Cover
THANK YOU to our friends AND AMAZING CONTRIBUTORS
Pac Lorefield Editor-in-Chief IDWN Founder
Hitcher Post
Creative Director IDWN Manager
Serbon Cobalt Founding Member IDWN Manager
Fashion Director IDWN Co-Founder
Emma Portilo
Henri Mckeenan
Gunthor Allen
Netera Landar
Contributor Editor IDWN Member
Contributor IDWN Member
Photographer IDWN Member
Marla Marx
Contributor IDWN Member
CONTENTS
MAY & JUNE | VOLUME 2 | NO. 5
13 21 29 36
Editor’s Letter | TIME TO PARTY! IDWN Exclusive | THE REAL COST OF A SL WEDDING IDWN Member Highlight | PAC LOREFIELD & MARLA MARX IDWE Fashion Show Program
“3rd time is a charm�
A LETTER from the EDITOR
Welcome everyone to the 3rd Annual I Do Wedding Expo! We are so excited about this event this year. We are jam packing this years Expo with our Annual Expo Wide Hunt, Live Performers inlcuding AMFORTE Clairty and Starrfish Ohmai, our first fashion show featuring six amazing designers, chances to win linden, and a few other surprises during the two week run. I personally want to thank Emma Portilo, our IDWN Manager and Contribution Editor for her helping hand whenver we needed. A big thank you to Kay Weston of Image Essentials for making us a custom Wedding Expo sign this year. And of course, a thank you to my partner in crime, Marla Marx, for the beautiful job she did on the build! Much appreciation to Isabelle Mavendorf and Peggie Bundy who helped me plan our first fashion show. And last but not least to all of our 2014 Sponsors and Vendors as well as our group members. You are what make the I Do Wedding Network and continued success in Second Life. Please come and have a look around at the amazing talent we have in Second Life. Enjoy a sunset balloon ride around the venue while you contemplate your future nuptials. Yours Truly,
Pac Lorefield, founder of IDWN
Often, the ideal wedding one hopes to acheive in the real world is not always financially attainable. Fortunately, Second Life provides the tools to create any fantasy one can imagine, including a dream wedding. But what is the real cost of doing a wedding in Second Life compared to in Second Life? The Wedding Planner:
Entertainment:
Average RL Cost: $3200 USD although the number may vary greatly depending on where you live.
Average RL Cost: $500 - $2000 USD (this figure includes Dj, Live Band, Musicians)
Average SL Cost: $2500 L (which converts to $10.42 USD) pricing can vary depending on what service you choose to go with.
Average SL Cost: $1000 - $5000 L (this figure includes the range for Dj’s and Live Performers)
Average SL Cost: $500 L - $8000 L (converts to $2.50 - $32.69 USD)
Wedding Planning Salary: Average RL Salary: $25,000 USD annually. Average SL Salary: $2500 L per wedding. (which converts to $10.42 USD) pricing can vary depending on what service you choose to go with. Side note: The average SL Wedding Planner
Photography & Video
puts in anywhere from 10-15 hours of planning per wedding. That’s a $1 per hour.
The Wedding Venue: Average RL Cost: $2700 - $4500 USD
Average RL Cost: $1200 - $2000 USD pricing may vary depending if you hire for both.
Total Average Costs:
Average SL Cost: $1000 L to $5000 L (converts to $5.00 to $20.54 USD) pricing may vary depending if you hire for both.
In real life, the average couple is estimated to spend between $10,000 to $20,000 USD on a wedding. These numbers are similar to Second Life except it is in Linden which converts to $40.62-$80.95 USD.
Wedding Attire: Average RL Cost: Free to $1600 USD (per person) Average SL Cost: Free to $1000 L (per person)
So the conclusion is that having an average to dream wedding in Second Life ultimately costs 10% of what it would in real life. A definite pro to indulging in those Second Life dream weddings. Averages were found for real life were found tat costofwedding.com and averaged from packages found from around SL..
