Getting Your Special Event Outdoor Lighting Just Right

Outdoor lighting can make or break your event. It’s the first thing people see when they arrive, and it’s what they remember most about your event. Lighting affects ambiance and makes a huge difference in how guests feel about their experience.

If you are planning a special event, consider the lighting. Even if some (or most) of the event will take place in indoor spaces, the outdoor lighting is important. It creates a first impression and sets the mood. Poor lighting can make even a wonderful venue look dingy and unsafe. Great outdoor lighting can get people relaxed and in a party mood as soon as they arrive. 

Special event outdoor lighting can be used in unique ways:

  • A glowing pathway to lead guests through the event.
  • A dramatic array of lights under a canopy.
  • Color-changing lights for the dance floor.
  • Soft and subtle lighting for a romantic feel.

To get the best results from your special event outdoor lighting, choose quality materials and use proper techniques. In the St. Louis area? We’re here to help with all outdoor venue lighting and special event outdoor lighting. 

Here are some things to consider with outdoor lighting for your special event:

Get in the mood

What type of mood do you want to create? Is it a high-energy party? A formal event or a casual party? Do you need to create a soft, romantic glow or a pulsing, colorful atmosphere? Think through the overall mood of the event, as well as the different activities and the timeline. 

Get fixtures in place

Figuring out where to put the lighting fixtures can be a bit of a puzzle. You want to avoid causing a glare on any windows or reflective surfaces. It’s also important to avoid creating dark spots or shadowy areas. It’s common to underestimate the amount of fixtures needed to properly light up an outdoor event space. Think about the spread (how much area is covered by the beam of light) when you consider where to place fixtures. 

Get into LEDs

LED lights are the choice for outdoor lighting. They’re more energy-efficient, last longer, and emit less heat than incandescent bulbs. Modern outdoor lighting fixtures will all use LEDs. Don’t settle for anything else. 

Many LEDs are adjustable; you can use a smartphone app to adjust the intensity and color of the bulbs. We absolutely love all the possibilities for a special event. Think about how you could program the LEDs for different parts of the event, to set the mood for each activity. You can either use a timer or manually adjust the LED programming when ready. 

Get some help

For special event outdoor lighting, there are some aspects that will go much better with professional help. Find a local outdoor lighting company with the experience and equipment to handle the bigger parts of the job: overall design, install of support poles and fixtures, wiring and connectors, and ensuring you have adequate power to handle the lighting. The last thing you’d want is to overload the transformer and have the lighting go out halfway through the event! 

Get creative with DIY

Getting professional help will set you up for success. You can relax knowing the big components are being handled, and you’re free to explore some creative fun and DIY lighting ideas. Whether it’s tiki torches, twinkle lights, paper lanterns, or jar lights, you can put together some affordable and beautiful DIY lighting touches that are perfect for your event. 

Lighting makes the atmosphere, and helps people feel comfortable and at home. Great outdoor lighting is an extra touch of magic that creates a memorable experience for your guests. Get in touch for events in the St. Louis area and find out how we can help! 

How to Make Outdoor Venue Lighting More Energy Efficient

What can you do to both reduce operating costs and improve the guest experience at the same time? We’re so glad you asked! The answer is to upgrade your outdoor venue lighting. Modern, energy-efficient lighting can be one of the most reasonable and cost-effective improvement strategies for outdoor venues.

Embrace the LEDs

Lightbulbs have come a long way. Incandescent bulbs are a thing of the past. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are the lighting type of choice for all commercial outdoor venue lighting. LEDs have incredibly long life spans, are energy efficient, and come in various color temperatures and shades. 

Get adjustable

Those “front of house” areas in outdoor venues often have quite a lot of range in lighting requirements. There are big factors, like seasonal changes and weather conditions. Then there are simple adjustments to make for the time of day (or night). And each event has its own particular mood, set in large part by the lighting. 

Make your venue’s lighting more energy efficient, and more customizable, by installing fixtures with adjustable LED bulbs. These can be set to the color temperature and brightness needed. You can choose color-changing LEDs, and pre-program them for different times, moods, and activities. For a venue manager, this is one of the easiest add-ons you can offer, and it has a huge impact on the guest experience for each event. 

Start with the big picture

Before you start throwing LEDs around, take a deep breath. Lighting isn’t about one fixture here and another fixture there, Old MacDonald style. Effective venue lighting requires a thoughtful design. Each fixture is part of a larger venue lighting system. The fixtures work together to make the venue look beautiful and create the mood needed for each event. 

We recommend starting with a little survey of the venue. Walk the premises at a few different times to notice the lighting and how it looks and feels. You may love how things look at dusk; a few hours later, the lighting might seem inadequate and those shadowy corners feel like they’re growing. 

