Holiday Lighting Tips (And why to use them!)
5 Tips to make your holiday uplighting project a success!
It's that time of year again. The air is getting a little colder, the leaves have fallen from the trees, and perhaps you've sat through a meeting or two about the holiday party this year. Maybe you talked about ambiance, and likely if you did, you talked about lighting. "Should we do some lighting?" someone may have asked.
Uplighting is just about the simplest way to spruce up a party and make the atmosphere a little more exciting. However tossing a ton of uplights into a room willy nilly isn't going to result in "oohs" and "ahhs." Today, I want to give you 5 really simple ways to maximize the effect of your uplighting.
1. Space Lights About 10 Feet Apart.
This one is pretty basic. Take the length and width of the room you are lighting and figure out the size of the perimeter. For example: if the room is 40' long and 25' wide the perimeter of the room is 130' (40' X 2) + (25' X 2) = 130'. Now, divide that number by 10 and you'll get the number of lights you should use, 13 (as a minimum).
2. Use the Architecture.
Try putting your lights on columns, in corners, and near other naturally interesting facets of the room instead of lighting the middle of a plain-looking wall. Don't put lights in front of a window, thats a no-no. Windows are clear and do not reflect light. Also, avoid horizontal features like chair rails, mantles, etc... as they block the light as it travels upward.
3. Pick Bold Colors
LEDs, which comprise about 99.9% of uplights these days are great at making a lot of saturated color and are even good at replicating some light pastels. However, don't count on them to accurately re-create your specific shade of teal-blue. Part of this is because of how the fixtures use colored light to create the end effect. Another reason this is difficult is because it's difficult to program custom colors with many LEDs. If you aren't hiring your vendor to come set up your lights, you may be stuck trying to decode the menu on the back of the light, or fighting with finicky remote control.
Stick to big bold colors and don't fret about getting the perfect color. If you do really need perfect color, make sure to let your vendor know so they can plan accordingly. They can come out and hook up a controller (ideally a wireless solution) and program a specific color.
4. Pick Multiple Colors
I see a lot of events where all the colored lighting is exactly the same shade of blue. Don't get me wrong, I love blue, I do, but it's not to only color in existence. Try and use at least 2 colors around the rooms to add some depth to your design. Chances are, the event design has a color palette of some sort (corporate colors or some other pre-thought out design). Let the lighting reflect the design. You can choose to alternate lights (red - white - red - white = candy cane etc..) or choose each wall to be a certain color.
It's worth mentioning that green is a bad color. It makes skin look sick, so unless your holiday party is zombie themed, stay away from the green if you can. If you can't, just go easy on it.
5. Don't Over Pay.
This is a hard one because you almost always get what you pay for in the event industry. However, uplighting is one of those items of which most companies will have a vast inventory. Because they have inventory and lighting is a popular selling point, most companies will be willing to wheel and deal on their uplighting. A standard uplight can range anywhere from $10-$30 depending on quality. Try and find a provider that will help you if you have an issue while setting up. Better yet, hire them to set your lighting up for you!
Try AVEX and get 50% of all uplights in December!
In the spirit of the season, AVEX is offering a 50% off sale on all uplight rentals in the month of December! All you have to do is mention this post and we'll hook you up!
We do more than uplighting! Check out our gallery to see all of the cool Audio, Video, and Lighting effects we have created for our customers throughout this year.