Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Event Lighting

I adore event lighting. In my humble opinion (and disagree with me if you like), an evening event is only as good as its lighting. It can transform your space from warm to cold, from vibrant to subdue, and from ordinary to extraordinary. Lighting is used to illuminate what you want your guests to see and hide what you want to hide. The story of your event can often be told with lighting. Have I explained how important lighting is yet? So, how do you achieve the perfect lighting for your event? You must consider a few different sources of lighting...


Uplighting

Consider what type of lighting you have for the walls and ceiling of your venue. Adding light and color to your venue can be achieved in many different ways. Many newer venues already have LED lights built into to their space. For those venues, its a simple matter of choosing which colors. For this event, the theme was Peacock and the colors were turquoise, chocolate brown, and fuchsia. As guests walked in, they were treated to a wash of the theme colors all over the space. Draping along the walls and ceiling helped illuminate the color across the venue. If you don't have draping, simply add a few extra lights to ensure that you have proper coverage on your walls of the color you desire.


As the night progressed into a dance party (because what great wedding doesn't), the lighting changed to a deep cobalt blue. The coolness of the blue and the warmth of the candles still burning created a fire and ice type of look which was pretty spectacular (my iPhone photos do not do this place justice).

For venues that do not have built in lighting, you will need to bring in your own. Many companies sell or rent uplighting. It used to be that you had to rent canisters that got very hot and needed to be plugged in, but now they make battery powered LED lights that you place around your venue and you are all set! Also, keep the uplighting consistent. Decide on one color to wash the walls with. Want different colors? Consider renting lights that change colors throughout the night and change them from one to the other. If you are going to have multiple colors, make sure they blend. The result of having two different colors is that you have competing colors and can make the space look busy and takes away from the elegance.

Having an outdoor event? Try uplighting on the side of a building or on a tree and transform the space you have.




Table Lighting

The second source of light should come from the guests tables. In this same wedding, the bride decided to use a few candles on each table to give a warmth to the table. Since the space was well lit, the candles didn't need to serve as a light source but rather a décor.




Hanging Lights

Many people hang lights overhead to provide light and a party element to their space. Many people choose to hang lights overhead and select either market lights (large bulbs) or twinkle lights. The use of Chinese lanterns also lights up the space and adds a touch of color above the guests and can easily attach to a strand of lights.

Flood Lights

Having an outdoor event? Place one or two flood lights to just give your space a little more light. It will give your guests much needed light without making the space too bright.

That's it for lighting. Hope this inspires you to light up your next event. Need more inspiration? For more tips please visit us at www.amazingdiyweddingsandevents.com

Or like us on facebook at www.facebook.com/amazingdiyweddingsandevents

We would love to help you make your next event amazing!