Would you like a Professional Fireworks Display for Your Wedding?
Submitted: 25 February 2009
Author: Glen Pearson - Shockwave Pyrotechnics
A Fireworks Display at your Wedding Reception gives you a Stunning end to your perfect day. Professional Fireworks have improved leaps and bounds over the last few years and are truly amazing! The Wedding Industry provides many companies with year round business as hundreds of displays take place at Wedding receptions right across the country.
As not many people are familiar with how the professional Fireworks Industry works, I’m hoping my article will help.
Q: How Much Does a Professional Fireworks Display Cost?
A: Most prices start from around £600.00 and there’s normally no limit, only your budget!
Q: How long a display will I get for a budget of say £1000?
A: This is the $64000 question. You should expect to budget for around £125 per minute for a Professional Display. This seems like a lot of money, but remember, you are paying for a fully trained crew, full Public Liability Insurance, the Fireworks themselves, venue liaison, health and safety documents full risk assessments, show design, show setup, show firing and clear up at the end. Professional companies also use Fireworks that the general public cannot get hold of.
So for a budget of £1000, you could expect a show anywhere between 8-10 minutes. Remember, you can always select a lower duration of say 4-5 minutes for the same budget, and naturally the impact of the show would be increased to give a show you won’t forget in a hurry.
Many people often believe that the longer the duration, the better, as you’re getting more for your money…. How wrong can you be…. If your budget is £1000, then regardless of whether you choose 8 minutes or 5 minutes, you’ll still get the same amount of Fireworks. Please do be aware of companies that say they can perform a 10 minute show for a budget of £500, any display company can do this, but you will be disappointed. Keep to a minimum of £125 per minute and you won’t go wrong, and anything above this will enhance the display no end.
Q: How do I go about choosing a Display Company?
A: Take a look around on the Internet, or like you are now, on Wedding Directory Sites. Fireworks are a visual performance, so always try to pick a company that provide video footage on their website, or ones that can provide you with a DVD of some of their shows. Previous customer testimonials or recommendations are worth a lot in any industry, find all three and you’re onto a winner. Also make sure the website has been updated recently and looks good. There’s nothing more off putting than going to a website that wishes you a Happy New Year in July because they haven’t been bothered to update it.
Q: What do I need to do?
A: All you need do is to make contact with a company who you like the look of. All they’ll really need to know is .... 1) What is your budget? and ......2) Where the venue is.
It’s always a good idea when selecting your venue, to ask them if they allow a Professional Fireworks Display. More and more we're finding that some venues will only allow “Low Noise” Fireworks because of sensitive neighbours or nearby farms or livestock, and most companies do provide this service. If your venue insists you have a Low Noise display, don't be disheartened, although the display itself will not include any display shells, more effort is always put into the design of the show to create a more artistic and colourful impact, and there are some really stunning Low Noise Fireworks that today's professionals have access to.
Most companies should always ask clients if they have a Wedding Colour Theme, so these colours can be incorporated into your show. You can also request certain types of Fireworks should you so desire... if you've seen a particular Firework at a show before, as long as you can describe it, most companies should be able to determine what is was, there are 1,000's of type of Fireworks available to the professional industry, so shouldn't be a problem. Having said all this, professional display companies are used to designing Wedding Shows, so you can of course leave it all up to them.
Q: What does the Cost Include?
A: Prices from any company should be all inclusive, and include the following....
In a Nutshell
As not many people are familiar with how the professional Fireworks Industry works, I’m hoping my article will help.
Q: How Much Does a Professional Fireworks Display Cost?
A: Most prices start from around £600.00 and there’s normally no limit, only your budget!
Q: How long a display will I get for a budget of say £1000?
A: This is the $64000 question. You should expect to budget for around £125 per minute for a Professional Display. This seems like a lot of money, but remember, you are paying for a fully trained crew, full Public Liability Insurance, the Fireworks themselves, venue liaison, health and safety documents full risk assessments, show design, show setup, show firing and clear up at the end. Professional companies also use Fireworks that the general public cannot get hold of.
So for a budget of £1000, you could expect a show anywhere between 8-10 minutes. Remember, you can always select a lower duration of say 4-5 minutes for the same budget, and naturally the impact of the show would be increased to give a show you won’t forget in a hurry.
Many people often believe that the longer the duration, the better, as you’re getting more for your money…. How wrong can you be…. If your budget is £1000, then regardless of whether you choose 8 minutes or 5 minutes, you’ll still get the same amount of Fireworks. Please do be aware of companies that say they can perform a 10 minute show for a budget of £500, any display company can do this, but you will be disappointed. Keep to a minimum of £125 per minute and you won’t go wrong, and anything above this will enhance the display no end.
Q: How do I go about choosing a Display Company?
A: Take a look around on the Internet, or like you are now, on Wedding Directory Sites. Fireworks are a visual performance, so always try to pick a company that provide video footage on their website, or ones that can provide you with a DVD of some of their shows. Previous customer testimonials or recommendations are worth a lot in any industry, find all three and you’re onto a winner. Also make sure the website has been updated recently and looks good. There’s nothing more off putting than going to a website that wishes you a Happy New Year in July because they haven’t been bothered to update it.
Q: What do I need to do?
A: All you need do is to make contact with a company who you like the look of. All they’ll really need to know is .... 1) What is your budget? and ......2) Where the venue is.
It’s always a good idea when selecting your venue, to ask them if they allow a Professional Fireworks Display. More and more we're finding that some venues will only allow “Low Noise” Fireworks because of sensitive neighbours or nearby farms or livestock, and most companies do provide this service. If your venue insists you have a Low Noise display, don't be disheartened, although the display itself will not include any display shells, more effort is always put into the design of the show to create a more artistic and colourful impact, and there are some really stunning Low Noise Fireworks that today's professionals have access to.
Most companies should always ask clients if they have a Wedding Colour Theme, so these colours can be incorporated into your show. You can also request certain types of Fireworks should you so desire... if you've seen a particular Firework at a show before, as long as you can describe it, most companies should be able to determine what is was, there are 1,000's of type of Fireworks available to the professional industry, so shouldn't be a problem. Having said all this, professional display companies are used to designing Wedding Shows, so you can of course leave it all up to them.
Q: What does the Cost Include?
A: Prices from any company should be all inclusive, and include the following....
- Fully Trained Crew (British Pyrotechnist Association Trained)
- Full Public Liability Insurance to £5,000,000
- Full Venue Liaison
- Site Visit if Required
- Comprehensive Risk Assessment
- Crew and Travelling Expenses
- Show Design, Setup, Firing and Clear Up afterwards
In a Nutshell
- Select a Display Company you like
- Tell them your budget, date and the name of the venue
- Then you can leave it all up to them to arrange
- It really is as simple as that.
About the Author: Shockwave Pyrotechnics was born after Glen and his wife spent 5 years in the industry freelancing for a number of large display companies. They have brought together all of the best attributes of their experience to form who they are now - Shockwave Pyrotechnics
