Lighting Up Your Space

Have you seen some gorgeous event pictures recently? Take a closer look and you will probably notice that there is some type of lighting element as part of that event. New technology in the lighting field has opened the door to many possibilities for lighting that were simply not possible, or affordable, as recently has five years ago.

Today lighting your wedding reception means so much more than flipping a switch. You can put your touch in almost all lighting elements. “Lighting creates a mood” says event designer Preston Bailey, and when it is done well, lighting can make everything, including your wedding flowers, cake and guests look better. Now that you have seen the captivating pictures and have decided you want to incorporate lighting into your event, what do you do?

Find a company that specializes in lighting.
To obtain suggestions in your local area you can ask your event designer or wedding florist, many of them do their own lighting. If they do not, more than likely, they work with a lighting professional in the industry. You can also check with your contact at your reception venue, they will either offer options in-house or a recommended vendor list for lighting professionals they work with.


Learn lighting lingo
Here are some lighting terms that you will hear regularly:
Pin Spot - A focused beam of light that shines directly onto an object, like a centerpiece or wedding cake, as a highlight effect.
Color Wash - There are a few different types of light fixtures that can create a "wash," which is basically a blanket of colored light covering an entire area.
Gobos - Circular stencils that are put over a light to project a design or pattern. Popular gobo designs are monograms, dates, or any other wedding motifs.
LED - Short for light-emitting diodes, LED lights are currently popular for weddings because they use much less electricity (and don't get as hot) than regular, incandescent light bulbs. They are also available in a wireless feature so they are even more discreet.
Uplights – These are commonly LED lights that are placed around the perimeter of your venue to cast an illuminating glow around the room. Today’s technology allows for these to stay a static color all night or change as different activities occur in the room such as cake cutting, first dance and the late night dancing.

Assess Your Site
If you're planning an evening reception, make sure to visit your site at least once when it's dark outside. Look around the room and see where the fixed lighting is focused. Lights that illuminate the walls, windows, and ceiling can draw attention away from the center of the room -- and you want to keep everyone's eyes on the tables, dance floor, and each other. Ask if the site has dimmers for their overhead lights or if their florescent lighting can be turned off. Also, make sure there won't be any service doors kept open, which could flood the space with light and ruin the effect.

Use Color
As well as the multiple colors in your wedding gown think outside your wedding palette when you use colored lights. Try to incorporate colors that you have incorporated in your centerpieces to keep consistency throughout the event. Your own wedding outfit, table linen and backdrops are other features to look to when thinking of colors choices for your event.

Choose the Right Lights
It is always important to keep in mind the layout of your reception venue. High ceilings versus low ceilings will dramatically change how the lighting will enhance the room. Pin spotting in a room with high ceilings can really accentuate your floral centerpieces and finally, gobos can be fun with monograms on the dance floor or patterns on the wall. Work with your lighting designer to figure out which type of lighting fits your budget.

No matter what lighting you chose know that lighting puts your other elements on steroids. If you spend $25,000 on flowers, and $10,000 on lighting done properly, it will look like you spent $75,000 on flowers. Again the sky is the limit on lighting and it is only going to get better with time.

Styling Your Mehndi

Today's Blog is brought to you by Senior Event Architect Mahvish Bhatty. She hass a wealth of experience planning South Asian Wedding events and is sharing some of her best tips with you today:

Mehndi is an event prior to the Wedding Ceremony and usually takes place a day before as a pre-party. Mehndi night is considered to be a fun night and filled with dance performances by family/friends and dancing the night away. This is the most vibrant and lively event which is part of the wedding weekend for most South Asian countries.

Styling your Mehndi should be the most exciting portion of your wedding planning. I have seen many couples go simple with Mehndi nights and some have gone all out to show the true culture and colors of the night. For starters, make sure to incorporate Mehndi colors into the event which are yellow, orange, light pink, all shades of green, and you can even throw purple to create a vibrant ambiance.


Music is the most important aspect for a Mehndi Night so keep a budget for a good DJ who will work with your friends and families for dance performances and also provide music for open floor dancing. If you do not have a budget for a DJ then you will need to assign an individual either family or friend to play the music through the sound system that you rent or the venue provides. However, going cheap on this aspect might not provide the full benefit of a Mehndi night.


Let’s talk about décor: I already mentioned some of the colors to incorporate. No, you don’t need to have full flower bouquets on each table as a center piece; you can save that for the actual wedding reception. But what you should do is get colored linens for the tables and ties for the chair covers. The colors listed above would be ideal for the Mehndi night or you can choose colors according to your clothing style. For center pieces you can use decorative lanterns that bring a traditional look or you can have a candle tree that holds votive candles that are in vibrant Mehndi colors. Center pieces can be kept simple but should reflect a traditional feel since Mehndi is a cultural event.


The stage however, should be done nicely. This will be the focal point for the bride & groom. Most décor vendors have a decorative wooden swing where the couple will sit during the Mehndi ceremony and watch their family and friends perform dances for them. I have also seen some couples get a colorful fabric Mandap which definitely sets the style for the Mehndi, which I would recommend, as it makes the room appear elegant and full of vibrant colors.


Lastly, to add finishing touches, rent lounge furniture with vibrantly colored pillows. You can arrange these furniture pieces around the dance floor so during the dance performances your guests can move away from their tables and sit closer to the dance floor. Add this as part of your design creates a fun ambiance that is full of energy.

Choosing the right design studio is of course the way to go, as they provide brilliant décor ideas and their team arrives on the day of your Mehndi to setup the room. These ideas will definitely style up your Mehndi and a night you will always remember!