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Do I really need lighting at my wedding?
Do I really need lighting at my wedding?
Weddings are a very personal experience for many couples. The majority of couples that we meet have the same goal when it comes to their entertainment. Make my guests dance.
But in 2015, the role of wedding djs has evolved into more of an events production approach and that’s where lighting comes in to play.
If you’ve been to a wedding at The Riverview, Waterview, Aqua Turf, or Aria this year, you’ve probably seen uplighitng in the ballroom. Come to think of it, the majority of Connecticut Wedding Venues has installed uplighting as an option for couples to take advantage of and give the room a dash of color. Because these wedding venues have installed permanent uplighting, you can rest assured that the lighting that they have installed will compliment the room and enhance what is already there. Uplighting is a great option as you have many different color combinations available to create a vibrant environment.
But what about other types of lighting?
If you’ve ever been to a wedding where the room is very bright, you notice that it is more difficult to get people to let their guard down and head to the dance floor. Nobody wants to be the only one out there and especially in plain view of the other 150 guests attending the wedding. So, when the house lights are dimmed, it helps to lose those inhibitions and head to the floor to move, shake, and sing. But turning the lights down only goes so far.
Intelligent lighting is an enhancement that excites as much as it’s soothes. We’re not talking about the type of lighting that you’d see at a roller rink or bowling alley but more like a theater, concert, or nightclub. Computer controlled and motorized lights (moving heads) are the tool of choice for professional entertainment companies like Pryme Tyme Entertainment. With these very powerful lights, you can add new dimensions to your wedding. Imagine for a moment dancing in the center of the dance floor for your first dance as a soft white light follows you around the floor. It’s an intimate moment that can turn your first dance from ordinary to extraordinary. And with the same type of lighting, it can also be used to enhance an otherwise blank ceiling during dinner service by projecting patterns and colors. During dancing, these moving heads will dazzle your guests and create an exciting environment to help them to the dance floor.
Pinspotting has become a very popular option as of late. By focusing a beam of light on certain objects such as centerpieces, the wedding cake, or sweetheart table where the couple sits, it creates a tasteful contrast in the room. When uplighting is used on the walls, the middle of the room becomes dark and everything turns into a silhouette. Especially if cool colors like the very common blue and purple uplighting you see at nearly every wedding. Pinspotting centerpieces ensures that your investment in wedding decor doesn’t get missed out on and makes them stand out.
Image projection is another very dramatic effect. From a simple monogram of the couple’s names in lights being projected to a fully patterned wall, image projection gives a 3 dimensional look to a plain wall, ceiling, or floor. Stencils or “gobos” are used in front of the light source to project just about any pattern or stencil of your choosing.
Dry ice or “Dancing on a cloud” is an old favorite. Some of the great features to using this theatrical effect are a bride’s white dress that seems to stretch to the far reaches of the dance floor during a first dance and paired with intelligent lighting makes for a very beautiful and dramatic effect. The other benefit is that the fog stays low to the ground and will not set off smoke detectors in the venue and is non-toxic.
Atmospheric haze is the best way to enhance all of these lighting effects. When a light is refracted (and reflected) off of a small amount of haze, it creates a beam. If you’ve ever driven through a fog and have seen headlights, you’ll see the beam. Although haze makes for an incredible lighting display and is safe to use, many venues do not allow this effect unless a fire marshal is hired to supervise and ensure that the venue’s smoke alarm won’t falsely alert the fire department.
When it comes to weddings, lighting is a great enhancement that can help you create an exciting and beautiful environment.
Wedding Lighting – Dancing under the starsIntelligent LightingWedding floor plan: Where should I put my DJ?How to get the most out of visiting a bridal showCT Prom DJ
Getting the most out of your wedding dj
Getting the most out of your wedding dj – get on the floor whenever you can.
