Seeking Sponsors for a Wedding

[niceice]

Okay, so we about rolled over and died laughing on the floor when this concept first appeared in the Wall Street Journal, but now we''re actually receiving email messages from people seeking sponsorship for their wedding from us in exchange for logo recognition and mention on their wedding invitations, programs, reception tables, thank you notes, etc.

Sorry people, but we personally find this "brilliant idea" to be pathetic and distasteful... A wedding is supposed to be memorable for the joining of two people and not yet another way to push corporate logo''s and advertising upon your guests... We would be embarrassed to have our good name associated with this practice and won''t be responding to any such offers now or in the future, but we thought our friends here on PS might get a good chuckle out of the idea or maybe a good cry - we''re not sure which reaction is more appropriate

 

[strmrdr]

That would be so tacky I dont know why anyone would want to do that.
Even as much as Id like to get a large diamond for my wifey2b Id never consider it.

 

[verticalhorizon]

Interesting and not completely surprising.

Would you consider, then, co-sponsoring a TV wedding, like say on The Today Show. Those couples already are forgoing sentiment and it could be a lot of exposure.

"This wedding was brought to you by NBC, Target, NiceIce, the number 7, and the letter W."

 

[niceice]

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On 6/16/2004 5:19:25 PM verticalhorizon wrote:


Would you consider, then, co-sponsoring a TV wedding, like say on The Today Show. Those couples already are forgoing sentiment and it could be a lot of exposure.----------------

Perhaps, but it seems to us that a televised wedding is not as personal and private as a gathering of friends and family - as most traditional weddings are. We sponsor local bridal fairs and things like that, but that is not a private event. The whole concept just seems "wrong" to us, but hey, it's not our wedding... We kept ours completely private with the exception of family and very close friends who accompanied us to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

"Do we get to embroider NICE ICE ROCKS on the back panel of the Bride's gown? At least 10" tall in BOLD BLACK LETTERING with the web site address floating down the back of the veil and across the Groom's bow tie?" Um, we're going to go stuff Robin into the closet now...

 

[verticalhorizon]

If you purchase the Premium sponsorship plan, you can also have your name embroidered on the napkins and get added to the gift baskets!

 

[sumi]

I thought i saw a snippet of an ABC "News" Special covering this exact topic. (I put news in quotations because I think the special was about weddings, all fluff pieces that aren't newsworthy). Anyway, did anyone catch it? I think Diane Sawyer, Elizabeth Vargas and two other reports were sitting in a circle casually introducing the various pieces on weddings.

ANYWAY, I think one of the pieces featured a wedding that was paid for fully by sponsors!

If anyone saw the whole show, do you mind sharing what the full piece was about? I only saw about one minute of it.

Personally, I don't like the idea. Advertisements are EVERYWHERE as it is. We have to look at advertisements on the freeway, before movies (where we really are a captive audience, i hate those commercials before the previews, which are themselves commercials for upcoming movies), advertisements on cars! Yikes, now we have to look at ads at weddings!?

 

[Lynn B]

ROFLMHO!!!

 

[hoorray]

As distasteful as I find this concept, it doesn't surprise me when I hear the price of weddings these days. I have a hard time believing that young people and/or their parents are expected to spend in the 10's of thousands of $$ when they are just starting out. Things are expensive enough when you are starting out these days, without adding $20 - $30000 for the wedding and honeymoon!

(I know -- I sound like an old, crabby broad -- I'm really only in my 40's, not my 80's!

)

 

[chialea]

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On 6/16/2004 5:24:41 PM niceice wrote:

----------------

'Do we get to embroider NICE ICE ROCKS on the back panel of the Bride's gown? At least 10' tall in BOLD BLACK LETTERING with the web site address floating down the back of the veil and across the Groom's bow tie?' Um, we're going to go stuff Robin into the closet now...

----------------

See, I would be tempted for the sheer amusement value of it all. Of course, I also voted for wearing black (hey, I look good in black!), but that was also voted down by my SO. He may be a party pooper now, but just wait and see what I'm going to get engraved into the inside of his ring.... *chortles*

 

[Nicrez]

Just had a thought, what if it was sposored by a jeweler, or a high end copmany like Harry Winston.




Considering J-Lo got married AGAIN, perhaps she would ask that Harry Winston sponsor her wedding by allowing her high end celeb guests to don on their jewels for the night in a high security, contained indoors wedding, and thus allow her friend to enjoy an evening of jewels and bolster HW's client base...




Now THAT'S the kind of sponsorship I sure wouldn't mind...After walking down the aisle ina gratuitous Vera Wang gown, a complimentary (for the night) Harry Winston Tiara, drinking Sample Dom Perignon all night, I'd have no problem emblazing their names on napkins...none at all...




No to find a way to make off with the tiara and a bottle of Dom...Thank God for ladies room windows and a good set of running shoes...

