I began The Drone Lady in 2013 after taking a university course on drones. The title wasn’t aspirational — it was descriptive. I used to be actually the drone lady. As in, usually the one one. After placing on my marriage ceremony drone present, I’m undoubtedly satisfied that extra sensible girls will enter this area.
Now let’s take a step again to the early client drone business, which was overwhelmingly male. Commerce exhibits, racing occasions, tech conferences, generally I’d spot one or two different girls.
The predominantly male viewers was predictable: DIY tinkerers who got here from mannequin plane communities. FPV racing fans from the gaming world. Hobbyists who needed to construct their very own rigs and crash them into bushes repeatedly till they figured it out. Don’t get me improper — I beloved (and nonetheless love) that neighborhood. If that’s you, thanks on your assist over time! I see you and I do admire you!
However I’d like to see extra girls discover their place on this business. Quick ahead to 2025, and I simply had a drone present at my marriage ceremony. And abruptly, I’m getting messages from brides-to-be, marriage ceremony planners and girls within the occasions business asking how they will do that.
One thing elementary is shifting within the drone business. And weddings — an business dominated by girls — may be the catalyst that lastly brings gender stability to drones.
Why early drones attracted a male viewers
Flying drones is definitely not an inherently masculine exercise. Nonetheless, they attracted a closely male demographic as a result of they aligned with hobbies and communities that have been already male-dominated, like tinkering, racing and gaming.
At the same time as drones turned industrial instruments — for inspections, mapping, agriculture, supply — the industries adopting them first (development, infrastructure, logistics) skewed male.
I carved out my area of interest overlaying this know-how, however for years, I used to be conscious about being an outlier. Convention speaker lineups have been 95% males. Product launches featured all-male engineering groups. Advertising and marketing supplies confirmed dudes in fields flying drones.
The message was clear, even when unintentional: Drones are for guys.
Drone exhibits are altering the narrative
The primary drone mild present I noticed in individual was in 2023 — a Star Wars-themed spectacle at an Oakland A’s baseball recreation placed on by Sky Parts. This wasn’t about constructing, crashing or racing. This was artwork. It was storytelling. It was emotional.
Drone exhibits are synced to music. They inform narratives. They evoke emotions. They’re designed to make you cry at a proposal or gasp at a theme park finale. Simply watch your complete model of the drone present at my very own marriage ceremony to grasp it if you happen to don’t consider me:
Drone mild exhibits have what I take into account a female high quality. It’s not as a result of girls are the one ones who admire magnificence or emotion, however as a result of the creative, narrative-driven nature of drone exhibits appeals to a totally totally different viewers than FPV racing or DIY builds.
And that viewers? It contains much more girls.
Weddings could be the gateway
It’s on secret that the marriage business is overwhelmingly pushed by girls. Based on varied business stories:
- Almost 70% of marriage ceremony planning selections are made or closely influenced by brides, in line with Marriage ceremony Wire knowledge
- 97% of marriage ceremony planners are girls, in line with knowledge from Profession Explorer
- Marriage ceremony content material creators, bloggers and influencers additionally skew closely feminine
When drone exhibits began showing at weddings as sendoff options to sparklers or fireworks, one thing clicked. Hey, it was a development worthy sufficient for The New York Instances to cowl it.
Out of the blue, girls who’d by no means considered drones — who possibly didn’t even know drone exhibits existed — have been asking: “How do I get that at my marriage ceremony?”
At my very own marriage ceremony, I had a number of visitors method me afterward asking for recommendation. Not tech business individuals. Not drone fans. Simply {couples} who noticed one thing stunning and customized and needed it for themselves.
Why marriage ceremony drone exhibits attraction to girls
Let me break down why marriage ceremony drone exhibits are resonating so strongly with feminine audiences:
1. They’re about storytelling
Not like fireworks (that are cool however generic) or sparklers (which look an identical at each marriage ceremony), drone exhibits can inform your particular story.
At my marriage ceremony, we had:
- The precise fortress the place Hamilton proposed (Neuschwanstein in Bavaria)
- A espresso cup and bagel (we met on Espresso Meets Bagel)
- A weightlifter doing a snatch (we’re each aggressive lifters)
This isn’t tech for tech’s sake. It’s tech in service of narrative — which is one thing girls within the marriage ceremony business have been doing eternally with flowers, favors, desk settings and each different customized element.
2. They’re collaborative and inventive
Planning a drone present marriage ceremony isn’t about understanding propeller mechanics or FAA laws (although these matter). It’s about:
- Storyboarding your relationship
- Selecting music which means one thing to you
- Scripting voiceover narration
- Designing animations that symbolize your journey
These are expertise that marriage ceremony planners, occasion coordinators and creatives have already got. The barrier to entry isn’t essentially technical data. Although that’s vital, and somebody on the workforce must have it, it’s artistic imaginative and prescient that actually units marriage ceremony drone exhibits up for fulfillment.
3. They’re protected and environmentally aware
This would possibly sound sensible moderately than female, however hear me out: girls usually bear the psychological load of threat evaluation at occasions.
