Why is Event Lighting so Important?
When you need to nail down a host of crucial details for an event, such as invitations, venue booking, DJs, and catering, it can be easy to let the decor details slide to the periphery. However, we’re here to shine the spotlight on the importance of decor and the role lighting plays.
Setting the Mood
Lighting has the ability to effectively define the mood of your event. In fact, we’d argue it is the most important element to consider when designing your event space. Lighting has a very large impact on our physiology and psyche, drastically altering our emotions, energy, and mood.
Lighting Terminology
Knowing the terminology we use for lighting effects and equipment when designing your event will help you make great choices to completely transform the mood of your party!
LED Uplights: When placed along the length of walls, uplights create columns of light on your walls and give the illusion of higher ceilings and wider spaces. They can be programmed to almost any color you choose.
LED Tube Lights: Wireless baton-shaped LED tubes can be mounted just about anywhere to light up an environment or create an outline 3-D shapes.
Wall Washes: These give your walls or backdrops a linear uniform wash of light. This effect is best seen when you line many of these fixtures side by side and completely “wash” your wall with light.
Gobos: Short for “GOes Between Optics,” a gobo is a small pattern or image on a disc that can be placed in a lighting fixture to create a sharp projected pattern on backdrops, walls, and floors. Consider a texture like water, a theme pattern like snow flakes, or your event or company logo.
Moving “Intelligent” Lights: Your DJ may include these moving beams of light with their lighting package. They can be pre-programmed or be run by a lighting tech to create energy and drama.
String Lights: These are hung in the air space and create a warm glow for a more romantic atmosphere, often used for weddings.
Pin Spots: Narrow beams of light focused on specific areas or elements. We prefer magnetic over light poles when the venue permits.
Glow Balls These ridged shape illuminated balls can be used on tables, columns or even hung from the ceiling.
Lit Centerpieces: We offer many sizes and colors of these battery operated lights. They are most frequently placed beneath or inside of our centerpieces to add pops of illuminated color to any event.
Illuminated Furniture: These are either made of hard shell formed acrylic, sheets of transparent acrylic or by stretchy fabric over a surface or table and lit internally.
Illuminated Party Favors: DJ’s love to hand out light up favors to attract guests to the dance floor. In addition, consider light up drinkware, ice cubes and bracelets.
Creating Memories That Last a Lifetime
Our clients often share videos and photos from social media posts to show us the vibe they are looking for. There is so much great content out there to draw inspiration from! As your event designer we need to understand the role event lighting plays to achieve the look.
Many events dedicate an entire display for the sole purpose of selfies and creating social media content. In our experience, creative lighting choices can be the difference that can really make these videos, reels and photographs pop. As an example, which of these two decor designs sounds more memorable?
Accenting an entry with trendy balloons.
Accenting a space with a well lit backdrop using a wall wash, accented with neon balloons lit with black light pars. balloons.
Knowing the terminology we use when designing can help you make great choices to completely transform the mood of your party!
Plan Your Bar/ Bat Mitzvah Event with Innovative Party Planners
Innovative Party Planners is your resource for event design, planning and custom décor in the Baltimore Washington Metro area. To learn more about our event planning services and how we can help make your event one of a kind, contact us by clicking here or calling (410) 998-9999.