Our client was getting married in the backyard of their parents house. They had over 10 acres of land, so space was of no concern. The wedding was in October and was going to be at night.

THE PROBLEM

This was the fist wedding of the family and they did not know what to do. They had looked in lots of magazines, as well as plenty of pictures online. So they knew they overall look they were going for. They wanted elegant lighting that not made the tent look great, but the band, the dance floor, the florals and the rest of the property. They also needed to figure out a way get people back to their cars after the event. So attention had to be paid to all areas of the property that people were going to congregating at. Once the conversations started with us, we were able to talk about other items that would need to addressed. Things such as power for not just the lighting, but the band, caterer, and other professionals that were going to be there.

THE SOLUTION

Fist thing was to suggest hiring a planner. You don’t want to go this alone. Making sure the client had a specific account manager and project manager from our team was important. We wanted them to have 2 people that they could reach out to and manage this event for them.

We scheduled a site survey of the property. We walked through all the areas that people would be able and gave them suggestions on the lighting that could be used. We showed them pictures of plenty of tents we had done for inspiration.

We gave the options for generators. We talked about how important dimming is for a tent. A tent that is to brightly lit, with not set the right mood. The other vendors that were going to be part of the day were discussed. Photographers and videographers need a particular type of lighting for the best pictures. And if they were going to have highly designed floral centerpieces, we would want to show them off.

The dance floor is important. We gave many options to create a place where lots of memories could be made. Some bands bring their own lighting, so we talked about how we would not want the band to bring in any lighting and that we could properly light them.

We talked about the type of tent they were going to have. There are a few different tents and each of those tents have different ways to hang the lighting, as well as what lighting looks the best. We had to set expectations for when we would set up and take down.

Our set ups usually start 2-3 days before the night of the wedding. We need to focus the lighting at night, so that would happen at some point before the wedding. The lighting also needs to stay on well after the wedding is over, so coming back the next day to take it down is common.

Our technicians stayed the entire night of the reception, so they could adjust the lighting, manage any last minute power questions and be the central go-to person for all things production. We also helped them design lighting for the outside of the house, the multiple trees and floral beds, they walkway to the cars so guests could see. We talked about lighting changes. Were they interested in having the lighting change color throughout the night and/or move.

THE OUTCOME

The client was thrilled with the look, design, and overall support our project management team and day off technicians gave them. As the sun went down, the lighting started to really pop.

The expensive centerpieces were illuminated all night. The dance floor lighting showed off the brides beautiful dress and the grooms perfectly fitted tux. The band was able to be seen the whole night, and the toasts were perfectly lit for the photographer and videographer to capture those moments.

Then, when the dancing started, the entire lighting design changed to more dancing conducive look and feel. Outside of the tent, we lit up trees and the back of the house. They had a bathroom trailer, so we designed a walk way with lighting so guests could see where they were going. We also used market lighting over a patio to create a space to go outside of the tent to hang out.

Then, when the wedding was over, we used lighting cylinders to lead the way to the valet area. We then properly lit the valet area so keys could be scene.

Overall, the client was extremely happy with our work.