I'm Amy, and I love to plan and design events! Weddings, parties, corporate events - whatever the occasion, I love to make it fabulous. Thanks for stopping by! It's nice to meet you!
So, you've found a beautiful venue. It has "the look". But, is the lighting perfect? Or even adequate? Often, we get so excited about a venue for one reason or another that it's easy to overlook the lighting. If you are planning an outdoor wedding that will take place with ample daylight, then you have no worries. Everyone else, read on.
Lighting comes in many shapes and sizes. Your venue may offer adjustable track lighting (do the happy dance!), or simple ambient lighting (not adjustable but certainly flattering), or fluorescent lighting (practical and bright but forget about ambiance). Outdoor venues are another can of worms. Specialty event lighting can add wow-factor to any scenario.
At a minimum, if you have a space with adjustable lighting or ambient lighting that is not adjustable, I recommend that you consider some specialty lighting to add a personal touch to your design. You could incorporate some pin lights to accent your centerpiece arrangements and cake table. Maybe project a pattern or monogram on your dance floor with a gobo. A color wash on the walls is also a low key way to tie everything together.
Now, for that location that has great character but only has fluorescent lighting (think gymnasium lights or office lights), specialty event lighting is a MUST. Nothing kills ambiance like bright lighting. This type of lighting is usually all or nothing. One switch for all the lights in the space. If your budget allows, just plan to skip the fluorescent lighting all together and bring in a professional lighting company. Rental lighting will completely transform your space into that beautiful vision that's in your head.
Here's a "Before" look at a space that only offers fluorescent lighting.
You can see that it offers amazing vintage airplanes that add a definite wow-factor to the event. But, it's not ideal when it comes to lighting.
Now the "After" look. Rental lighting completely changed the feel of the room and highlights those beautiful airplanes.
We added color LED lights in each cockpit to bring the planes to life, color washes on the walls and a star patterned gobo on the dance floor.
So you're working on budget? The lighting above was a minimum approach for this event and we still achieved a great look. Sure, if we'd had an unlimited budget we would have done much grander lighting. But, we worked within our parameters and came up with a plan that was better than the bright whites. When budgeting, allocate about 5%-10% of your overall budget for lighting.
Photos: Jonathon Campbell Photography
Lighting: Nashville Event Lighting
Venue: Beechcraft Heritage Museum
