What Ronald McDonald Taught me about Wedding Magic

 



(No, really!)

 

Once upon a time (!) I was working with my local McDonalds on events and PR.  We had a Ronald visit and I was taking photographs.  At one point, Ronald McDonald confiscated my negatives.  True story.

 

The real story though, is why he did so.  The photographs concerned were some quite good pics of him applying his make up – and that’s an absolute no.  Ronald isn’t a “man in a suit”, when you see him, he IS Ronald McDonald.  The confiscation was about protecting the character, and that was a lesson for me that day.  He also taught me what he had learned from working with Disney Characters.  When they leave a room, there is a handler by the door reminding them to “turn and wave”, so that the last you see of Mickey Mouse isn’t his back, but his face and a wave.

 

I took those lessons with me, so that when I was running an event featuring Postman Pat (who was around the same height as my girlfriend at the time….) I physically stopped the DJ who clumsily asked, live on a mic “who’s in the costume?”  Just like Santa is always Santa, Postman Pat is always Postman Pat.

 




The important thing is to never let anyone see behind the curtain, or allow anyone to see the strings.  It’s about preserving the magic – and the same is true for a wedding day.

 

A wedding day is full of magic, and we don’t want any of that spoiled.  Nobody sees the bride before they walk up the aisle – that falls to me to ensure a clear path.  When the bride steps into view we don't want the veil or train to be wrong, we don’t want to see hands full of stuff.  The wedding breakfast will have been lovingly designed and decorated.  The first look is for the couple, and the reveal for guests is as we welcome you to take your seats – not before.  It’s like the magic of a Christmas morning – no peeking!

 

When the couple make their grand entrance, we want them to glide like swans, not get caught in the weeds of chairs, bags and coats.  We don’t want them to stand awkwardly behind their seats that they can’t pull out.

 

Spotlight moments should be exactly that – in the spotlight and effortless.  Announced, welcomed, smooth.  No hunting for a cake knife or hoping the photographer was in the right place, not missed by Dad or a bridesmaid.

 

Preserve the magic.  Ronald taught me how to do that.


Wedding Butler - Midlands, UK
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Calm, capable support for brides, grooms and partners in suits.

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