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Contact Alchemy
08000 66 58 37Rob Farrow
Special Projects Director
Mobile – 07786864173
Email – rob@alchemyfireworks.co.uk
Glenn Plume
Display Director
Mobile – 07791863662
Email – glenn@alchemyfireworks.co.uk
General Enquiries: info@alchemyfireworks.co.uk
Alchemy Fireworks Ltd, Barn 7, The Old Dairy, Beadlow, Shefford, SG17 5PL.
Registered in England: 6251459
VAT Number: 907791691
FAQ's when organising a Wedding Firework Display
Here you can find more information about the practicalities or organizing a wedding firework display, from details on firing time curfews to insurance and prices.
Is there a curfew for wedding firework displays? Yes, all wedding firework displays must be finished by 11pm, according to law. The only exceptions when any fireworks may be fired after this 11pm curfew are: Bonfire Night (Midnight); New Year’s Eve (1am); Chinese New Year (1am); Diwali (1am). It’s also illegal to set off fireworks before 7am, just in case you were considering some early wedding breakfast bangers…
Do we need insurance for our wedding fireworks? All our wedding firework displays are covered by our £5m public liability insurance, so as long as the venue/landowner of the firing site is happy with this level cover then there is no need for additional insurance for the fireworks. We can provide an electronic or hard copy of our insurance certificate if requested.
Do we need permissions for our wedding fireworks? If the display is to be held on private land then all you need is the permission of the landowner. If you are thinking of holding a display on land that is public or owned by a third party the you must approach whoever owns or manages the land in the first instance to see if permission can be arranged.
Is there anyone else we should notify about our wedding firework display? We would recommend that local animal owners (farms with livestock, stables, aviaries, kennels, local residents with pets etc) are notified out of courtesy so that they have time to take appropriate measures, such as move their animals or arrange to be with them during the display. If the display is taking place near the coast, an inland waterway, an airport/aerodrome or a major road or railway line then it may be necessary to notify the appropriate authorities. If the display is to take place in a sensitive area then it may be necessary to notify the appropriate emergency services. We will advise you if any of these notifications are appropriate.
Do you provide Health & Safety documents? Yes, we can provide a written copy of our Risk Assessment, Method Statement, and Health & Safety Policy if requested.
Do you produce wedding firework displays across the UK? Yes. Alchemy Fireworks is based north of London in Herts/Beds, but we produce wedding firework displays nationwide, from Cornwall in the South West, Kent in the South East, throughout the Home Counties and Midlands, as well as Yorkshire, the North West and North East. We can also produce wedding firework displays in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as internationally: please contact us with details for a tailored quote.
How long should a wedding firework display last, and how much does it cost? The duration and cost of a wedding firework display are closely linked. In our professional opinion, if a display is good enough, it is long enough. The only time anyone will complain about the duration of a firework display is if the quality (ie intensity) is poor. With that in mind it’s more important to think of budgeting for a wedding fireworks display as a £-per-minute ratio, with the total firework budget divided by the total duration. Simply, the greater the £-per-minute spend, the more impressive the display will be both in terms of quantity of fireworks, quality of effects and size of material. Most wedding firework displays that we produce cost between £200-per-minute and £500-per-minute. Most couples have a set budget for their wedding fireworks and so they tend to work backwards from that. They decide how impressive they want the display to be, and then work out how long the display should be. We wouldn’t recommend a display that lasts much less than 5 minutes (just because of the time it takes to get people to the viewing area). At the other end of the scale, we wouldn’t recommend going over 10 minutes. The London New Year’s Eve fireworks display has a huge budget but only lasts 10 minutes, simply because people have a limited concentration span, especially for something as engaging as fireworks. At a wedding the firework display will only be one part of the entertainment, so it doesn’t have to last as long as a Bonfire Night display: it isn’t the main reason why everyone is there! For starting prices, please see the Prices page via the subnav menu above.
How will I know what I’m going to get? We’re different to most firework companies. We don’t do packages. For most wedding couples a list of bizarre-sounding firework names and a price tag is simply no use at all. We understand what you want to know: how long do they last? how high do they go? what colours are they? how noisy are they? We present our wedding fireworks in terms are easy to understand, with individual CGI video clips of all of our fireworks, so if you can give us a budget, venue, date and brief, we can put together a fully animated storyboard of the display that we are proposing for you. No jargon. No flowery descriptions. Just a video file emailed to you that represents a realistic portrayal of what you will see at your wedding firework display (not a video of a £5,000 display when your budget is £1500!). Alternatively, if you’d rather not know too much beforehand just let us know and we can tell provide you with an overview or show storyboard that’s as detailed or outline as you wish.
Can I choose which fireworks go in to my wedding firework display? Yes. You can have as much or as little input into the design of your wedding firework display as you like, whether it’s simply choosing a few colours that you like for sequences or picking specific effects from our video library. If the effect you want is possible, safe, in stock and on-budget then we will do our best to include it in your wedding firework display.
Can you do quiet fireworks or silent fireworks for weddings? Yes. For more information on quiet firework displays for weddings please take a look at the quiet fireworks page via the subnav menu above.
Can you choreograph my wedding firework display to music? Yes. For more information on wedding firework displays to music please take a look at the fireworks to music page via the subnav menu above.
Is it possible to organize a wedding firework display as a surprise for my partner? Yes. We love surprise firework displays, and they can really add to the excitement of the occasion if they are a surprise for the guests, or even for the bride/groom. If you’d like to read more about surprise firework displays for weddings please look at the case studies for Rob & Cath’s wedding and Juliette & Chris’s wedding via the case studies link on the subnav above.
Will you come and meet me at the venue to discuss the show? Yes. We don’t cut corners. We visit every client and every venue for every wedding display. That way we know exactly what material can be used to create a safe and spectacular display, and it also gives us the opportunity to discuss everything with both the venue and the bride/groom. Just drop us an email or give us a call and we’ll arrange to come and visit you at your wedding venue!
If you have any other questions about wedding firework displays that haven't been answered here please just email or call us and we'll be happy to help!
