Hello, and welcome back to this week's episode of the Wedding Lounge Podcast.
Today we are going to be talking all things lighting.
So if you're getting married in a venue,
then your venue will have basic lighting there.
You will have lighting so that your guests can see where they're going,
lighting in the toilets, for example.
And you might even find that they have some sort of
france floor lighting or lighting on a stage already in place.
We do recommend though that you find out with your venue what lighting there is,
what they can provide themselves in addition,
and also if you're allowed to bring in external lighting to really up the design.
Something to consider as well is whether it's dimmable,
mess check, check that, get handles.
Yes, whether you're allowed them, and if they allow to be,
or if they need to be holidays.
Yeah, or to be in like a hurricane verse, for example.
Yes, sometimes, especially if you've got a historic venue like a barn,
then you can be very, but one, they're not going to blame.
No, but obviously we specialize in marquee weddings
and with the venue, the lighting that you need to consider
is more like additional and extra niceties.
So that will be covered when we go through things,
but we're going to focus on lighting for marquees,
because it's something that isn't given a standard,
and you do need to think about things a bit more consideration.
And then towards the end of the episode,
when we talk about all the lovely additional decor lighting,
which I think is so underrated.
Yes, any of that lighting can be put into a venue or into a tent.
It can just elevate your space, definitely, definitely.
We did touch a bit on lighting when we spoke to Tom and Matthew
from County Markees a few weeks ago,
but we're going to dive into it a bit more now.
Yes, so if we think first about the structure itself and the marquee
and what lighting you need inside,
you need some sort of ceiling lighting.
Yes, those can be chandeliers,
bastoons, fairy lights, something to light your space.
And again, track with your supplier and your marquee company,
whether or not these are dimmable,
or if they're on or on separate switches.
I've found before that if you've got the whole marquee on one switch,
you might want to turn it off over the dance floor,
but then the bar staff are in the pitch black.
I had a wedding once where we were literally going backwards and forwards,
so the guests turned it off and we turned it on,
because the party wasn't that much fun with the lights on,
but we can't have people serving drinks,
opening bottles of wine with pork scrues in a pitch black.
No, well, you can do those, you can get spotlights.
Yes, exactly.
So ensure that you think about your bar and your bar area.
The other thing I like to do if spotlights aren't possible
for whatever reason or way you position the bar
or the spotlights are going to be shining onto the dance floor
and you guess want it to be dark.
I take fairy lights on the inside of the bar,
so then they can always see what they're doing
and they've got enough light.
Yeah, but it's not overwhelming.
The spots are quite a good way of coming around that as well,
definitely, but it's just something to consider,
as you say, make sure it's on separate switches or dimmer balls
so that you can change the mood.
Yeah, you can also put up lighters around the outside.
Yeah, kind of create a nice moody atmosphere lighting
if you don't want to go with quite so much in the roof.
Yes, and when it gets dark as well,
that's quite good way to show a bit more of a teepee up lighters
that better because you haven't necessarily got the roof space to do
who much we've lighted.
You'll also want to think about inside your market with your dance floor.
Are you going to have lights on your dance floor?
Are you going to have lights on your stage for any performers?
As we mentioned before, in a venue if they've got like a function room
and they have a stage area,
they will probably have some sort of lighting already set up.
But think about that as well because not only do your bar need to see
your live music, we'll need to see as well.
Yes, lots of bands and DJs.
Do have their own production.
So it's worth speaking to them about exactly what they can provide.
Some is very basic.
Yeah, some is very extravagant.
You just need to have those discussions.
Is it the right fit for you?
Does it suit all your needs as well?
Like are you having band and then a DJ afterwards?
The band providing the lighting and then the poor DJ is going to be left in the dark.
You need to make sure it's cohesive throughout.
Definitely and speak to your marquee company as well
because you don't want to assume someone's setting up something
and they're not or in the other sense,
they're putting the marquee company to set up guards floor lighting,
whereas a staging lighting was actually your band provided anyway.
So it's just about communication and thinking about these things in advance.
Then on the outside of the tent,
depending on the style of the marquee,
you can get flying lights going over the top.
Oh, I love it.
Lighting, which is very lovely.
You can get fairy lights or festoons going on the edge of the tent.
Up light is on the guy ropes and you don't want people flipping over their ropes.
Especially drunk people.
I mean, there's a river anyway.
Yeah or not.
Everyone else can see it coming in.
You might also just have some festoon lighting on like shepherds on a path
to the entrance of the marquee.
So you've got to consider these things when you're thinking about a marquee
because they're not all there.
There's also other areas which might not necessarily spring to mind
but are quite important to consider.
Inside and outside your catering tent.
Yes.
So especially your caterers.
