How to create an impactful wedding mapping for THE big day
Wedding mapping ceremony by The Temple House company
For those who choose to get married, it must be one of the most beautiful moments in the life of a couple. Nothing is taken for granted, the bride and groom have a real expectation that THE day will be a success. All the people present are involved to spend a magical moment that they will remember. It is a unique moment, the memories will stay in the memories.
Projection mapping, a technique of video projection of images on decorations and architecture, finds applications in wedding decorations. It provides a strong emotional impact and today it is no longer reserved for large audiovisual productions. Despite its democratization, it still requires preparation phases to minimize the unexpected and maximize the positive emotions it brings.
The video mapping applied to the wedding, or wedding mapping, requires equipment: a computer and a video projector. The main advantage of video projection is that it does not require the audience to be equipped: no VR headsets, no 3D glasses. The main point of attention concerns the animations which will be displayed. They must be adapted to the context, not too fast, and especially tailored.
In this article, we propose you some ideas and recommendations, in order to succeed in your wedding mapping!
Examples of impactful wedding mapping
The main objective of wedding mapping is clear: to create a memorable souvenir. For this purpose, several types of wedding decoration are at your disposal. In general, we recommend thinking beforehand about the moment you want to focus on for the wedding mapping: the walk down the aisle, the dessert, the first dance…
The mapping should not be repeated from the beginning to the end of the event because it would become boring. It is important to create a happening and thus concentrate the energy of the wedding mapping. It can arrive at a time when it is not expected, in order to create the surprise. The emotion will be even stronger. For example, let the guests adapt the space before surprising them with the wedding mapping.
The arch of wedding mapping
The wedding arch is a strong symbol. It materializes the union and the entry into a new phase of life.
Jaelys School’s wedding decorating design students explored wedding mapping in a research session. They went through phases of drawing, then creating 1/10 scale models. The result is a wedding arch in the shape of a polymorphic circle and composed of 240 triangles thanks to 8 Olga kits. They successfully answered the question: how to democratize wedding mapping in a secular ceremony?
The immersive wedding mapping
Wedding mapping immersion by The Temple House company
Reception halls very often lack identity because they are designed to suit everyone. Video projection allows you to create an immersive setting that looks like you and sometimes at a lower cost than decoration. Covering a wall with thousands of roses is more expensive than projecting them. With a single click on a button, change the visuals and make your guests live a unique journey through your own universe.
The cake mapping
Increasingly seen in weddings, and even in some corporate events, cake mapping is a unique way to surprise guests. Generally of medium size, the cake mapping has the advantage of not requiring a high power video projector, as for the building facades for example. The projected video animations are customizable with photos and texts, in order to reinforce this moment of conviviality.
Cake mapping video by Aurélie Barou
Wedding mapping on the DJ stage
The first dance is a strong moment of the wedding. The emotion released is intense and these moving minutes formalize the beginning of the dance party. To accentuate the change of atmosphere and make the transition between the dinner and the party, supporting the music with visuals is a winning bet. The lights dim, the projection lights up behind the DJ, inviting the guests to join the dance floor.
The building's facade
Looking for an animation to close this magical day? You find that fireworks lack originality? Think about wedding mapping on the façade of a building. If you are lucky enough to have an interesting architecture at your disposal, like a castle for example, it can be a very good choice. Projection mapping allows you to transform an inanimate facade into a movie screen to tell a story. For example, add photos or videos of family members or include personalized messages from friends who could not be there.
The interactive wedding mapping
Finally, more technical but more sensational, the interactive video projection. Here the key word is imagination because it will be necessary, more than ever, to take into consideration the constraints of the place. In this example, a rain of glitter is triggered each time people pass by in the main staircase. You can also imagine a trail of flowers as you walk down the altar. Here, everything is allowed!
Integrate your photos in a wedding mapping
Photobooths offer an interesting animation for events because they allow to engage the guests. The photos are then recorded and made available to the participants. They can then leave with a souvenir and this contributes to this memorable moment. You have surely thought about a professional photographer to immortalize the day.
Today’s digital photo systems allow you to get the photos taken during the event almost instantaneously. It is then interesting to integrate them into the wedding mapping, in order to involve the guests on a large scale. For example, at the end of the evening, broadcast a selection of the best photos on the building’s façade. In the same way, some websites propose to create hashtags that the guests use to publish the pictures. They can then automatically go up in a database used by the wedding mapping.
The constraints of a wedding mapping
The place
The success of a wedding mapping depends mainly on the space. If the place is too small or too narrow, if there is no height under the ceiling, if there are no surfaces clear enough for video projection,… it will not be possible to install a wedding mapping. We always advise you to do location scouting beforehand. Although pictures are often available on the internet, there is always a risk that the place is not adapted to a wedding mapping.
The equipment
A wedding mapping requires at least a video projector and a computer to be implemented. The more you want to cover a large surface, the more powerful the projector must be. To cover the wall of a room or for a cake mapping, a living room projector is usually sufficient. If you want to project on the front of a building, you will need a projector with a power of at least 5000 lumens. For more information about choosing a video projector for video mapping, check out the guide on the blog.
If you want to use several projectors, a powerful laptop can sometimes suffice but we recommend using desktop computers with several video outputs.
Time
A successful wedding mapping requires time: the scouting, the creation upstream and the technical execution on site. Entrust the responsibility of the wedding mapping to experts because it can quickly require the intervention of one or more people full time. If you have other responsibilities or want to enjoy the event, don’t assume the mapping as an additional burden because technical problems are always likely to occur.
Projected content
The creation of customized contents is also to be anticipated. Indeed, it requires to have a precise idea of the projection supports and the location of the video projectors. Computer graphics skills will be necessary for quality visual animations. Customized 3D animations made by professionals are often charged more than 10 000€ per minute. However, to reduce production costs, it is possible to use video banks on the internet, or software like HeavyM to generate ready-to-use animations.
The risks
The use of innovative technologies such as video mapping involves some risks. The video projector may not be powerful enough because of stray lights. The videos tested beforehand do not correspond exactly to the space. A last minute change compromises the set up. And so on. The problems can be numerous but quickly solved if you assign the wedding mapping to a competent person or team.
The budget
According to the ambition of the project, the associated budget can vary from a few hundred euros if you already have the necessary material, to several tens of thousands of euros if it is entirely realized by professionals. The main expenses will always be the video projectors and the creation of the animations. For this second point, we have a solution to offer you.
HeavyM software for wedding mapping
HeavyM is an easy-to-use visual animation creation tool. With an easy to use interface and a library of visual effects, it becomes possible to create custom content with a few clicks.
The main advantage of HeavyM is that it works live. Therefore, you don’t need a rendering time to calculate the video files. You can then modify the wedding mapping the same day, despite unforeseen circumstances.
With features like adding text, photos or videos, customizing the content is easy. HeavyM is a perfect software to create wedding mapping animations.
Download HeavyM Demo and start creating a wedding mapping right now!
The possibilities of wedding mapping are multiple. If well prepared, it will sublimate the event and create a memorable memory for the guests. However, time and budget are needed to ensure a sufficient level of quality to bring magic to the event. Solutions such as HeavyM can simplify the implementation of wedding mapping, but never forget that the evening will be successful because of the atmosphere present initially, the technology is only an amplifier.
To be continued
Learn more about projectors
We have created a detailed guide to choosing the right projector for your needs. Discover our tips and mistakes to avoid in this guide that explains the different features step by step.
Explore the HeavyM software
HeavyM is a video mapping software that is capable of generating visual effects and projecting them on volumes, decorations or architectural elements. HeavyM is Mac and Windows compatible.
