Before we dive in, this post should actually be named “Venue (and/or Rental) Uplighting vs. Vendor (DJ, Band, Lighting Company Etc) Uplighting: 5 Things You Didn’t Know (And Why It Matters for Your Dance Floor). I also have to stress that there is a lot of variability in the uplighting options presented by different vendors. We will mostly comment on how IT’S LIT weddings & Events does uplighting, but we are also going to add a set of questions for you to ask about uplighting at the end!
Why is this even a question?
In short, there are (usually) clear differences in effectively “rental” uplighting, and “production” uplighting, which are the terms we will use to describe venue and rental style uplighting and forms of uplighting that are provided by a DJ, lighting company, or other lighting vendor that would be considered production grade; respectively. In this post, we will explore those differences.
1. You might get stuck with a single color all night.
Rental style uplighting which is generally provided by the venue, is commonly set to a single color all night long, hopefully you get to choose that color. You may not even be aware at this point, that when a DJ, or production lighting vendor brings uplights, that its common for them to change them to a different mode for dancing, so that the lights add to the light show and energy of the night. especially if there is no other dance floor lighting (a topic for another time), it will absolutely harm the energy that guests will bring to the dance floor on a physcolognical level. Check out the attached photo for an example of a wedding with the lights that are on static color during dancing, this photo did have a very good DJ, and dance floor lighting, but the vibe of the dancing was compromised a bit by the lights being static.
2. Be weary of plug in wedding lighting!
Battery powered up lights are the norm these days with lithium-ion batteries, easily providing up to eight hours of wireless runtime. Wireless DMX for controlling the lights (during dancing, as discussed above) is also widely available, and generally reliable. For events larger than a wedding these technologies may be omitted, especially if the event is longer than 5 to 8 hours, but especially in the case of a wedding, battery powered lights offer the most flexibility and placement and the highest level of safety to guests because they can be placed virtually anywhere as opposed to being constrained by a power outlet. Additionally lights that need to be plugged in will add un-sightly wires regardless of how close to an outlet they are located. Unfortunately companies with older lights and offering cheaper prices may use “battery powered lights” that they actually plug into the wall because the batteries on the lights are at the end of their life, and they don’t want to replace them. If this can lead to restrictive placement of the lights in a room as you can actually see on the back wall of the venue in the photo above. The up lights were placed very close together on a single wall of the venue, as opposed to being spread out. There are also plenty of up lights available that are not battery powered and are much more cost-effective because of that but you will have to compromise with needing power to be delivered to those lights. See question 2 below on how to ask about this!
3. You don’t want black lights on beautiful white walls right?
Well, if you don’t care about the color of the lights then you can just skip to number four. However, if you care about the decor of your wedding or event, you may want to ask about the color of the lights that will be provided. When I mention the color here, I’m talking about the color of the actual case or shell of the light not the light color that the light is out putting itself. Lights for entertainment and event use are generally offered in one of two colors black or white. While it’s most common to use white with weddings since that’s the current trend sometimes production companies will have lights that are black because that is more common for use with corporate events.
4. Make sure you can choose the light (output) color!
Following our discussion of color above, you probably want to be able to choose the color of light that is actually produced by the light(s). While this should be standard practice, unfortunately, some venues and lighting providers will just provide whatever color they feel is best, unless you specifically request a color. Often times DJs and production companies will ask you what color you would like or ask you if you would like them to recommend a color (which is how we handled this at IT’S LIT Weddings and Events).
5. You don’t green tints in a deep orange (amber) light!
Yes you read that right, it is entirely possible that with cheap up lights you will get a green hue to an amber (deep orange color) light. This is because of the way that LEDs produce different colors of light and, to make a very highly technical principle very simple for you; cheap LEDs, use a combination of green and red light to produce Amber. Most entertainment companies have hex LEDs or close to it. These have extra diode’s for producing specific, amber color light, pure white light, and if they are truly hex LED, they can also produce UV light [AKA “Blacklight”] (which may be a fun add-on for your dancing!).
5 Questions to ask your uplighting provider about their lights, and the experience they provide.
- Can and will the lights be able to change with the music during dancing?
- Are the lights batter powered, and wire free?
- What color are the lights that will be provided?
- Will (I/We) be able to choose, or request a specific color for the lights?
- Bonus (Highly technical) Are the up lights capable of pure white and amber colors?
