Wedding Lighting Ideas – How Many Uplights Do I Need?

Dec. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- How Many Up-Lighting Fixtures Do I Need For My Wedding Reception?  This is a question that lighting professionals get asked.  As a wedding lighting expert, there is not a single answer to this question.  It depends on whether there are specific things or objects in the room that need to be highlighted.  Is the room symmetrical?  You want your lighting to be symmetrical and fit the space as well.  Too many fixtures can be just as bad as too few.

If your wedding venue has beautiful columns all around the room – your wedding lighting idea might be the architectural feature that you want to highlight with a light on each.  Maybe there are dramatic arched windows that need to be lit on each side (or on each window sill).   Do you want lights on each side of your entryway?  Maybe there is a need for lighting just outside the room to light the entry from that side?  A lighting professional will walk with you and do a site inspection prior to your wedding date and you can discuss your lighting needs with them.  They will work to incorporate your wedding lighting ideas into the final design proposal.

A true wedding lighting professional will always bring more lighting fixtures than originally planned for just in case.  Extras always come in handy when you find out that the cake was moved on the floor plan and you now need a special light for behind it or that the room was shifted so the head table is now on the opposite side of the room or maybe just as spares if the room just doesn’t look symmetrical once they are done setting up.  Your wedding lighting ideas might have to be altered slightly the day of your wedding if a table is in the way (move the table or move the light).

How many uplights do I need at my wedding?  To give you a typical number – most ballrooms require between 14-20 fixtures.    Low output LED fixtures will require sometimes twice as many.  A professional LED fixture should have at least 7,000 LUX output at 1m.  Anything less than that, and you really will not see the lighting effect until it is pitch black in the room and room lights dimmed.  A high output fixture will have 20,000 LUX or more output for truly vivid color representation.

Having more than 300 guests?  How many uplights do I need at my wedding?  The typical number will need to be increased based on the overall size of the room  24-32 fixtures would be probably a better guess.

Lighting is all about the look of the room.  Wedding lighting professionals will setup and then step back and look – did they meet your wedding lighting ideas?  Are there dead spots in the room or does a light look out of place?  They will tweak their lighting setup to give you the best possible impact.   How many uplights do I need at my wedding?  Maybe a couple more lights to correctly balance the room will be necessary that day.

Should a wedding lighting designer charge by the fixture?  No. Their fees are based on the overall size and complexity of any given event.   Do they need to bring all their gear up 2 flights of stairs?  Is your venue in a downtown area that is hard to reach with truck & trailer?  How long do they have to setup and tear down?  Will they need 1, 2 or 3 assistants for setup and tear down?  All these factors go into deciding fees.  Will they charge more for more complex events that require twice as much gear?  Yes.

A lighting company that charges based on a per fixture basis is not really interested in the wow factor of your room.  They might recommend PAR cans or new high output LED systems with Red-Green-Blue-Amber-White color mixing.  They might suggest a single color v. color scene changes to save you money on your lighting budget.  It’s all about creating the right effect for each one of their clients.  There are many great wedding lighting ideas – LEDs are not always the best option.  Tired of up-lighting at weddings?  Maybe candle light or pinspots on your table centerpieces is more your style?  Maybe string lights or outdoor architectural lighting fits the feel for your wedding lighting ideas.   Talk to a wedding lighting expert and they can help create that perfect atmosphere through lighting at your wedding.