Lights, Camera, Action! Lights…Lights??

Lights, Camera, Action! Lights…Lights??

March 1st, 2011 @ 8:37 am by Mrs. Pain au Chocolat
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Guess what I overlooked? Yep, lighting.

My lightbulb moment came this afternoon as I was running down our list of vendors. It’s an easy thing to overlook. DJs or tent companies are the usual suspects. For our reception, there is no tent company, as the tent comes with the venue. Our DJ can provide uplighting or dance lighting. (No thank you. We don’t want anyone to start rave dancing. I’m looking at you, Mr. P!) But what about overhead lighting?

It’s not like I haven’t thought about what we’d like. Here are some of my inspiration images for inside our tent.

Love the cluster of lanterns:

Source: left & right

Mix in some color and texture (you know me). Group them on the ground.

Lights, Camera, Action! Lights...Lights?? : wedding decor wilmington 1 Light02

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Lights, Camera, Action! Lights...Lights?? : wedding decor wilmington Lights

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I haven’t decided between subtle color and bold color.

Source

Mr. P had made it his personal mission to find lighting vendors. Apparently, this is an underserved sector of our local wedding market, as only musicians seem to offer lighting in a package. Tent vendors, you’re missing out!

We remembered our venue coordinator mentioned a lighting-only vendor who has worked at the mansion before. I think he’s next on our list of people to contact. Unless we go the crazy route and install them ourselves on Friday morning/afternoon. Before our rehearsal. With all our spare time. Because we’re nuts.

Did you DIY your lights or hire a company to set up your vision?

Tags: decor, wilmington |

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19 Responses to “Lights, Camera, Action! Lights…Lights??”

Member

vtbride2010 (message) 152 posts, Blushing bee

We purchased our own paper lanterns and the materials to make “throwies” to light them! We are hanging them - or I should say the guys will be hanging them before the rehearsal in the ballroom where our reception will be. It’s really the biggest thing we have to do in preparation. So - shouldn’t be too crazy. We purchased all different sized dark purple and light yellow lanterns to hang at different heights over the dance floor. Should be pretty.

3/1/11 @ 8:58 am (reply)

Member

LisaM (message) 160 posts, Blushing bee

This is so cool! I love it! Hopefully your idea for your lights will work just as how you plan it!

3/1/11 @ 9:00 am (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Trail Mix (message) 6,329 posts, Bee Keeper

We did our ourselves and it wasn’t hard at all! I ordered the paper lanterns online and bought cafe lights at Target and then the day of the wedding, we went and strung them all up! It really took less than an hour total, easy to do!

3/1/11 @ 9:04 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Lox (message) 1,128 posts, Bumble bee

I love all of your inspiration pictures! Lighting is one thing I am entirely clueless about. With an outdoor afternoon wedding, the sun is our lighting plan.

3/1/11 @ 9:08 am (reply)

Member

JamaicaBride (message) 3,763 posts, Honey bee

We are using paper lanterns with throwies but our tent vendor also offers carriage lights and chandeliers for the ceiling. We may actually do a carriage light or two and then add in the paper lanterns for color. I like the idea of the groupings though…I may “borrow” that =)

3/1/11 @ 9:31 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Ostrich (message) 1,948 posts, Buzzing bee

We have a tent so the rental company also takes care of our lighting, but we designed the look together. so excited to see what you go with!

3/1/11 @ 9:31 am (reply)

Member

miss.qwerty (message) 897 posts, Busy bee

Cool inspiration pictures! I love colorful lanterns, but the all white ones in your top pic are gorgeous, too. Can’t wait to see what you decide!

3/1/11 @ 9:44 am (reply)

Member

piglet_625 (message) 2,541 posts, Sugar bee

We’re DIY’ing our lanterns too and the guys are hanging them. Fortunately, our reception hall also has great, dimmable lighting anyway, so it wasn’t as huge of a deal for us.

I love the look of lanterns!!

3/1/11 @ 9:46 am (reply)

Member

toshella (message) 644 posts, Busy bee

@Mrs. Trail Mix: Who ended up taking them down? I feel like even if we could get them up the day or morning before, taking them down would be a huge chore or extra expense!