Here are a few things to notice as you evaluate your venue:

  • Lighting in and around parking areas. Consider both security (bright lights as a deterrent to sketchy behavior) and safety (well-placed lights to help guests navigate and avoid obstacles).
  • Lighting that leads guests from parking to venue entrance. 
  • Uplighting around any venue structures and/or signage.
  • Kind, wattage, and quantity of existing lighting fixtures. 
  • Floor space to be lit, and range of lighting coverage needed. For example, if the venue has a flexible set-up and can be used for an intimate dinner party or a big dance floor, there’s a wide range of coverage, and lighting needs to be flexible and powerful. 
  • Current lighting levels and desired lighting levels. Where’s the gap? What’s in place now, and what’s missing? 
  • Outdoor features (architectural elements, landscaping, trees, water features) to enhance with exterior lighting.
  • Unused areas of the venue that could be converted and upgraded for activities with proper lighting.

Get a whole system design

Once you have a good site survey, you can start thinking about the outdoor venue lighting as a single system. A system includes the transformer, wiring and connectors, fixtures, and all the necessary mounting hardware and supports. 

One of the most important factors is the size of the transformer you’ll need. If you have a professional lighting design and know the entire load of the system, you’ll know what capacity you need in a transformer. Even if you’re not going to have the entire lighting system installed yet, you can still get the right size transformer — then, as you add more lighting elements, you won’t have issues. It’s more efficient to ensure you have the transformer you need from the beginning than to burn one out and have to replace it, or end up buying another one down the road. We’re the St. Louis outdoor lighting company you need to create a customized lighting design for your outdoor venue. Give us a call today and let’s talk about how to upgrade your venue with energy-efficient lighting.

Impress Guests With Good Venue Lighting Designs

venue lighting designs

Lighting is powerful. The right outdoor lighting can intimidate, or comfort. It can turn the energy up or bring in a subdued, calm feeling. Of course, lighting is practical too: guests at any event tend to value safety, security, and being able to see what’s on their plate. With the right venue lighting designs, you can create any ambiance needed for an event. Whether playful, romantic, subdued, or anything in between, here are a few of the best venue lighting designs to make sure your guests are impressed.

Venue Lighting Design Starts at the Entrance

Whether the venue entry is humble or magnificent, it needs good lighting. This is where guests get their first impression of every event. Good outdoor lighting helps to put guests at ease, show off the venue itself, and set the mood. 

Consider these types of lighting for a complete look at your venue’s entryway:

  1. Walkway lighting to guide guests toward the entrance.
  2. Spotlights that highlight nearby landscaping for visual interest. 
  3. Uplighting across the front of the building for a polished look. 
  4. Installed fixtures (wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted) around the doorway, columns, porch, etc. 

Light up those Temporary Structures 

Lighting temporary structures such as photo booths, arbors, and trellises give guests a chance for fantastic photos, videos, and memories of an event. The best effects usually come from a combination: consider spotlights, string lights, bistro lights, and color-changing lights. Permanently installed walkway lights ensure safety as guests move from one area to another. You can also use walkway lights to designate the perimeter of different areas and temporary structures. 

Illuminate the Dance Floor, Stage & Head Table

Key places for important people at any event merit thoughtful lighting. You want to make these areas stand out; they should be easily noticeable for all guests. What you don’t want to do is blind the people seated in those areas or any guests who venture near. The right brightness level and the right color temperature are both important. Think through where the lights should be placed, and what angles to use, as well. (Or let us do that for you.) The lighting fixtures we recommend and use are all high-quality and adjustable, so that the intensity and the spread of the light (the area it covers) can be customized perfectly.

Wow with Lighted Water Features

Water is mesmerizing, and when lighted with colorful, programmable lights it provides interest and contrast. Whether elaborate or simple, lighting a fountain or pond is an easy way to add a wow factor. 

If you want to keep it minimal and classy, opt for white lights on water features. Programmable colored lights can be set to coordinate with each event’s color palette. The lighting on water features can be programmed on a timer to start when the sun goes down. Guests will most definitely be taking photos in front of this centerpiece.

Hanging with Bistro Lights

Bistro lights are another fantastic way to bring ambient lighting to an outdoor venue. They can be strung across the corner of a patio, criss-crossed over a walkway, or used to delineate the edges of a particular area. With custom cut and installed mounting poles (that’s something we do), you can have bistro lights wherever you want them. They’re a timeless design, both comforting and classy, and work well for almost any type of event. 

When creating venue lighting designs, the primary consideration is a cohesive look. Fixtures that match the venue’s color scheme and decor, and are of good quality, add a lot to the look and feel of the venue. We love helping our clients develop a venue lighting design that fits their vision and budget. Get in touch today.