Uplighting is the most noticeable change you can make to a reception room, and most couples book it without ever being told how it actually works or when it stops helping. Lighting plays a huge role in the vibe and success of your wedding, and it is not one decision. It is two very different ones: how the room looks during cocktail hour and dinner, and how the dance floor looks once the party starts.
Here is how I think about both, after more than a decade of doing this around Wichita.
What Is Uplighting at a Wedding?
Uplighting is a set of small light fixtures placed on the floor around the perimeter of a room, aimed upward at the walls. The light washes up the wall surface and fills the room with color. That is the whole idea. The fixtures themselves are meant to disappear; what you notice is the room.
Modern uplights are LED, run cool, and are usually wireless, so they can go almost anywhere without cables crossing the floor. They can be set to essentially any color, and they can be changed during the evening. We offer uplighting at HiFi Productions, and it is one of the few things that transforms a plain hall into something that looks intentional.
Where Uplighting Goes, and How Much You Need
The short answer is: around the perimeter, and more than you would guess.
Uplighting works by covering wall surface. A handful of fixtures in a large room reads as a few bright spots rather than a wash of color, which is worse than none at all. The number depends on the size and shape of the room, how much of the wall is actually wall rather than window or door, and how saturated you want the color.
A few practical things worth knowing:
- Flat, light-colored walls take color best. Dark wood and brick absorb a lot of it.
- Rooms with lots of windows are harder, because glass gives the light nothing to hit.
- Architectural features, columns, beams, an arched ceiling, are where uplighting earns its money. Aim at those.
- Head table and cake table backdrops are worth a fixture or two on their own.
Choosing a Color
Most couples pick a color from their palette, which is usually right. A few things I would keep in mind.
Deep, saturated colors look dramatic in photos and read strongly in person. Soft ambers and warm whites are more forgiving and tend to flatter skin tones better, which matters during dinner when people are being photographed at tables.
Color does not have to stay fixed all evening. A warm amber during dinner and a deeper color once the dance floor opens is a common and effective choice. If you are unsure, that is a good default.
One caution: whatever color is on the walls will be in the background of every photograph taken that night. It is worth mentioning your plan to your photographer.
Lighting During the First Dance and Parent Dances
Usually here in Kansas and the surrounding areas, we do the first dance and parent dances after dinner and directly after toasts. For those dances I keep the lighting very simple. I might turn up the white lighting focused on the couple dancing, but absolutely no moving lights or shining crazy colors and putting spots on the couple.
I do not think a green colored party light hitting the bride’s dress will look real good in this heavily photographed moment. Plus, the song is most likely a slow song and does not call for that kind of energy. During those special dances, keep the lighting very simple.
Then the Dance Floor Opens, and Everything Changes
Immediately following the mother and son dance, or whatever concludes those special dances, we typically open up the dance floor. At that point it is best to dim the house lights considerably, or turn them off altogether.
You do want some lighting around the room so guests can see, but overall things should be darker, especially over the dance floor. If the wedding DJ is placed properly, the dance lighting will hit the floor correctly. Besides the DJ lighting, you really want that area to be as dark as possible.
People do not like to dance in well lit areas. That is close to a rule.
This is where uplighting and dance lighting can work against each other
Many times I have seen an outsourced ambiance lighting company hired that might hang light bulbs and a ton of extra lights directly over the dance floor. Although it may look amazing during cocktail hour, dinner, and your first dances, if this is a route you are considering, please be very open to turning those lights off during the dance party. They will only work against a party vibe and a full floor.
Uplighting around the perimeter is different, and generally fine to leave on. It is the light directly over the dance floor that causes the problem.
A Word on DJ Lighting
I will not get much into the specific type of DJ lighting being used, because trends change quickly. Overall, though, I typically do not like blinky lights, or lighting that throws tiny balls of light onto guests. That can look bad in pictures, projecting red spots on faces or on a bride’s white dress, and I think the look is dated.
A DJ having control over, and knowing how to use, lighting is important. Some DJs set their lighting to auto mode and leave it there all night. The energy of the lighting should match the energy of the music, and auto mode or sound mode does not do a great job of that. The same lighting patterns all night can also fatigue the eyes and wear off the appeal of getting out there.
Ask About Lighting When You Book Your Venue
When booking a venue it is a good idea to consider the lighting of the room. Are you looking at a barn in the country with a ton of natural light? Keep in mind that in the summer, that room might not get dark until 9:30.
Ask whether they have shades or any way to darken the room when the party starts. If you want a more club type of feel, look for a venue that does not have as many windows.
This is also worth raising alongside where the DJ will set up, because the two decisions affect each other more than people expect.
The Short Version
Use uplighting to make the room look like something during cocktail hour and dinner. Keep the special dances simple and well lit in white. Then get the room dark for the dance floor, and hire a DJ who can control classy lighting rather than leaving it on auto. That combination will do more for your photographs and your dance floor than almost anything else you can spend on. It pairs directly with how long you leave the dance floor open.
Planning Your Wedding Lighting?
I have been DJing weddings across the Wichita area since 2012, and we offer uplighting alongside DJ and MC services. If you would like to talk through what your room needs, check availability and I will get back to you personally. You can also learn more about wedding DJ services from HiFi Productions.