As we release this issue of the I Do Wedding Network Magazine’s Wedding Expo edition, we also celebrate the opening of the wedding expo itself. It feels right to take a moment to pause to recognize the cooperative team behind it all. The team that has worked to bring about a sense of community and family to the wedding industry in SL. The team that has done an outstanding job of being steadfast and helpful in a world where friendships, communities and businesses often struggle and too frequently fail. They don’t have super powers nor do they toot their own horns for attention or glory, which is why this idea took a little convincing when brought to them for the article. Ladies and gentlemen, and other creatures as applicable, we introduce the team behind the I Do Wedding Network, Marla Marx and Pac Lorefield, otherwise known by their display tags as Thelma and Louise. The tags they wear do have significance. In the movie “Thelma and Louise” wherein two women set out on an adventure encounter struggles and difficulties as they run from the law. In the end they end up driving off a cliff of the Grand Canyon together. It’s nuts, isn’t it? As the two women in the movie stood by one another, so do Marla (Thelma) and Pac (Louise). As stated by Pac when asked about the tags, “Marla and I have been friends for 5 years. We met in a rp sim and seemed to become inseparable. We enjoy adventure and are avid smart asses. We have been through a lot in SL and have even shared hard times together from our rl. We are a do or die friendship! We chose to change our display names to Thelma and Louise as a way to display the strength of our friendship as well as showing we might just be crazy enough to drive off a cliff together.” The pair began The Hitching Post, a wedding service that originated in the RP sim Tombstone when Pac decided to do weddings. After pulling an all-nighter working on the very first wedding, with Marla sticking by her side and helping her pull at every turn, they decided to do weddings together. Later, while transitioning from doing the business exclusively in Tombstone,
they started looking around and trying to find some support on how to get their foot in the door. Not finding even an expo dedicated to weddings, it was decided that there needed to be one in SL. The name was changed from The Hitching Post to HPC and the I Do Wedding Network was born. Pac nurtured and grew it alongside the wedding service, discovering that the network was her bigger passion.
The two found their styles meshed well together to make them an even more cohesive team. Marla prefers to be behind the scenes. She helps with the amazing builds that host the Annual I Do Wedding Expo as well as other events, such as the Halloween bash, hosted throughout the year. She is an editor and contributor for the IDWN Online Magazine. She’s the glue that holds Pac together.
But hunts are probably one of the biggest marketing tools in SL and felt to do just to my members and those who counted on me to help them get their name out there that hunts were going to be what we needed to do. We’ve done hunts officially for a year now and I think that it has been a great asset to us [IDWN members]. It brings people to wedding venues and businesses who might not normally visit.”
Pac is the face of IDWN. She works with members of the group helping them find ways to promote their business. She is Chief Editor of the IDWN Online Magazine, and handles the overall marketing of IDWN, which includes regular grid-wide hunts.
Then there is The Plaza, home to HPC and IDWN, a beautiful area built by Marla for creators and event planners to set up shop. Those who seek services can find many resources all at one location instead of teleporting from place to place and using search, etc. It’s accessible, convenient and there are opportunities in the IDWN Main Office as well where members can promote themselves in the directory.
Telling us how the hunts came about and what benefit it has brought to IDWN members Pac responds, “I debated a long time about whether or not a hunt would be beneficial to IDWN.
Regarding the progress of IDWN and the goals they have set Pac states, “The biggest goal for IDWN in the next year is to promote the group and online directory to Second Lifer’s planning their weddings and ceremonies, which in turn will bring more customers to the industry members.” She Continues, “We never thought that this group would take off like it did. And even though I don’t have thousands in the group, the members I do have are loyal, creative, and a fun group of individuals to interact with...I’ve seen members lean on each other in tight pinches…We can form a strong community that can help out other professionals in situations such as having to cancel an event due to rl, an absent wedding planner, or just assisting with some last minute needs.” The main goal and purpose of the I Do Wedding Network is to create networking opportunities that will help our industry to grow. The I Do Wedding Network is a great place for mentorship for those looking to break into the wedding industry in Second Life. Pac says she likes to think of IDWN as a Chamber of Commerce where businesses come together to network, learn, and build as well as a place for consumers to take advantage of the cream of the crop. Finally, another goal that is ahead is to start classes ranging from wanting to get into the business to how to create custom venues. While she has a lot of goals, seeing what this team has already been able to accomplish, it is plain to see they will meet and exceed those goals. For questions regarding the group, directory, plaza, magazine, hunt or any event, please contact Pac Lorefield or drop by the IDWN Plaza, home of the main office.
Our vision is to create beautiful, inspiring, unique and original weddings. Wedding-2-go is a full-service wedding agency. We are 4+ years in business. We turn your wedding into a day of unforgettable experience.
The I Do Wedding Expo
Fashion Show Sponsored by: Wedding-2-Go Timeless Weddings Charisma’s Designs
Featured Designers: Dashwood HPC Danielle Charisma’s Designs Poute Vero Modero Models: Peggie Bundy Leland Maggs Cody Bolero Diana Balhaus Summitt Beaumont JennaSummer1 Resident StartliteStarbrite Constellation Vichonette Constantine
Dancers: Viv ℰmberŴolf Gaunt Faye Will PJ Devonshire Choreographer: Isabelle Mavendorf Lead Model: Peggie Bundy
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If you would like to advertise in our next issue please contact Pac Lorefield or Marla Marx in Second Life. You can also email us at www.idoweddingnetworksl@gmail.com