Before the Wedding
4th February 2017
Wedding Venue Lighting 101
Don’t know a thing about lighting up a venue? Don’t worry - here’s a handy guide to help you navigate the world of ambient lighting, lanterns and gobo.
Ambient
Ambient lighting is the primary source of lighting in a room or a space, and can be used to make a room feel warmer or cooler, depending on the source and kind of light.
Gobo
A gobo is nothing more than a physical stencil or template. When you pass light through a gobo, it projects the image – such as a couple’s initials – onto a surface.
Fairy Lights
Fairy lights and string lights add a magical effect to your venue without costing a lot of money. They’re also very versatile, and can be placed around trees, bushes, stairways, and strung across ceilings to create a “canopy” effect. Check out the many ways to use them here.
Hanging lights
An overhang of wired light bulbs can be an absolute work of art. They will make any wedding venue feel contemporary and urban, and can really light up your flower arrangements when set up together.
Lanterns
Lanterns add a pretty and rustic touch to any wedding venue, and can be adapted for maximum lighting power, or a softer and more aesthetic effect. You can also string them up for an almost magical effect!
Pattern projection
Light patterns can be projected over the ceiling, and on the tables. It’s an eye-catching way of decorating a large room – not to mention cost-effective – and can be customised according to the shapes and patterns you want.
Pinspotting
If you want to highlight a centrepiece, a floral arrangement, or even the cake, you can use the technique known as ‘pinspotting’, in which a narrow beam of light is used to light up the centre of the table in a way that makes it stand out.