THEATRE LIGHTING STAGE HANDS: How do I light my wedding with reception?

Question

I found another yahoo answers post that said that I could use par can lights with gels to up-light a wedding reception, but I'm wondering if that will make the uplight look like seen here: http://www.djcraig.net/uplighting.html

Also, how would I accomplish pin spot lighting like this:

http://sugarsweetevents.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/01/25/sarahtom5.jpg

With the same lights? I'm completely not a lighting person and have no experience, but I have the perfect site that craves lighting, and I can't afford to hire a company to do it. And it seems kinda simple once I figure out what I need. Let me know if this is over my head.

Answer 1

No offense at all, but pretty theatrical for a reception. I do have to wonder however, Where in a general sense the reception is being held, and if or not any hall/venue would totally approve?

   The uplighting just looks like Pars upside down, and the wee spots on the floor, could be accomplished with some kind of string or chase lights. Beyond that, the minis should not be spots or floods, but more like vanity lights,,, BUT,,,

   In any case there may be liability issues to deal with. For one thing the connectors for usual theater pars are not your standard toaster cord with a three prong plug. They also get HOT, and for use on a floor, I'd want to NOT have them near drapes or people.

   I might be more inclined to use some kind of regular 110 can, with mini spots.

   I'd still have to ask the venue at the very least, for approval, even a VFW hall. The effect also depends largely on other lighting being OFF or dim at least. That might work for any after meal time alotted, but even then to keep the rest of the room dark, for a theatrical effect, and have someone stumble over a floor, uplight, could be problematic, AND finally we have no image of YOUR reception location.

   Certainly the images you offer are very nicely staged, and likely very well monitored by someone at some level of staff and experience. I'd probably investigate the possibilities in securing permission, finding the proper lighting as can be powered, and in any budget manner, this won't be as expensive as hiring a company, but it won't be a bargain either.

Added thought. Actually it would behoove a lighting company or wedding reception company, or an inventive novice to MAKE a tripod leg appliance with a can faced UP, and use Mini Floods, and @ 110 V.

Answer 2

As seen in the 1st picture those are Black Par 64 Cans most likely with a narrow or medium lens. These cans run 1000w or 500w. They are not to expensive to rent, as I do not know your budget. You could get away with Par 46 which are smaller but for the application your would be using them for is perfect. If you have a larger budget you can go with LED units. They are low powered and can make any color you want. (This is helpful with picky brides). http://www.mylpr.com/images/ParLiteLed.j... That is the LED par. Again these units are rentable. I recommend a rental company called 4Wall Entertainment.They have 3 shops across the country. Everytime I have rented from there they were very helpful and were able to work with my budget.

As for the second picture, I would recommend a Source 4 Par with a VNSP Lens (Very narrow) Depending how far the throw is.

Feel free to email me with questions  [e-mail]   If you could send some pictures of the hall I could give you a better answer/recommendation as to what you could use to your advantage.

Answer 3

If you use par cans then yes, it will look like those first pictures.  The second picture "pin spot" lighting I suspect is done with a light called a fresnel, which is a soft-edged beam that can be made bigger or smaller - much more control than a parcan which is always the same size and can only be made bigger or smaller by moving it closer to or further away from the object which is being lit.  

The issues with doing it yourself, as I see it, are these:

- Power in the venue.  Theatrical lanterns use a lot more power than your average household lightbulb, and the venue may not be able to supply this.  If you want to be able to control the brightness of the lamps (and you are going to want to do this, often full power is much too bright) then you will have to install dimmers which need a particular power socket - plus you'll need a control desk as well.

- Rigging.  Theatrical lanterns are heavy (well, except par cans!), and need to be hung off something that can support their weight; the venue may have this, but it may not - and also they have to be rigged correctly otherwise you're endangering your guests.

- Lanterns on the floor are generally fine (I uplight drapes all the time!) but you do have to be careful with the heat problem - a par can kicks out a lot of heat and if they're near people it can be problematic, and if you're going to have kids at the wedding reception there is always a danger of one of them getting burnt.

- Someone else mentioned LED par cans - they work very well in this kind of situation (and get rid of the heat problem, and the power problem as they don't use much power at all) but if you don't know anything about them then you may have issues setting them up correctly, plus you'll need some sort of control system to make them work anyway.  

It may seem simple, but there's more to it than you think - and if you're hiring lights, it probably won't cost you that much more to get the company to install it.  My suggestion is to ring around hire companies, explain to them what your budget is, the sort of effect you are after and then ask them what they can provide for the money you have.  I regularly work with lighting hire companies who do this; they have the expertise to make something look good no matter what your budget is - and it's one less thing for you to worry about on your big day anyway.  They'll be helpful and knowledgeable and will know how to make it look amazing.  Ring around, get some quotes and see what can be done with your budget, you may well be pleasantly surprised.