Special Event Lighting: A Little Can Do a Lot

Special event lighting can make a dramatic difference in the look of your event. It is not for everyone, but the right lighting can transform a hall, facility, or room from ordinary into something more lively, elegant, and visually memorable.

DJ Express provides uplighting, gobo lights, lasers, smoke, bubbles, and dance-floor lighting. If you are considering lighting for your celebration, the most important question is not whether it is required. It is whether it supports the feeling you want for the room.

Is uplighting right for your event?

Uplighting is never absolutely necessary. It is a personal choice, and your budget should be part of the decision. In the original DJ Express offering, lighting an entire room with around a dozen fixtures was listed at $150 for the duration of the event; please contact DJ Express for current pricing and availability.

If it does not fit your budget, it is not the end of the world. But if you are a perfectionist who wants every part of the celebration to feel polished, uplighting may be worth considering. Start by looking honestly at the venue.

• A plain room will almost always benefit from carefully placed uplighting.
• A room with natural character may become even more striking with light, though it can also need very little help.
• Colors that clash with the venue's existing colors can work against the room rather than enhance it.

Trust your instincts. If you have a strong feeling one way or the other, it may be the right choice for you. You can also ask your venue manager, who can share what has worked well in the space before, or talk with your DJ, audiovisual professional, or lighting provider. Do not rush the decision. Think it over and choose what feels right for your event.

What uplighting does

Uplighting is simply a series of lights placed around a room, or sometimes outside a building, near the floor and directed up toward the walls. The lights can be white, red, green, blue, or another color that suits the event. When the venue's house lights are dimmed, the effect can change the entire mood of the room.

Used properly, uplighting creates ambiance in an elegant way. It can also improve the background of photographs by giving shape and color to the areas where your photographer will be capturing key moments.

Two approaches to uplighting

There are two common schools of thought when it comes to uplighting.

A subtle, coordinated look

The first approach focuses on subtlety. The lighting complements the venue and event without distracting from the people in the room. Often there is one color at a time, though a couple may choose to change colors during the evening—for example, red lighting at dinner and blue lighting for dancing.

This is the approach I prefer when providing uplighting. The goal is to use the couple's reception colors tastefully and make sure the areas most likely to appear in photographs have beautiful light in the background.

A constantly changing look

The second approach is more flamboyant. It may use lighting that changes colors frequently or even operates like a strobe. Neither approach is automatically right or wrong, but the results are very different. Before choosing, make sure you know whether you want your lighting to be a soft backdrop or an active visual feature.

Add a personal signature with a gobo

Another memorable effect is a monogram gobo projection light. A gobo is a template cut from thin metal and placed inside a special lighting fixture. A beam shines through the template to project its image onto a dance floor, wall, side of a building, or other surface. Think of the Bat-Signal as a familiar example of the basic idea.

The effect can be dramatic and personal. Gobos can feature monogrammed initials, names, specific words, company names, sayings, stars, or simple images. They can be projected with bright halogen lights or more economical LED fixtures.

A custom monogram can be a strong focal point at a wedding reception, dance, party, fundraiser, or corporate event. It gives guests a detail they will notice and gives your photos another layer of personality.

Where special lighting makes the biggest difference

You may have heard a friend describe a wedding reception where LED uplighting made the room look completely different. You may have attended a fundraiser or corporate event with elegant lighting around the perimeter of the room. Those are examples of the power of special event lighting.

When lighting is planned around the room, your colors, the event timeline, and the areas used for important photos, a little can truly do a lot. It should elevate the space without competing with the moments everyone came to celebrate.

For current lighting options, gobo templates, and pricing, contact DJ Express.

Scott Simmons