Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Importance of Lighting

Something that is usually overlooked in the planning process, but that can make or break the look of your event is lighting! Some think that specialty lighting is a luxury, but you would be surprised at how affordable it can be, and the amazing impact that it makes.

You can uplight the walls of your venue with your wedding colors to create your own personalized look within the room. You have two choices when you uplight, you can use can lights or LED lights. There is a large difference between the two. Can lights are more economical, but they also emit more heat and you are only limited to one color film through the night. Also, you should always have these installed by a professional because they use alot of power and if they are not planned correctly, you may take a chance that the circuit could become overloaded and blow a fuse. With the LED lights, they are more expensive, but you can create any color you choose. You can also tweak the color ever so slightly to reach your desired shade. LED lights also use significantly less power, therefore they will not get hot or overload a circuit. Another positive with LED lighting is the option to set the lights to change color through the night. You could start your event with a hot pink and end the night with an ice blue. The color will change with the flow of your event.



Lighting your event with an amber color is another option. Amber is the color of candlelight and everyone looks great in candlelight. Why not fill your space with this shade?





You spend so much on your flowers and your cake, why not pinspot light them? Pinspotting will shine a small white light in significant areas, like on the cake or each centerpiece. This is perfect for tall centerpieces considering most of the light is on the table top, not two or three feet up in the air.



A popular option to bring specialty lighting into your event is with a gobo. A gobo is a template that slips into a light and it shines a pattern, monogram, logo, etc. onto the surface that the light is shining on. These are great for the dance floor, a large blank wall, or the ceiling of a venue.




No matter your budget, you can bring some kind of specialty lighting into your event and create the perfect atmosphere your guests.

2 comments:

Christi Curtis said...

Staci, these are great points that you make and I really agree with you. These unique lighting techniques really add drama to a reception room and to the photos as well!

Erin Harvey said...

Great post, and I agree with Christi, the lighting will add some spice to the photos as well! =)