Worried... lighting

zigzagnomore

We are having our reception in a church gym... to make it less like a church gym I do not want the use the horrible floresent lights. So I plan on having lots of candles as well as christmas lights going around on the walls. I am just worried that it is not going to be enough. Does anyone have experiance with this? Any advice on what else I could use?I am just really worried and there is no way to know for sure since I can not really set it up before the wedding.

Jemmessica

We are also using a "gym" (recreation hall) for our reception that has those horrible lights.... I refuse to use them..... we are using candles and some christmas lights..... but i think what we're doing that will help is this...... I have been buying the 30" grapevine wreaths to hang from the rafters (horizontally) and they will be wrapped in christmas lights hanging over each table. My old boss there also advised me to rent those construction lights with the large clips on them, and clip them in the corners of the gym with the lights facing towards the roof.... he said it will cascade light beautifully. We were fortunate enough to attend a wedding there in may, so we got to see how they did it..... I will say they used minimal candles and lights and it was WAY TOO DARK! I have pictures from their recpetion if you'd like to see them! HTH!

sistergh

We have a similar situation - we're using a dining hall at a conference center/camp.  We're going to do LOTS of candles.  I'm also thinking of renting a few uplights.  I've talked to one company that will rent them out for around $10-$15 a piece.  You may also want to talk to your dj about it.  Mine says he has some lights he may be able to point in the direction of the buffet (which is my big concern - the candles on the table at my venue tend to be enough for eating and getting around, just not enough to see to serve food).  A lot of djs also do specialty lighting for a much lower price than what you'd get from a fancy lighting designer.  There are some small inexpensive spotlights you can buy from Saveoncrafts, but I've read that they're not very bright. 

alliegator8

Mirrors really help reflect light.  Example, put a couple candles on top of a mirror will help project the light up and out.Lighter colored fabrics also reflect light instead of absorbing it like darker colors do. This might seem weird, but if you have any floor lamps (espcially the ones that have the multiple heads that you can turn), use them.  Add softer bulbs and point them up to the ceiling in different directions.  You can decorate them to match and blend in.  Just remember to tape down the cable if they are not next to a wall.I do video work as part of my job.  It's amaizng the things you can come up with when you need to light something really bad

katherineUTC

Yeah, ditto PP, you can get some awesome floor lamps pretty cheap, like from Home Depot. I bought a very simple black and brass accented floor lamp there that cost $13 a few years ago and I LOVE it, I put it in my new living room and it works great.

lashoundra

hi! i am somewhat in the same boat!! i am having my reception in the church 'community center'/gym...and i too did not wont that 'gym feel'....i am actually considering renting framed tents that are lined with fabric! i checked with a local rental company and they told me that would be great!! p.s teh lighting actually comes with the tents..... i can email u a pic of the tent! :)so u might want to think about that!