When it gets dark and you're in a field or the back of the lawn,
you can't necessarily see.
So you need some lighting just a spotlight or something
outside the back of the tent is as important as inside the tent.
Definitely.
And like if you're getting married at home or in a field,
you're going to want to light up the path to the toilets.
The toilets, most of them come with some sort of light inside,
obviously double check, and then also you need to show them where to go.
Yes, you just need to know how to get there.
And it's doing well and good having a path during the day
but when it gets dark, you need to make sure you get that path to get there.
It's frowly.
And you're car park as well.
Making sure just one single flood light is something that's going to brighten that space.
Especially if you're using a paddock or something that's not quite as even,
you guess they're going to want to see and don't want to be relying on
phone torches and more torches to get back to their space.
And again, similarly if you've got a camping area or a glamping area,
yeah, you want to have some sort of lighting externally to the tents for that too.
So guests can see where they're going and at least can identify the tents and see that
not too bright or something that you can turn off but most people are in bed.
And then also your suppliers.
You're going to have a lot of suppliers with the wedding.
You'll have your photographer, videographer, probably your planner,
catering bar staff.
They're going to need to have a break at some point.
Well, that area, yes, a welfare area to keep their bags and things.
So you want to make sure that is lit too because you don't want them trying to
fumble around in the pitch back trying to change lens quickly before your first dance.
And then if you've got any areas like entrance tents,
they want to be lit or any other sort of like lounge zone.
It's important to consider all the spaces and just making sure there is
some sort of lighting in those.
Whether or not that is basic.
Or decorative.
Yes, we're going to go into the decorative lighting.
I think lighting is so underestimated.
It really is.
And weddings where they really thought in consideration into the lighting,
it just makes such a difference.
But you can use lighting to create different moods,
to draw people to different areas of the garden and then you at different times.
Exactly.
And even as it gets dark, having like a few beautiful areas lit up
in the surrounding area.
So like if you're at your venue and you can see the ceremony area
from where you're dining and it's dark.
Lighting that up is a big thing to do and definitely definitely underrated.
So up lighting trees is something you might want to consider.
And whether or not that is the production company that you ring in.
And you can light it in any color way.
Yes, as well.
It doesn't necessarily have to be white.
Obviously soft warm whites and things work really, really nicely.
But if you've got a color scheme that you're really into,
and it's really crucial to your wedding aesthetic,
you can light areas up in that, whether or not it's front of the building.
Yeah, the house, your home, or areas of the garden.
That's quite a lovely consideration.
And it is a good point to note that with lighters,
you can have it see how like remote control.
So it changes like the color of, you have like a master up lighter,
which changes the color on all of them.
So you could actually change them.
I've had weddings where they've had them sort of early evening one color
and then gone into a different color later on to change the mood.
So just thinking about that.
But you don't have to go round and change every single up lighter.
You should make sure that you've got some kind of universal system.
So you're changing one and all 20 of them are changing.
Yeah.
I mean, another thing you could do with lighting is create an atmosphere with it.
So well, when I say that, obviously lighting creates an atmosphere
that's really stupid with putting it.
You could do a light show.
Yes.
So, you know, time it with your music.
Yeah, a production company that really is working with your band or your DJ.
Or your DJ or band could do this themselves.
Yeah.
Depending on who you're going with on your budget.
You can create a laser light show.
Yeah, I had a client recently who did the most amazing light show for their 60th birthday.
And it was all trying to music.
And it just, yeah, production company were part of the band.
So they did everything, you know, band and DJ.
So everything was timed beautifully in just such a well moment.
Yeah, exactly.
It's so immersive.
The whole experience is so immersive.
I mean, the other thing you can do is,
if you want to keep things a bit simpler, is bow bows?
Yes.
So project displays on the walls, ceilings, a wedding logo.
If you've got a wedding logo, I've seen people have that projected onto the dance floor.
Yeah.
Or things like that so that it really just brings in,
you know, that element that might have been on your invitations
and on your order of services and on your menus.
And then you have like your initials like, yeah, projected onto the dance floor.
For your first dance.
Susie Evans had a beautiful winter wedding,
which on her Instagram.
And they had some beautiful like leave design on it was in St. Charles's house.
And it just, it just amazed.
The atmosphere it created just like really simple.
And it just transforms the space completely.
You can always use it to sort of create a different environment.
Like that would believe that if you haven't got,
you don't want to bring in all the foliage,
you could use the lighting to create the look of the dress.
Yeah, it's a decor, it's a statement, isn't it?
All on its own.
Definitely.
And something kind of obvious,
that isn't necessarily powered as candles.
Yes.
That on your tables, if you're thinking more
cables, if you're having an evening ceremony like candlelit,
just thinking about candles,
check what we said with your venue or market,
are happy for candles whether they need to be covered
or whether they need LEDs.
