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How many of you hired or are hiring lighting/event designers for your wedding?
I’m still in the process of getting quotes from various places (well the 2 best ones in our area anyhow). Got one, still waiting on the other, but I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the price tag… which is really weird because I suppose I knew how much it was going to be, but I was *hoping* it’d be cheaper by some miracle. It’s actually a great price, but what kills me is the fact that the labor costs more than the actual thing, 
again, even though I knew that….
For 12 pinspots on centerpieces, 1 cake table spotlight, and a cool gobo for the dance floor (I prefer a leafy/flowery swirly pattern as opposed to the solid monogram…), it’ll run me about $800.
Another company I saw, let me have 25 pinspots, uplighting, monogram gobo, and dance lights for $600, but they were not that good - just an average white/ivory light.
What are you doing for lighting?
wow lighting costs a whole lot more in nyc. it was definitely something i wanted, but just not in the budget. lighting can really transform a room tho and looks gorgeous in pics. 
Unless you count candles on the tables, I am spending $0 on lighting. I did make sure the room we were in had dimmers.
There was a post the other day about magazines and online communities raising the bar for today’s brides. For me, the money spent on a lighting designer falls into the category of above and beyond. If I had unlimited funds, would I do it? Probably. But there are a lot of things I would do with an unlimited budget. In the real world, it isn’t worth it to me.
We are spending a ton on candles, and then renting uplights for $5 apiece…I think we’re getting about 13 or so of those.
having been a bridesmaid in a TON of weddings (and even a best man, once!), i thought i knew everything there was to know about planning a wedding. i never even knew it was an option to pay for lighting!!! ummm, i hope there is some sunlight on the afternoon of our beach ceremony, and i hope that the room in which we are having our reception has lights. otherwise i guess i’ll be spending a lot more money on candlelight =P
My reception is in a tent and I’m buying pink, white, and lime green Chinese lanterns to hang over the dance floor at different lengths in a big cluster to create a gigantic chandelier. I’m planning on getting them from http://www.lunabazaar.com.
That actually sounds like a great price compared to SF Bay prices, at least. I cut lighting out of the budget, too because FI couldn’t stomach that cost. I do love the effect of lighting design, though. It can really transform a room.
I didn’t do special lighting, and I still cry about it to this day. Ok, maybe I don’t cry, but I do regret not shelling out the extra $5,000. Your lighting is a steal. You should do it.
Sunshine. They haven’t found a way to charge for it yet.
(Note to self: look into marketing special wedding/bridal sunlight)
We are having uplights, possibly pin spotlights, definitely lighting the cake and a gobo. Our venue already has a lot of string lights. Fortunately fiance is an AV Director so we get it all free. I got a quote from another company (to let him know his competition’s prices) and it was $2,500+.
My sister is a videographer and she wanted to make sure I was having good lighting. It really affects the quality of the wedding video and often photos as well as the entire mood/atmosphere.
Hahaha. Hahaha. Hahahahahahaha. Talk about unnecessary expenses. If you’re getting married in a building with electricity, it’s a waste. The only way I could justify this cost is if I was setting up a tent just for the day.
Lighting designer? Now THAT sounds like something fancy schmancy from Father of the Bride!
Our venue has an in house lighting specialist. The cost of each pin spotting is $30 so with 20 tables it’s $600. Not bad, it gives a beautiful and memorable look, but not sure if it’s worth it.
I’m doing uplights and pin spotting in NYC and paying around $900 (through my florist)…a steal compared to some of the other quotes I got!
I agree that lighting totally transforms a room. Maybe it is over the top…but I think it is a lot of bang for the buck (even moreso than flowers)…
I think this is one of those overkill expenses too…we basically flipped some light switches on, and there was lighting. Cost 0$, and no one really noticed either way. Of course, we also didn’t have a videographer, so that wouldn’t have been an issue.
“C” which florist are you using? I’m from NYC too and looking for an affordable florist and lighting specialist too.
Wow that actually sounds pretty reasonable. It depends on the area but if you are under $1000 thats a good deal for a package like that. It depends on the venue as well, the pin spotting can be a pain because you have to get them above the tables so it costs more.
The most difficult thing about lighting is the time and labor involved in setting it up. Some lights need to be assembled or attached to tripods, power has to be run to all fixtures, cords must be taped. It’s WAY more work than say, setting up a DJ sound system.
But it sure can make a difference!
Ok well my plans were to do simple votives for the tables (which I have already that I got for free) and do lighting to get more of a impact instead of spending money on flowers that will die or having extra waste and tons of glassware around my house. Has anybody check out lighting in St. Louis? I have a small budget and did not know if I will get laughed out of the room on what I DONT want to spend on this wedding stuff.
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Mrs. Plum, Dallas Age and Occupation in 06: 22, Accountant by day/Floral and Event Designer by night and weekends Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Security Admin Engagement Date: December 31, 2004 Wedding Date: June 29, 2007 Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and Gardens About Me: I have been engaged for about two years now - yes, a long engagement, because my fiance and I wanted to wait until I graduated college, which I did this past summer! He proposed after dating just two months - crazy, I know, but 2 years later, here we are, still crazy in love :-). We are having not one, but TWO weddings and TWO receptions in one weekend - American-style and Vietnamese-style - in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised!
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