After years of planning weddings and events, I have learned that nothing can make virtually any hall or venue “Pop” like the proper lighting. From nightclub quality dance floor lights, to custom gobo capabilities, to the wall washing effects of uplighting, these simple colors and patterns can turn your basic banquet hall into a full on dance party or ambient setting.
Lighting, much like all of technology has changed drastically in the past few years. I remember back in the day, when I was simply a guest at weddings, often the lights would be big & bulky as well as virtually impossible to tuck away. These “Par” cans also emitted massive amounts of heat which could turn the venue into sweat box if the A/C wasn’t adjusted accordingly. And the energy that they sucked up between room temperature adjustments and running these bulky lights were ridiculous. And forget about trying to keep curious children from touching the lights. I’ve heard every horror story from third degree burns to fire hazards. Let’s also not forget that often the bulbs would burn out resulting in costly replacements.
Over the years, modern technology created LED lighting which not only ran on 50% of the power that their predecessors did, but also do not run hot, emit heat, and the bulbs are sheltered and almost never fail. As a matter of fact, most venues won’t let you run anything other than LED lighting. So naturally, when launching SBS Events, I knew that LED was the only way to go.
Now getting back to orchestrating a custom lighting project, you have to first know the setup of the venue. I always pride myself in getting to the location extra early if adding lights and more often than not, bring along a helper. Knowing proper placement of these lights are imperative to creating a perfect balance. If you don’t add enough lights, the overall presentation could be weak. In retrospect, sometimes, too many lights can be an overkill.
Personally, uplighting is my favorite lighting effect. Whether washing walls or pillars, or illuminating the cake table underneath or behind, I feel that this effect can really set a very rich tone. Coordinating the colors with the wedding or party colors can really reach out to everyone in attendance on the overall theme of the celebration. There’s so many thing you can do with these slim little par lights. Just when I think I’ve learned everything, I figure out a new program or chase pattern. These Pars are not only small and sleek, but you can fade from color to color, chase, give a strobe effect or stay stationary. I’ve found that hanging these lights on a t-bar, truss or even placing them higher for even dance floor lights can be very beneficial to any light show. Like I said earlier, setting these up perfectly can be time consuming and even require a second man as a helper, which is why there’s an additional charge for this upgrade. But in the end, I’ve never had anyone who has purchased this add-on be disappointed with the end result.
With any basic SBS Events package, I offer basic dance floor party lights at no extra charge, but if you’re really wanting a club-like atmosphere for all your peeps on the dance floor, I gotta say, nothing beats the Chauvet Intimidator. These are the smaller version of the stage lights used on tour from national recording artists, pro sports organizations and other entertainment genres. From gobo mode to flash different shape patterns, to several different colors and strobe effects, these are definitely an eye-catcher amongst guests. They, like the Pars can be hung or placed up high but also sweep and rotate at a 360 degree angle. These go great paired with the Chauvet Cubix the Chauvet Gig Bar (included in every package). Add some uplighting and go full “Rockstar” status for your wedding or event!
Finally, the custom Gobo light has become increasingly popular for events such as weddings, sweet 16s, grad parties, and corporate events. Special templates can be made to illuminate a couple’s names and wedding date, a special message, or a company logo on the wall or dance floor of virtually any location. From in stock “Happy Birthday” or “Merry Christmas” monograms to special ordering your name in lights choosing form many fonts & designs, we can virtually do it all!
I think what I am trying to say is, “I LOVE LIGHTS!” And I bet you do too. I encourage anyone planning an event to add upgraded lighting to their wedding or party. As far as I’m concerned, lighting is just as important to add to the budget as any other service. As a DJ for years, I’ve noticed lighting can set the mood and encourage your guests to get on the dance floor and have a lot more fun. Let’s also remember how much more awesome your event will look in pictures and video to show those who weren’t in attendance. In my personal opinion, the right lighting upgrades can turn an ordinary event into an epic celebration!!!
