Many people think about the wedding day and the first things that come to their mind are: the food, the drinks, the venue, the music, etc. And often they forget that the wedding lighting can be just as important or even more important than any those. Wedding lighting is one of the most underrated elements. But where do you begin?
Let’s start by understanding the names of the different terms used when we talk about lighting. This way, whether you are preparing the venue yourself or subcontracting a lighting company you can be aware of some of the main elements that are part of wedding lighting.
- Uplighting: These are basically lights that are placed on the floor and shine up the walls in various colors, creating the ambience in the room. Whether the reception is in a restaurant, ballroom or open space, uplighting is a great way to add color and character to the space.
- Pattern/texture and Gobo Projection: A custom monogram (or gobo) is a great way to personalize your event. The gobo can project the names of the bride and groom and their wedding date on the dance floor or the wall for example. A pattern can also be projected using a gobo projector to create a specific texture in the venue like for examples leaves or a starry night sky.
- Pinspot: The pinspot is a small light used to illuminate a specific small area like a centerpiece on a table.
- Pendants or string lights: These are strings of lights that hang from the ceiling.
- Ceiling Wash: Using wash lights you can give color to an entire venue without highlighting any particular area.
It’s important to do a walk-through of the wedding venue you can create a custom plan. If you’re getting married in the daytime, try to schedule your walkthrough around the same time as your event so you can get a sense for the natural lighting. If you’re getting married or your reception will be at night, schedule a nighttime walkthrough so you know how much light needs to be added to properly illuminate the space.
We at Machine Artist specialize in creating metal gobos. If you’re looking for customizable wedding gobos we have some templates ready as well as stock gobos. You can always contact us if you have any questions regarding gobos at support@machineartist.com