Reception to Remember
New Wedding Favors that Are Fun to Make and Keep
Written by Blair Townley; Photos Provided
You find them at your table when you sit down at a wedding reception. They are party flavors and can range from the ever-popular framed picture of the bride and groom to unique candy bars and mixed CDs.
For your wedding in 2010, why not add to the fun you and your guests can have on one of the most important days of your life? Make a flipbook with a meaningful message or have a silhouette hand cut right before your eyes.
Whatever you do, make it a night to remember for the smiles, tears and laughter shared among everybody.
Silhouettes
A party favor that combines old-fashion tradition with modern gift ideas? Silhouettes have been a favored party trick since the mid-1700s, emerging from French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette love for cutting the paper portraits.
The art form has become popular once again for local events and currently weddings through the mobile services of Orlando resident Kathryn Flocken, owner of Silhouettes by Kathryn.
“I have the person sitting in front of me and I assess them as a whole and then I immediately start drawing them with scissors instead of a pencil, pen or paintbrush,” Kathryn says.
“People are always amazed at how it is so fast to do and that is also a benefit to the bride and groom because that means during their wedding reception that a lot of their guests are going to be served.”
Between greeting the silhouette recipient and finishing the portrait, the entire process takes Kathryn about three minutes with 90 seconds devoted to the cutting of the silhouette. She only requires a table and two identical chairs while she brings her equipment of a light, scissors, paper and glue.
The short amount of time to cut the silhouette makes it easy for silhouettes to be created before the ceremony and/or during the reception.
A new feature Kathryn is providing local brides and grooms is a guestbook where wedding guests can place their silhouettes into the book’s page and include a congratulatory message with it. Kathryn lays the silhouette paper in two so that the guest can take home their own silhouette while also leaving one for the newlyweds to enjoy.
“It’s unique because there are less than 100 working silhouette artists in the world and the bride and groom love it and they say it is a memory they will keep forever.”
For more information, visit Silhouettes by Kathryn at www.paperportraits.com.
Flipbooks
Become a star in your own video with a personalized flipbook, a party favor that has become the latest craze for weddings this season.
Encompassed in a six-second video in a 10’x10’ mobile studio, guests can hold up funny signs, act out a silly skit or give a special message to the bride and groom. A specialized computer then prints out the 60 video images that are then separated and covered by the Flipbook staff to be given to the guest in two minutes.
Ocoee residents Todd and Amy Arnold operate The Flipbook People for the Central Florida area and have noticed the books gaining popularity for weddings at the moment.
“The flipbook is something fresh, something new and everybody has fun,” Todd says. “Even if you are a conservative person, as soon as you get in front of the monitor and you see what you look like and what you are doing, you will start laughing and having a good time.”
If you are not sure what to do, staff members that are the “producer” and “director” of the video will help you decide what to do. Props are available to use such as inflatable guitars, feather boas and oversized glasses as well as a variety of signs.
Among the favorites of Todd’s that guests have done include a husband giving his wife flowers (which would have her giving back the flowers if the book is viewed in reverse), marriage proposals and a woman who create a book message of love for her fiancée in Iraq.
“It’s like having your own little miniature group DVD in your hand that you get to play over and over again and no matter what, it will always bring a smile to your face when you see what you have done.”
Brides and grooms can also create flipbooks as a message of thanks to their guests for coming to the wedding, creating a gift that definitely won’t be forgotten after the wedding.
For more information on flipbooks, visit www.theflipbookpeople.com.
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