We’ve had many posts about lighting events, but there is one trend that seems to be more popular than others when it comes to lighting up your wedding ceremony and reception…uplights! Uplighting is by far our best selling add-on and we find that more and more brides are calling us specifically asking if we can provide uplighting for their Albuquerque wedding venues. So, we will detail why this trend so popular. And for those that don’t have a clue about uplights, we will show you why you want them and how they can bring a room to life.
What Are Uplights?
Uplights come in many sizes, shapes, and light output. In general, they are boxes with led diodes that emit light, usually with a wider spread so that they provide a soft ‘wash’ of light as opposed to a harsh direct beam. They can be round, box-like, and even strips of lights. And depending on the situation, each has their purpose. One of the great advantages of the current light technology is that most lighting for uplight purposes are now LED, which means they use less energy and can be just as bright (if not brighter) than the same type of lights used 5 or 10 years ago. I’m not going to get into the specifics of measuring output and throw around terms like ‘lux’ and ‘footcandles’. For the average person looking to ‘wash’ their venue walls with color, most uplighting will work fine. But, this is another one of those areas where paying more probably gets you better quality fixtures, brighter lights, and greater effect. Also, most LED uplights can be set to any color! And newer technology allows you to get pastels and color mixing with amber and pure white (as opposed to blending red, green and blue). Let’s take a look at some of the common types of uplights used by mobile djs:
Par-Type Fixtures: Can be used in trussing, against walls, lighting columns, etc.
Color Strip Fixtures: Are longer strips of light. Can be used to create unique lighting layouts on truss, can be used against walls for a greater spread of wash.
Banks Of Lights: Are groups of lights or diodes that can be controlled by pixel or in groups. I like to think of them as clusters of lights.
How Does Uplighting Enhance My Event?
We like to think of uplighting as a way to accent and enhance your room’s decor. You can definitely tell the difference between a room that does not have uplighting and a room that does. Here’s a few reasons you should consider uplighting your reception or ceremony area.
It gives your room color! Guests are usually in awe when they first enter a room that has color to their walls.
Your pictures look better. A great side effect to uplighting are the bursts of color that get incorporated in your pictures.
It saves energy. If your DJ is using LED uplights, you are actually using less energy than the old school halogen par cans.
You can have any color you want. LED lights utilize the RGB color mixing method and can pretty much create any color you want, matching your decor and color theme. You can even get pastels and amber colors with more expensive fixtures.
They can be set-up anywhere. With new wireless and battery powered technology, your DJ can now set up lights in areas they previously couldn’t due to power constraints. We setup lights against soft-walls without power, outside against tress and pillars, etc. There’s no area we can’t uplight.
Can be manually controlled, bringing your whole room to life. New technology allows for your DJ to control and program your uplights to be a part of their show. Check out the video below and see how this happens.
You can emphasize/highlight objects. Want to show off your wedding cake? No problem, use an uplight with a bust of color behind it. You get the idea.
Wow factor! Uplighting makes a statement. It can display elegance (as seen in the above wedding pictures), or it can also scream PARTY TIME! In this video, we uplight our trussing, use it on the audience, and uplight the walls behind us, all while syncing the light show with the music.
Uplighting can be used in an assortment of ways. We’ve had brides that like different patterns, colors, and effects associated with the uplighting in their rooms. It’s all really up to the imagination and how you vision the look and feel of your event space. Our larger base package offers a starter set of uplights because we think the look really adds a great touch to any space. By adding additional uplighting, you not only bring a room to life, but you leave that everlasting impression on your guests that can define your signature event.
Article written by Chris Romero of Cutmaster Music
Check out Chris’s Google+ profile.
