Bon Appetit!

Having catered food at an event is one of the most expensive & memorial aspects of the night, so it needs to be illuminated…with proper lighting. But there is an oxymoron here. Most of the time, you want to create an environment/ ambiance so the room is on the darker side; but no one likes to eat in the dark. If it is dark people won’t be able to see the amazing cuisine you paid big bucks for and therefore won’t eat it. But yet if the room is too light, people won’t dance and the overall look of the room won’t be as impactful. 

What we suggest… using spotlights, hanging the fixtures from the ceiling or truss to shine directly down on the food. Using colored lighting on food can make it more appeal and appetizing. Light colors like a soft pink or icy blue are great colors to really make the food “pop”. However, experts suggest staying away from heavy colors like red, yellow and green; such colors tend to make the food look dull and unappealing.

Ask Your Venue About Lighting

Lighting is a very important decor element for weddings and other events, especially if your wanting guests to interact with one-another. It is a proven fact that people are very self conscious about dancing and/or mingling with people they don't know. Lighting can help with this problem. By lowering the brightness of a room and adding LED  lighting to create a certain mood, can make guests feel more comfortable in the event space.

Make sure your venue doesn't have a policy about lighting brightness, some venues require their house lights to stay on 100% for liability reasons. If they require something like this, you might want to re-think booking that location. If your space is too bright, guests wont be as comfortable dancing and interacting with others.

But at the same time, you don't want complete darkness because that will make people just as uncomfortable. That's why LEDs are the perfect solution!

LED up lighting is the in thing right now and will be for a very long time. These lights are small, cost efficient and generate no heat. LEDs can be programmed to fit the color of your decor and give off ample amount of light, making a big impact. LEDs can change colors as the event progresses, creating appropriate moods at any given time.

Most venues don't supply their own LEDs, so hiring an outside vendor will  be necessary. Many DJs will offer lighting as a part of their service. While their service is offered at a cheaper price, we are advising people to steer-clear of getting their lighting through a DJ. Just like anything else, you get what you pay for. A lot of the time, their LEDs are not good quality and don't illuminate as bright or as sharp of a color. It is best to leave lighting up to lighting professionals.

A Large Venue Space is a Blank Canvas, Paint it with Lighting

After recently reading the Completely Unveiled blog about a wedding we lit in July, made us want to share some tips-and-tricks for those of you dealing with large reception sites. Katherine and Cam had their wedding reception in the conservatory at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts located in St. Petersburg, FL. When the bride & groom, along with their planner, Sandy Rule of Sandy Rule Events came to us, we looked at the space as a blank canvas. We used gobo designs which projected onto the large walls and incorporated the reception colors by using LED up-lighting. The lights changed as the evening progressed to accompany the desired mood.

The ceiling at St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts is such a wonderful architectural characteristic that we used lighting to highlight it and to also tie the whole area together. With such a large area like this, there is a chance that the space can feel “empty” and “distant”, even with all the décor accessories available. The lighting in this case created an intimate feel, bringing the guests “closer” to the bride & groom; as well as, tying all those beautiful décor pieces together, making one unforgettable and colorful reception.

The bride & groom also used one of our small custom décor frames as a great photo-op. Our frames are intricately carved out of Styrofoam and have a gold-leaf finish; making them lightweight and easy to suspend like the bride & groom did for this wedding.

So the next time you are dealing with a large event space, look at it as a blank canvas and paint it with lighting.

 

Credits:
Origional blog post: Completely Unveiled by Weddings Unveiled. Photography: Aaron Lockwood Photography. Wedding Planner: Sandy Rule Events. Paper Goods: Not From A Box. Venue : St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. Linens, Chairs and Florals: conceptBAIT.

Illuminating Light for our Future

Giving a complete sponsorship for the Calendar for a Cause Soiree that benefits the Children’s Cancer Center (CCC) of Tampa, is the least we can do for these brave children and their strong families. On the Evening of March 10, the Grand Ballroom at the Don CeSar Beach Resort will be all glitz & glam; enjoy great entertainment, food & drink and fabulous company, all to support these future leaders and their strong families. Works of art from CCC’s own patients will be auctioned off and 100% of the soiree’s proceeds will be donated to the Children’s Cancer Center.  This event is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend; tickets are $60/ person and can be purchased online.

Georgia Watson, owner and coordinator of Georgia Watson Events Inc. started the calendar idea; now developing it into a public charity cocktail event which launches the calendar while also raising money for the cause. Being a professional in the event industry can be stressful and very time consuming; however, Georgia Watson sets a great example that no matter how demanding your professional life may be, there is always time to give to those in need. We support her efforts, the CCC and all others who share the passion for this cause.