It’s no secret. Weddings can be an expensive endeavor. Most wedding receptions last 5 hours and when you’re trying to jam in cocktail hour, a formal dinner service for 180 of your closest family and friends, dance with your father, your groom dance with his mother, toss a bouquet, do a couple toasts, have a blessing before dinner etc… the time flashes by quicker than you might think. Your wedding dj is the keeper of the keys when it comes to your wedding timeline. They will guide you and your guests through the events of the day ensuring that everything is set to plan with the coordination efforts of your wedding team. But there are times where things take a little longer than expected or maybe dad is in the restroom right when it’s time for the father/daughter dance. It happens. But fear not, you can still get the most out of your wedding dj.
When you think of wedding djs, the mind thinks first of the dance floor. The goal of most couples is to get to the dance floor as soon as possible and have the maximum amount of dancing time to enjoy with their guests. Depending on the meals you choose, and the formalities that you add to your timeline, each thing plays a role and takes a certain amount of time which in some cases can take away from open dancing. So how do you get the energy up and keep it going to have a fun and memorable wedding reception and get the most out of your wedding dj?
There is no right or wrong time to dance. If you’ve ever heard your favorite song come on and it just compelled you to dance or at the very least, tap your foot to the rhythm, you know this is true. A great opportunity for dancing is the bridal party introductions. Your wedding dj will introduce your bridal party and then your grand entrance followed by your first dance. Now this is when the magic happens. Either towards the end of your first dance or shortly after, have your wedding dj invite everyone to the floor to join you and kick off the night with a high energy song to get everyone in the mood and set the tone for the rest of the reception.
Although it’s not customary to do this, it’s a great way to keep your guests wanting more. If you’ve been snacking on finger food for an hour, followed by a 4 course meal that could feed a small army paired with some spirits and wine, that’s a recipe for a food coma. But if you get them all on the floor from the start, it’ll get their blood pumping and get them excited for what is to come. Another great way to get more out of your day is to dance in between courses. Your dj might instruct everyone to stand up and push in their chairs and then head to the dancefloor for another short and powerful set. This does 2 things. It offers more dancing time but also is a great way to help the waitstaff clear tables in between courses without having to reach around guests and efficiently serve the next course.
Following this, once the newlyweds are done with their meal (because they will be the first to be served), this is a great opportunity for the cake cutting. By doing the cake cutting before parents dances, this allows the catering staff to cut and plate your cake to be served while your parents dances are happening and give your guests another focal point so that they won’t be waiting for the next event to take place. The goal is to always keep them moving. After that, it’s time to toss that bouquet, maybe do an anniversary dance to get your married couples out on the floor and then in to open dance until the end of your night.
Check out these articles!
http://Keeping the dance floor full – Story of a mind reader
No time to plan a wedding
Wedding floor plan: Where should I put my DJ?
Should I fire my wedding DJ?
Getting married made me a better wedding vendor.
https://prymetymeentertainment.net/weddings-the-wedding-timeline/
https://prymetymeentertainment.net/extending-your-wedding-celebration/
Wedding Throwbacks: Show your ‘O’ face at your wedding.
Wedding Throwbacks: Show your ‘o’ face at your wedding.
Wait. What?
Yes, you read that correctly. Showing your ‘O’ face at a wedding has a little different meaning than one might think. It’s the face you make when you hear a song that brings back a memory. Typically followed by the phrase, “THAT’S MY JAM!” Maybe it was a high school dance with friends or that song you and your girlfriends used to sing together in college using hair brushes and curling irons as microphones. What ever it is, it was a great time in your life.
What not a better way to commemorate those glory days with a guilty pleasure song. So what’s your guilty pleasure song?
In the 80’s it may have been Mony Mony.
If you were a 90’s kid, it was probably a boy band like New Kids on the Block or Backstreet boys.
Either way, the songs that you publicly shame and secretly love are a great way to get people up and moving. So the next time you are thumbing through your wedding playlist, add a guilty pleasure to the mix and watch your guests making the ‘O’ face. If they do, it’s their guilty pleasure song too.