Prominent Perth businessman, Bill Wyllie and his wife Rhonda were looking for a venue to celebrate the recent engagement of their daughter Melissa to Jamie Karlson. And despite being able to choose from any venue in Perth, they opted to stage the shindig at home. But this was not to be any old event; they had their 12 car garage transformed into a ‘one night only’ elegant nightclub. (Can’t wait to see what they do for the wedding!)
ProDesign Lighting, one of WA’s leading lighting design consultancy was commissioned to provide event management support, technical design and implementation for the party. Under the experienced eye of Director Kevin Harris, ProDesign’s responsibilities included: initial planning and design overview, lighting, audiovisual, staging and special effects.
The transformation of the garage commenced five days prior to the event. This included draping out the room and entrance, adding raised seating rostra, concealing the support pillars, carpeting and installing a custom made black dancefloor. Entry to the venue was heralded by a custom made ‘YES’ sign that lit up the night sky.
Exhaust fans had to be removed to allow the installation of a temporary water supply and waste water extraction, along with refrigerated air-conditioning ducting. ProDesign also worked alongside Natural Art (Event stylist and florist) and Mustards (Catering) on the implementation of the event.
“The Wyllie’s vision was a uniquely elegant and dramatic event; the challenge was to bring the client’s mental image to fruition while working within the practical restraints of the venue,” said Kevin.
The vision was achieved by the use of several striking elements including an illuminated bar and glass plinths plus mirror backed steel and acrylic shelving behind the bar, including illuminated ‘swink’ – a coloured acrylic sink. Decorating the room were Moodlight LED candles and objects, fibreoptic stair lighting and custom illuminated acrylic panels. Lighting included Martin intelligent lights, Fergo image projection and numerous generic lights and effects. A rear projection screen was installed for shadow dancers.
The Wyllie’s have worked with Kevin Harris on a number of functions in the past, including a family wedding, and have indicated that he always surpasses their expectations.
“Kevin was able to grasp very quickly what Melissa had envisaged for the event, and used specialist lighting and electronic effects to bring that vision to reality,” Bill said. “Technically Kevin Harris is extremely hard to beat – his ability to think laterally and creatively and turn an ordinary venue into an extraordinary one is very impressive.”
Services employed in this case study:
Event Management & Logistical Support