Weddingbee Blog

(All photos by Nicole Polk)

Early in the wedding planning process, I remember freaking about how many vendors we might have to book in addition to our reception site and photographer. Lighting was something that I kept pushing out of our budget, until I noticed how much it could change the ambience of the reception. We decided to book Jason from Synergetic Sounds and we added four breakup lighting designs to the dance floor, and pinspotting to each reception table, candy buffet table, and the cake table. Uplighting of all sculptures were already provided by the museum.

So here’s a before photo of the reception area:

And the after photo - the reception area with amber breakup lighting patterns on the dancefloor:

As you can see, the amber lighting really changed the ambience of the reception by adding warmth and attention to the dance floor. The museum has so many art sculptures and paintings that without lighting, the reception area would have too many distractions with all the artwork around. Lighting also lets the photographer get creative, here are some examples by our photographer Nicole Polk:

So the question is how much did we spend on lighting? I called lots of lighting vendors in the Philadelphia and it was tough to find one that would work with our budget. One of the best lighting vendors had a minimum rate of $2000, which I think really means that you’re gonna have to pay this vendor a lot more than others in the city. I kept searching and I discovered Synergetic Sounds by a recommendation made by Philly knottie Skichik. I called Jason and was surprised to know that he also worked with other popular lighting vendors in the city. His rates were much lower and he could pretty much do whatever the other vendors offered. Our rate was only $475 which was incredible compared to what other vendors offered us for around $3000-3500. My recommendation is to check out all the vendors and see what they can offer you before you make your final decision.

Jason from Synergetic Sounds
3445 Bristol Pike
Bensalem, PA 19020
(215) 633-1200
info@synergeticsounds.com

So since I’m talking about lighting, I’d like to hear some opinions by weddingbee readers:

How much are you planning to spend on lighting and what effects are you including? Did you check out other vendors and notice a significant pricing rate difference? Which vendor did you finally decide to book and were you impressed with the results?