 

[solange]

A couple I know, both of whom are very successful and come from wealthy families, made a very modest but lovely brunch wedding. It was a beautiful affair but it was obvious that it was not one of those costly and lavish affairs one would expect of people in their financial circumstances.
A note was enclosed with the invitation stating that they had kept costs down to a very modest amount because they were donating the money they would have spent on the wedding for research into a particular genetic disease that ran in one of their families.
They suggested that insead of sending a wedding gift guests send money to either this or their favorite charity.
Everyone who attended had a wonderful time despite the absence of a lavish dinner, band, full bar and other frills.
Of course ths is not a thing everyone would want to do but it is a far cry from trying to have a fancy, commercialized wedding and getting strangers to foot the bill.

 

[eyesoftexas]

Robin and Todd,
In addiion to sponsoring the wedding day activities, how about the new Nice Ice wedding lingerie for him and her for the night activties.

 

[limey]

I can offer data analysis services to build a demographic and psychographic profile of one's invitees - without such data one would never be able to attract sponsors

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hummmmmmmmm............. Wedding Sponsors............ Hadn't thought of that one. Twin daughters are gonna be expensive to marry off................

 

[pqcollectibles]

----------------
On 6/16/2004 11:30:14 PM eyesoftexas wrote:

Robin and Todd,
In addiion to sponsoring the wedding day activities, how about the new Nice Ice wedding lingerie for him and her for the night activties.----------------

Eeewwwww!! A diamond studded Nightie!! Who would wanna take that off??!!

 

[mrmcpa]

Ya know, I DO remember Victoria Secrets putting a diamond bra in one of their holiday catalogues a couple of years ago. First off, I would want my diamonds on the OUTSIDE where everyone can see them

and secondly, wouldn't they scratch?

 

[purduephotog]

----------------
On 6/16/2004 11:55:28 PM pqcollectibles wrote:

Hummmmmmmmm............. Wedding Sponsors............ Hadn't thought of that one. Twin daughters are gonna be expensive to marry off................

----------------

Uhhhhhhh.... you don't live in NY do you????? *wink*

*heh*

Sponsorship has it's advantages. I've been amazed at the cost of photography up in an area saturated with photographers- of course, most of them aren't good enough. I intend to go to work 'offering' myself at a rock bottom price... where I deliver a DVD as the final product. Want prints? Extra but cheap. I figure with no physical costs my only expense is time... and, well, that roof won't fix itself now will it

 

[canuk-gal]

Hey there:

So what you are saying is, that there will be no forthcoming "goods" for my Canada Day weenie roast?
Pshaw.

cheers

Sharon

 

[winyan]

Ah, I was just talking to a co-worker and friend about the high cost of weddings. She is getting married in August and I almost choked when she said it was going to cost $60k.

If anyone has any info on that sponsorship stuff, please let me know. She's too sweet a person to start in such a deep hole!

(As an aside, she's of Asian Indian descent, and is having 350 guests, with no hope of reducing the list due to cultural constraints.)

win

 

[fire&ice]

That's how we end up with the Nokia Sugar Bowl. So, instead of the wedding of Groom & Bride, it will be the "Niceice" wedding of Groom & Bride.

Yeah, it's pretty dopey. Sponsoring Bridal Fairs are good business - but commercializing a wedding. Go figure. Good form to find it distasteful. I wonder how prevalent this is?

 

[Mara]

I have heard of the sponsorships as well. From what I have read and seen, it's usually a somewhat tasteful mention in the wedding program, aka back page ad or similar. Most of the time it's only the very large things..aka the photographer and possibly the caterer and not necessarily EVERY little thing. I could see the rings...sure, they are a huge expense.




Some find it distasteful and some may find it necessary. There are those who have to foot the bill themselves and a large wedding is required for tradition or culture or whatever. Sometimes people just can't say no to their families or large masses of friends. Also that would most likely be what a sponsor would desire, aka 300 people at the wedding, that way the audience is large. I don't see sponsors happening at a wedding for 40-50 people.




Personally while we didn't go that route, I would not be adverse to having a portion of the wedding sponsored, e.g. photographer to help offset some of the cost since certain things can be quite pricey regardless of how good you scout out bargains, but wouldn't necessarily want the entire wedding to be sponsored...then it really ceases to be yours.




So in my opinion I think that there could be a place for it, if its in moderation. Or you want to give ABC the rights to it and pull a Trista and Ryan.

 

[oldminer]

Sponsoring a wedding? That's what the bride's parents do, or so my wife told me when I paid big bucks for my daughter's wedding a few years ago. It was the very happiest and best day of my entire life. What a great way to spend way too much moola. An event and a party to remember.

For those who we invited, I set the bar high, so that when competing with the Joneses (Atlas') they would have to invite me to their wonderful weddings. I think it worked as I have been to a couple super events since our own.

Outside sponsors? No. Wouldn't work in the world we live in. It is an important and symbolic moment in the lives of the parents and the new couple. It ought not to be for sale.

I have been to fire house weddings in rural Pennsylvania where the kidnapped the bride and held her for ransome raised by passing the hat to all attendees. That's the kind fo sponsorship that seems to work in some cultures, but it is not for everyone. Buffet lines with kielbasa and sauerkraut, beer drawn from an iced keg and a country singer, now that's real life...

.. Remember, I'm a city boy.