibly difficult.
Don’t risk leaving your guests feeling disconnected or missing out on invaluable leads, feedback and info.
Get in touch with us today for a fully customised QR code integration plan for your event that smashes your goals and leaves guests raving.
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Disagreements in wedding planning are as inevitable as they are in marriage itself. Being engaged is a great time to learn how to navigate your differences without killing each other. You don’t need to agree on everything to be an amazing team. It’s all about compromise and remembering that marriage is a team sport; you either win together or you lose together.
I know that it’s a stressful time; emotions are running high, and so are the to-do lists but try to remember that your wedding day is all about celebrating love, not necessarily about hosting a flawless event.
Supercharged topics can include budget, guest list size, what traditions you’d rather leave in the past and who is doing the lion’s share of the planning.
Some strategies you might find helpful when you realise you aren’t on the same page:
Consider the big picture as it affects each decision
Some decisions will be made inadvertently as a result of other decisions, so you may need to step back and slow down when considering some of the early big decisions. For example, the guest list should be created early because it shapes decisions about venues and costs. If one of you wants a tropical beach wedding and the other wants a local winery wedding – you should discuss these options in light of other issues, such as if you want your frail grandparents to be at the wedding. Seeing the larger picture may help you resolve some differences.
Ask yourselves who cares more about the issue
You may decide to adjust your preference and let this particular thing go if your partner has strong feelings about the issue. You don’t need to win them all! For example, you may prefer a small, intimate wedding but your partner has always loved their family tradition of a large wedding where all the aunties, uncles, cousins and their partners attend. Try setting a guest list number that gives more to the person who cares the most.
Avoid discussing difficult topics when you are tired, stressed or hungry
Sometimes it is more than the issue at hand that creates the tension. It may be how you feel physically – tired, stressed, or hungry. For example, if you’ve just had a heated discussion with your mum or had a hard day at work, you may be best to postpone any wedding discussions with your partner until you’ve had a chance to recalibrate.
Periodically assess your wedding-planning stress and assigned tasks
There is often a long lead time until your wedding, and your job workload may change during this time affecting your ability to complete wedding tasks. For example, If your partner has not followed through on a task they were responsible for, or if you feel better equipped for a particular task, politely offer to help or take over. The key is to agree together on a shift of responsibility and not to be resentful about it.
Teach and learn from one another rather than assuming the other person ‘gets it’
Sometimes one of you will not see a problem that is quite clear to the other. You’ll need to both educate each other about your families and their traditions. For example, the partner from an Irish background needs to explain to his partner what his culture’s wedding traditions are, such as the expectation that the bar won’t close before midnight.
Consider whether deeper issues are underlying your conflict
If you are doing your best to deal with your differences and yet remain polarised, look for deeper issues. For example, the issue is not about the size of the wedding but about the feeling of envy because one of you has a bigger circle of friends.
Avoid behaviours that accelerate the conflict
- Criticism – attacking the other person’s character. Stick to the issue at hand;
- Showing contempt – insults and non-verbal hostility such as eyerolling or smirking;
- Stonewalling – shutting down and refusing to communicate;
- Defensiveness – seeing yourself as a victim.
Instead, show empathy. Perhaps the most important communication skill you need is the ability and willingness to understand how the other person feels. You do not have to agree but recognising how they feel is important. It allows your partner to feel like they are heard and their opinion is appreciated.
The best advice I would give any couple planning a wedding is to do a Marriage Education Course such as the globally recognised Prepare Enrich Program.
Smart couples focus not just on their wedding day but on their marriage ahead because even the best relationships take work. Over the years, you will no doubt plan for your future by investing in other areas of your life and your relationship should be no different.
If your relationship is already strong, you can expect the course to increase your bond. If your relationship has some communication issues that need addressing, now is the perfect time!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Julie Muir – Marriage Celebrant Extraordinaire
At Hunter Events Group, we first encountered Julie through our shared commitment to creating highly engaging and memorable weddings. We knew we were on the same page when we discovered that she is just as passionate about what happens to her couples after the wedding, as on the wedding day itself. We love her dedication to her couples.
Julie runs reasonably priced Prepare Enrich Marriage Courses that help build healthy relationships and strong marriages, and we are totally here for this idea! She is single-handedly revolutionising this idea so that it doesn’t feel corny in any way. If anyone can make it fun, she can! And you only need to take a look at the testimonials featured on Julie’s website to confirm that she really is a cut above the rest.
While you’re there, take a look at her Blog too. Julie is an engaging writer and her articles are full of great advice for those about to wed. If you’re more social media oriented, you can also find Julie on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
Of course, you can always contact Julie the old fashioned way, by mobile on 0413 267 238 or by email at hello@juliemuircelebrant.com.au
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