I was talking with my cousin, who is getting married soon, and the subject of special effects came up. The idea of bubble machines came up and the pro’s and con’s of using them.
Now I myself will not use them, I will explain why later on. But for those who want the bubbles I will first offer some alternative ideas.
The best way to get the bubble effect is to buy the individual hand wands for each of your guests and have them blow the bubbles towards the couple. It helps involve your guests in your celebration. The bad thing is the bubbles do not go very far and it is hard to get the effect on camera.
Bubble machines are able to produce lots of bubbles in a very short time. The machines also do not send the out very far with out some extra assistance from a fan.
It is a nice effect but there are some dangers in using a bubble machine. The main problem is the bubbles when they land leave a residue on the floor. When enough bubbles fall in the same area it can create a slick covering on the floor which even with a mop and bucket is difficult to clean off the floor.
I personally have witnessed an elderly woman slip in the residue on the floor, even after it was mapped over. The result was a broken hip and a serious dampener on the whole celebration. Since I did not supply the machine I was not held liable, however if you are going to request something like a bubble machine make sure you have event insurance or if the DJ supplies, they have liability insurance and are ready to assist in keeping it’s use safe.
There are a couple ways to lesson the risk involved. The first is to try and dispurse the bubbles as much as possible before they land, so that the pooling is minimized. The machines produce bigger bubbles than the ones your guests could blow which makes them a little heavier. A large fan or several smaller fans can be positioned to move the bubbles away from the machine and out to the dance floor.
You can also hang the machine as high over the dance floor as possible and with the use of fans try and create a rain effect with the bubbles as a way to try and safely disperse the bubbles.
The problem with fans is they make noise, which can be an irritant.
If you don’t want to use fans and leave the machine to do it’s waterfall effect, finding a carpet or floor mat and laying it where the bubbles pool so that you can remove it when it is no longer needed can be an excellent solution.
Also, and this goes for more than just the bubble machine, check your venue contract closely about the care of the facility. In some cases the soap residue from the bubble machine can create a film on the floor wax on the dance floor which can erode the wax. Most venues will have in their contract a clause on fix or repair damages. Floor wax is not a simple fix. The whole area will need to be stripped, then re-waxed. This is a labor intensive effort and very costly. This can happen if the floor is not adequately cleaned after the bubble machine.
Another machine you will have to worry about is the Fog/Hazer machine. If the solution is water base, you should have little to no issues, just make sure the alarm wont go off if there is a little smoke. A venue should know if their system is sensitive to fog machines, if not, try and arrange with your Entertainer to test the system with the venue manager, so they can turn off the alarm.
If the fog/hazer uses an oil base solution it may leave a oily film on glass and lighting, depending on how heavily it is used. This can create a night mare for cleaning as any dust with cling to the residue and be obvious to the venue manager who will charge you for additional cleaning.
Foam Machine, a big hit in the right place, also has two types of output depending on the machine. Some will leave a lot of water behind and others will have little water as a by product. Water damage is something you will want to avoid. Make sure you double or triple layer your floor with heavy duty plastic and canvas and have a way to clean up the water as it pools. Foam parties are a ton of fun and really creative way to have fun.
If your Entertainer is knowledgeable they should be able to help you avoid any problems. With proper use of the machines you can lesson and issued you might face.
TJ the DJ