- Sparklers = hearth threat + potential burns + supervision wanted for youths
- Drone exhibits = reusable {hardware} + no hearth + customizable + protected for youths
For brides (and moms, and marriage ceremony planners) who’re already juggling a thousand particulars and worst-case eventualities, drone exhibits take away a layer of tension.
4. They’re Instagram-worthy
Let’s not fake aesthetics don’t matter. Weddings are closely documented, closely photographed, closely shared.
A drone present provides you:
- Distinctive content material (not one other sparkler tunnel)
- Shareable moments (visitors filming and posting)
- Skilled footage (the drone present itself is cinematic)
Based on a Collabstr 2023 Influencer Advertising and marketing Report, 77% of influencers actively monetizing their content material are feminine.
The subsequent profession in drones: marriage ceremony drone present planners
Right here’s my prediction: inside 5 years, we’ll see a brand new specialization emerge — marriage ceremony drone present planners.
Proper now, most drone exhibits are coordinated by the drone firms themselves or by normal occasion planners who deal with company exhibits, sports activities occasions and festivals. However weddings are totally different. They’re emotional, private, high-stress and detail-obsessed in ways in which company occasions aren’t.
{Couples} want somebody who can:
- Assist them brainstorm animations that inform their story
- Information them via storyboarding and voiceover scripting
- Coordinate with venues on logistics (launch websites, viewing areas, insurance coverage)
- Navigate HOA necessities, highway closures, climate contingencies
- Sync the present to the marriage timeline
- Handle household opinions and finances constraints
Electrical Sky Drone Exhibits, a brother-sister led drone mild present firm primarily based in Los Angeles, put alone marriage ceremony drone present. Tannaz, the sister half of the corporate, was completely that assist in serving to me really feel comfy with my animations, and even encouraging me to create a voiceover (which was key in our present’s success).
I can completely see girls who at the moment work in marriage ceremony planning, occasion coordination, or artistic providers pivoting into this area of interest. It’s a pure evolution.
How marriage ceremony drone exhibits can develop into the following huge factor
For drone exhibits to actually take off within the marriage ceremony business, a couple of issues have to occur:
1. Drone present firms want to grasp marriage ceremony tradition
Not all drone present firms are outfitted to deal with weddings. Company occasions and theme park exhibits are transactional. Weddings are deeply private.
Corporations that “get” weddings — like Electrical Sky Drone Exhibits, the brother-sister workforce I labored with—will thrive. They perceive that {couples} need hand-holding, artistic collaboration and emotional funding. Corporations that deal with weddings like simply one other gig gained’t succeed on this market.
2. Marriage ceremony venues have to optimize for drone exhibits
Proper now, most venues aren’t arrange for drone exhibits as a result of they weren’t fascinated about them after they have been designed. However as demand grows, I anticipate venues to begin selling:
- Favorable airspace classification (Class G is right)
- Designated launch websites with correct buffer zones
- Viewing areas optimized for sky visibility
- Present relationships with drone present firms
Venues that may say “Sure, we are able to accommodate a drone present simply” may have a aggressive benefit.
3. Prices have to proceed dropping
At Electrical Sky, the common value of a marriage drone mild present is about $15,000–$25,000. Pricing can vary extensively — beginning round $10,000–$15,000 for much less advanced exhibits, and climbing to $50,000+ for productions with greater than 500 drones and extremely custom-made animations.
As extra firms enter the area and {hardware} prices get amortized throughout extra exhibits, costs will drop. When drone exhibits hit the $5,000-$10,000 vary, they’ll develop into accessible to a wider market.
And for what it’s value, prices actually are coming down. Drones just like the UVify IFO (principally the DJI of sunshine present drones) persistently see value reductions. Plus, new enterprise methods like UVify’s FAB Rental System are additionally making the flexibility to placed on a large-scale drone present extra accessible to small drone mild present firms.
From The Drone Lady to The Drone Bride
Once I began The Drone Lady in 2013, I by no means imagined that weddings could be the bridge bringing girls into the drone business. Nevertheless it makes good sense.
Weddings are an $250 billion business worldwide, in line with knowledge from The Knot. Weddings additionally appear to be repeatedly rising to be larger and higher than ever. {Couples} need experiences that really feel distinctive, private and shareable. They need their day to mirror who they’re — not what custom dictates (please nobody throw rice at me upon my exit).
And as extra girls expertise drone exhibits at weddings — both as brides, visitors, or planners — extra will understand: That is one thing I might do. That is one thing I could possibly be a part of.
I spent over a decade being the one girl in drone business rooms. I’d love nothing greater than to stroll right into a drone present planning assembly in 2030 and see it cut up 50/50. Weddings would possibly simply be what will get us there.
Are you a lady who wants assist breaking into the drone present business? I’d love to listen to from you. Schedule a name with me on Intro.
Are you planning a marriage and contemplating a drone present? I’m joyful to seek the advice of and join you with the best individuals by way of Intro as nicely. Let’s make this occur.
— Sally French, The Drone Lady (and now, The Drone Bride)
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