Whether you are planning a big wedding or having a small gathering at home, you need to know what marquee lighting to choose. How will you know which to choose, though, if you don’t know what is already available?
This blog post will highlight the different types of marquee lighting available to add to a glamorous event and white pealights for a warm yet magical aesthetic. We will also share tips on how each lighting option can be used in different areas of your marquee, as well as what things a couple need to consider during the planning process.
Planning Process
Before you jump into which lighting options are available, you should consider your budget. How much can you spend on wedding accessories such as lighting? Is it something you are willing to compromise on? Do you already have an idea about which lighting option you plan to have? Ask yourself these questions, so you have a clear idea of how much you can spend on lighting.
You should also take into account the theme of your wedding, and to some degree, how the lighting will look in pictures. You will be showing your wedding photos for years to come, so there is nothing wrong with wanting the lighting to look good.
Background Lighting
The right lighting can transform your marquee and create an elegant atmosphere, no matter where your wedding is being held. Background lighting combines functionality with beauty, as this lighting will illuminate your space while providing a stunning backdrop to your first dance, or reception.
Imagine spinning around on the dancefloor as background lighting illuminates your ceiling.
Pealights (also known as Fairy Lights)
Pealights can be incorporated into either a formal or informal wedding theme; you just need to know how to use them. White Horse Marquees certainly is an expert – we were one of the first marquee companies to experiment with them. We saw how beautiful they looked at Christmas when we were on a trip to Honfleur, France over 20 years ago. We normally string them across the ceiling of the marquee but we can also just do a canopy of pealights over the dance floor or wrap them around the central poles or hang them down behind the band.
Uplights
This is White Horse Marquees’ secret strength where lighting is concerned! We pride ourselves in our special warm background lighting. We use a dimmer with the uplights so you can regulate the brightness to suit the time of day/evening. We think a perfect combination is to have strings of pealights and uplights.
Bauble Lights
Another favourite with our couples is bauble lighting. It is very time-consuming to do this so it is a more expensive option but the effect is completely stunning. The little bauble lights have 8-hour candles inside and they look like lots of little magic bubbles floating in the marquee. You have the uplights as back-ground lighting when you choose this option.
Festoon Lights
Pave the way to your marquee by creating a pathway with festoon lighting suspended on our bespoke wrought iron shepherd’s crooks. A string of festoon lights can also be used to illuminate the roof of your marquee.
Battery-operated pealights
We often recommend the couple buy battery-operated pealights to thread through arrangements or through branches of trees for a magical effect. Make sure you buy the warm white lights – unless it is Christmas – as the bright white is too harsh a light. You can buy them very inexpensively on Amazon.
Filament Lighting
A relatively new idea is to suspend Edison filament lightbulbs of different sizes from our “rustic” ladders and this is very attractive and a fun centrepiece.
Mirror Ball with Spots
We mustn’t forget the mirror (glitter) ball. This can rotate or be programmed to be still and we fix two spotlights to shine at it which, if set at stationery, sends the most beautiful pattern spreading all over the roof of the marquee. It is quite stunning.
Candles
We are a great believer in using live candles either in candelabras on the tables or low tealights which we are happy for couples to use as long as they are put in containers to protect our tables. Live candles make the marquee ‘come alive’. We do however recommend a fire extinguisher is on-site with a couple of people responsible for using them in an emergency.
Chandeliers
We don’t often use chandeliers as we think they tend to have a rather harsh bright light. However, for some events, possibly not weddings, they are extremely useful and still popular.
If you are still wondering which lighting to choose, you can contact White Horse Marquees today, and we can help. Don’t ever underestimate how important lighting is. Lighting that is too bright or harsh can kill the atmosphere, and if it is too dark, you might not be able to see what you are eating.