Last October, Jonathan Dubin, 34, and Madison Bigos Dubin, 30, took their guests to Upper Antelope Canyon in Arizona for their wedding celebration.
The venue for the reception was Cipriani 25 Broadway in New York City’s downtown.
Video mapping, or video projections that successfully paint vast surfaces like walls and ceilings, is how the pair pulled off their trick.
Hutton Cooney, a visitor who traveled from Chicago, remarked, “The atmosphere was so immersive that I had to remind myself that I was in a ballroom.”
The pictures of Upper Antelope Canyon, which is close to the resort where the couple would be spending their honeymoon in Utah, were meant to create the atmosphere of a celebration, according to Mr. Dubin.
Then came panoramas of the skyline of New York City. As the D.J. and a saxophonist sang a version of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” many of their 250 guests sang and danced, culminating in overhead views of the Empire State Building.
Video mapping was appealing to Mr. and Ms. Dubin, who are both New York real estate executives, since it allowed them to immerse their visitors in locations they like. Ms. Dubin, a Minnesota native, saw it as a chance to provide “a quintessential New York experience” to her family and friends back home.
According to event planners and other wedding specialists, video mapping is becoming more and more common at ceremonies and receptions as couples incorporate technology into their nuptials.
Video mapping has its origins in the business and charitable sectors, according to Julie Novack, creator and CEO of PartySlate, an event planning tool. (Contemporary art has also long employed it.) “About ten years ago, it was first widely used by businesses to launch products and display their logos,” she added. “Now, it’s making an appearance at social gatherings like weddings.”
