How to enliven your space with creative event lighting
Whether you are a professional event planner or creating a space for a family, friend or work event, thinking of ways in which you can install creative event lighting can really help to provide a more immersive and memorable experience for your guests. Your event lighting can make or break your event as it sets the tone and mood. If you are going for a particular theme, planning your event lighting can be the best place to start and build from. Here, we will go through the techniques used by some of Australia's experienced event managers and lighting professionals to create the tone of your space with creative event lighting.
The placement of spotlights
Spotlights can direct your guest’s focus to specific areas in your event space setting. Usually, many venues will already have their own spotlights installed, but in most cases, they are very basic and do not use the space to its full potential.
When planning your spotlights, ensure that light is directed toward the space you need lit and that the lights are not glaring into anyone's eyes. Also, use warm LED lights over coloured as these will give your area more of a relaxing ambience. We recommend avoiding using too many colours, as the overwhelming colourful lights can often make the space look tacky and evoke unpleasant emotions in your guests.
If you are lighting up a stage, shine your spotlights onto the presenter and test them to make sure that they don’t glare into any of the speaker's eyes. Also, light up the stage more than the audience so that the attention is solely focused on the speaker during their presentation or performance.
Develop your creative event lighting plan
Once you have figured out which spots you want to light up in your event space, you should then add this lighting to the floor plan to assess if you need any additional lighting. Places to consider adding creative event lighting include; hanging above the dining tables, the buffet or self-serve food and drinks area, the dance floor, the hallways and the garden area.
Before purchasing the lighting, check with the venue whether they have enough power outlets and light fixings for your planned lights to be installed with ease. By understanding this, it will make the event setup process easier and smoother or provide the opportunity to think of alternative solutions if any limitations come up.
Using pendant lights
Pendant lights can transform a regular room or community hall into an elegant and luxurious event space. Although they rely on having the right light fittings and power installed, they are well worth the hassle as they can act as stunning centre pieces above each dining table.
Getting the pendant lights at the right height can be a challenge when your electrician comes to install them. Test where the lights should hang so that they aren’t shining into the guests' eyes but are not too high up as to miss out on showing off their beauty.
Candles
Candles are an inexpensive additional accessory that you can incorporate into your creative event lighting. Their little flickering flames can add romance and magic to your event. If you are concerned with guests playing with them or children getting burnt, choose to use electric ones instead. If you want to make them look as if they are real candles, just place them into a decorative candle holder.
Mason jar fairy lights
Another alternative to candles is to use mason jar fairy lights. Solar charged or battery operated, they do not need to be plugged into any power source and therefore are easy to place on tables or even in the gardens if your event is outdoors. This being said, both the mason jar fairy lights and candles are really only for decorative purposes, you still need some excellent quality lighting to help light things up.
Vintage bulbs
Vintage style bulbs can give your creative event lighting a modern rustic look. These trendy light bulbs have been popping up everywhere and look exceptional when they are clustered together, cascading from the ceiling. They have a stripped back look, with their exposed filament and elements showing through the clear glass to give that modern vintage feel. They emit a soft, warm light which is excellent for making guests feel relaxed and comfortable.
Light up words
Getting your own light up words at your event can make a fantastic centrepiece. If your event is a wedding, you can use the letters of the bride and groom or if it’s a corporate event you can use your brand name. They are great for transitioning from day to night and if you are a bit handy, you can try making these yourself at home.
Gobo
Not sure what a gobo is? Similar to the bat signal from Batman, a gobo is a projector light that you can design your own custom stencil with a design to project onto a wall or surface. It can be a fun element to add to your creative event lighting. They are perfect for logos and can be transported and reused at many future events to come.
For more lighting and interior design tips, visit our blog! If you have any questions about how to light up your event space with pendant lighting, fill out the form on our contact page and we will be in touch soon.
At Smith&Smith, we stock high-quality modern pendant lighting and gorgeous vintage LED lighting. With our broad range of style and colours, there is a pendant light for everyone to suit any interior design.
Each of our products come with an incredibly generous 3-year warranty so you can feel rest assured that you are getting a product that lasts. Plus, for each pendant light purchased from Smith&Smith, we will make a donation to Hagar Australia, a charity that helps support victims of trafficking and abuse.