3/1/11 @ 10:18 am (reply)

10.

Bee

Mrs. Meerkat (message) 3,216 posts, Sugar bee

I am SOOOO on the same page with you on this! I love the lanterns everywhere.

3/1/11 @ 10:42 am (reply)

11.

Bee

Miss Cinnamon Bun (message) 1,100 posts, Bumble bee

If you’re looking for uplighting, or similar fixtures, check out a theatrical or concert lighting rental place. Cinnamon Buns used to work at a big one here in town (and one of our GMs currently does!) and they do rent stuff out for weddings, as well as giant concerts in the stadium. You can pay them to set it up and take it down too. Try checking for a Christie Lites in your area (the company CB worked for), or call some event coordination companies and ask for lighting vendor recommendations.

3/1/11 @ 11:22 am (reply)

12.

Guest

Miss Mandy

OMG! I love the “color/texture” idea. I am making puffs myself which I saw on Marthastewart.com but I also loved the lanterns and couldn’t decide between the two but couldn’t picture them together. Now I totally can! I love it and I am taking that idea thanks it’s perfect!

3/1/11 @ 11:41 am (reply)

13.

Bee

Miss Tartlet (message) 3,207 posts, Sugar bee

I love the combination of the lanterns with the poms! Our venue is very strict about lighting, so we’ll be sticking to the basics. That doesn’t mean I can’t live vicariously through other people, though.

3/1/11 @ 1:00 pm (reply)

14.

Bee

Miss Giraffe (message) 4,219 posts, Honey bee

Lanterns just make me all warm and fuzzy inside!

3/1/11 @ 1:50 pm (reply)

15.

Bee

Mrs. Rainbow (message) 1,535 posts, Bumble bee

So pretty! I love the big clusters of lanterns all grouped together!

3/1/11 @ 2:02 pm (reply)

16.

Bee

Miss Pain au Chocolat (message) 1,698 posts, Bumble bee

@vtbride2010: The lighting will be the biggest project saved for the day before or morning of. I hope it doesn’t take long!
@LisaM: Fingers crossed. And lots of planning!
@Mrs. Trail Mix: About how many lights did you string up and what method did you use?
@Miss Lox: We’re starting at 5pm and going til almost 11, so there will be equal parts sunshine and darkness. (Unless it rains. :()@JamaicaBride: Borrow away! I borrowed all these ideas from other smart ladies!
@Miss Ostrich: Our tent is included automatically. Almost makes me wish it were through a tent company so we’d be able to talk lights. (But many tent companies ’round here don’t offer lighting. WTH.)
@miss.qwerty: Dontcha just love the varied lantern sizes! I swooned when I first saw those top pics.
@piglet_625: Thankfully our reception has outdoor lighting so if our DIY fails or isn’t bright enough, we should be okay. Always nice to have a Plan B.
@toshella: OMG, great question! I hadn’t even considered this yet. Crap.

3/1/11 @ 4:19 pm (reply)

17.

Bee

Miss Pain au Chocolat (message) 1,698 posts, Bumble bee

@Mrs. Meerkat: I wanted to FILL the tent with lanterns but Mr. P was able to reason with me. We’re sticking with 50, for now.
@Miss Cinnamon Bun: No Christie Lights in our area. Our venue recommended one lighting vendor; what we want was so simple and easily DIY-ed that we couldn’t not try.@Miss Mandy & @Miss Tartlet: YES! The poms add so much texture to it. Lovelovelove!
@Miss Giraffe: You’re so silly! :)@Mrs. Rainbow: If we run out of ceiling space, I am SO putting the lanterns on the ground!

3/1/11 @ 4:25 pm (reply)

18.

Bee

Mrs. Husky (message) 1,754 posts, Buzzing bee

Love paper lanterns - we didn’t have lights in ours, and just hung the unlit lanterns from the beams of the barn with the string lights. I can’t wait to see yours!

3/3/11 @ 2:29 pm (reply)

19.

Guest

Querajocelyn

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1/4/12 @ 11:20 pm (reply)