Well, they're a really good way to create different,
you know, by candlelight, different moods,
and yeah, have things around to draw,
draw guess attention to certain areas.
So you might have the cake, for example.
Mm-hmm.
We love making sure the cake is worth well.
Have the cake lit up or, you know,
I've spot that on the cake, if it's that amazing.
Just use candles to create a warm, soft glow.
Yeah.
And again, you could use candles and lanterns outside.
Well, it's a position of around the landscape.
You know, you can just, if you've got some grass areas
or some clopery areas outside your venue or your,
your marquee, you can light those up beautifully
with some really soft lantern lighting.
And what are the, I'm trying to think now,
the oil-wide lanterns, the teaky lights?
Yes, teaky lights, that's the word.
Teaky lights are great for lighting up pathways to places
and generating a statement.
And also, the flame flickering.
Yeah, they look really cool, don't they?
Your venue doesn't allow you to have naked flames
or open flames or fireful stops.
You can find it, I mean, there's a phenomenal LED.
It's nice.
Lighting for fun.
Do some really good ones in lots of different colours
that look really, obviously don't look as good as the real thing.
Yeah, but they still create such a beautiful impact.
And it's also really good to know
because sometimes if you've got wind or air conditioning
in your venue, that can affect how the candles
burn and it can make them sort of blow out
blacks sometimes and burn down really quickly.
So if you've got an air-conditioned venue,
you're getting married in July,
and you know you're going to need the aircon on,
it might even just be worth going for LED candles
because they may not look as brilliant to start with,
but black candles and a burn down within two minutes
are going to look worse than an LED candle.
Exactly.
You've got these options.
And you've also got little LED lamps.
And the teaky lamps, is that?
Well, pokey's brand.
Pokey's brand.
They do do, I think that's kind of the biggest brand that's out there, isn't it?
Yeah, they look like, they look like you'd get them
in like a smoking lounge, almost.
So there's a little lounge on the table.
So you, is it coming different styles?
Yes.
So you don't need to have how much every table
and you just put them on for the evening for dinner.
Yes, you know.
Ah, lounge areas, they look really good.
Yeah, they just create that, again, that real draw in.
And I think that's what's important about
any sort of decorative lighting.
Yes, it's there to create an atmosphere
and it needs to be thought about.
Yes, there's no point just going, oh, do this, this, this, this, this, and this.
You need to think about the space and think about how you want to light it
in the mood you want to create with lighting.
Yeah, what's the space going to be useful?
Like, you don't want something bright and colourful
if it's going to be a lounge area for people to relax with a whiskey after dinner.
But if it's near the bar and the dance floor,
you might want more bright colourful lighting to get the energy different
and to get people dancing.
So it's all about thinking, as you say,
well, what areas need lighting as of what they're going to be used for as well.
And considering the spots as well.
So going back to the spotlights to be on the bars,
making sure that you consider what areas you want your best spotlights on the cake.
Spotlight on the dance floor, spotlights on the stage.
Spotlights, you know, you could light over top table more
than you could light over your best table.
Just to, if you're deciding to mingle in with your guest
and not do a formal traditional top table,
that might be quite a nice way to really create an impact over you.
It's not to be much, just a slightly brighter light or a slightly different colour.
Yeah, just a bit of impact will really give your guest attention.
There's basically so much you can do with lighting.
The possibilities are endless and I'm sure people out there will come up with
different ideas of what they can do and what they would like to create.
And we definitely haven't covered every single option,
but hopefully we've just given you a bit of an idea.
And also with the lighting, really.
Yeah, and some food for thought on how you can use lighting in a different way
to create decor as well.
Yeah, making sure that it is part of your decor
and not just sensible lighting.
Then back to previous episodes, that's sustainable.
Like when you, you know, the lighting will be hired in.
It'll be reused.
Yes, it's using power, unless it's candles.
But it's just something that's going to be reused and not just disposable.
Yep, it's going to be one of us under just half of the wedding.
Join us next week for our episode on how to work with a planner
will be delving into the details of what's involved
once you've actually booked a planner.
Our top tip for this week is going to stick on that theme
and it's making sure you book your planner well in advance.
Yes, most planners don't take on too many weddings.
I take on six-year full plans.
Yeah, no more, no more.
So you want to make sure you're getting in there.
So when you know your date, or even if you don't know your date,
and yeah, roughly when you want to get married,
start looking into your wedding planners.
If you know that is something you really want,
rest in there early.
Well, someone is going to like to be booked up.
And even if they're not busy on your day,
they might not want to take that quite day.
So it's a good idea to get that sorted.
I'll tell you more on what's to eat.
Brilliant.
Have a far break.
See you then. Bye.