Weddings in the Neufreistadt church

Ashcroft Burnham · Post by **Ashcroft Burnham** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 7:03 am

Yesterday, I was showing somebody around Neufreistadt, and she suggested that we might want to consisder using the church there to host in-world weddings (i.e., the ceremonies that people go through when they become "partners" and have each other's name in the "partner" box of their profiles). She said that she had looked everywhere for a traditional church to have her wedding when she got togetehr with her SL partner, and was unable to find anywhere.

It might be a good source of income and publicity if we were to rent out our church for weddings, and would be another plank to our burgeoning cultural life. Of course, we would need to advertise the service: perhaps we could have a special entry for the church in "Find places", and also have it mentioned on our new website, whenever we get it?

Beathan · Post by **Beathan** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:55 am

This is a great idea -- even more so because it could spin off and support an even broader range of profitable enterprises relating to weddings: officiating services, dress and suit making, wedding gift sales.

I think there might be a cultural danger in developing a "niche" economy centered around a single activity, such as we find in RL "tourist towns", but I'm not sure that this is a real danger here for two reasons. First, the political project seems to be proceeding fine and separate from other cultural projects in town with some healthy overlap but very little privileging of the cultural over the political. (In fact, if there is an imbalanced privilege, it understandably runs in the other direction.) Second, with expansion into other frachulates, any particular activity in one franchulate, even if it comes to define or "take over" that frachulate, will not define or take over the entire CDS.

Still, as with any good idea, this is worth trying, but also worth watching as it is tried.

Beathan

Chicago Kipling · Post by **Chicago Kipling** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 2:54 pm

To do it well, we may need a wedding coordinator if we look to do anything more than space rentals.

Still, I think this could be a great thing. We certainly have a beautiful enough sim with some nice photography locations.

Ashcroft Burnham · Post by **Ashcroft Burnham** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 3:06 pm

[quote="Chicago Kipling":zaoft9ib]To do it well, we may need a wedding coordinator if we look to do anything more than space rentals.

Still, I think this could be a great thing. We certainly have a beautiful enough sim with some nice photography locations.[/quote:zaoft9ib]

Indeed - we have plenty of places for the reception, too! Perhaps we should consider hiring a wedding co-ordinator one day if the service proves popular enough.

Fernando Book · Post by **Fernando Book** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 4:38 pm

And what about renting the Church and the Castle to a wedding planner (there are a few ones in-world, but we could offer it first to citizens) giving him the exclusive use, for a monthly fee (and for a given period, perhaps six months)? The city would get the money and the added traffic, and the wedding planner would have another place to celebrate weddings.

Justice Soothsayer · Post by **Justice Soothsayer** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 7:00 pm

Our new judicial system allows us to be full service - we can offer divorce court too!

(Though this was meant with tongue firmly planted in cheek, perhaps there is indeed a market for this service.)

Chicago Kipling · Post by **Chicago Kipling** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:35 pm

I'll send a few e-mails out tonight. First, to Gwyneth who was so instrumental in the cathedral, but who is also very busy as of late. And second an im or two to anyone I find who currently coordinates weddings to get a sense of the current business.

If anyone has existing contacts in the wedding business in SL, thoughts on the matter or has availed themselves of such services, it would be excellent to see informed thoughts here.

Aliasi Stonebender · Post by **Aliasi Stonebender** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:37 pm

I approve of this idea, and while Gwyn is unofficial protector of the church, you can bet I'll give official sanction to whatever you all work out.

Chicago Kipling · Post by **Chicago Kipling** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:39 am

Just a follow up on this, Gwyn did agree that it was a fine idea. Really what remains on a very basic level is the following:
- a plan to make sure the platz is clean any given day
- a plan to help make sure decorations for the event go smoothly
- bouncer???
- some advertising
- general word-of-mouth sharing about it

Beyond that, we could have
- a wedding planner
- rental of a hall or place for a celebration afterwards
- some wedding items for sale in some of our shops

Aliasi, what would it take to make sure the first two are taken care of? Do you think the third is necessary?

Patroklus, do you think that we might make the later two part of our CDS Traders Association spending?

Aliasi Stonebender · Post by **Aliasi Stonebender** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:38 pm

[quote="Chicago Kipling":8in4169b]
Aliasi, what would it take to make sure the first two are taken care of? Do you think the third is necessary?
[/quote:8in4169b]

The first is taken care of by the third. I don't think it's NECESSARY, but it should be used when we have the option.