Dance Floor Lighting for Weddings

By Mike Steffan, DJ & Creative Director - High Impact Entertainment

The days of incandescent par cans and messy wires are pretty much all gone, right? With the influx of LED lighting to the market for weddings and other events, there are some great options that are a breeze to set up and can pack a punch for events up to 200 people or so. Let’s lay out some options!

Granted, there will be clients who don’t want any lighting (always check!) but let’s just look at some simple and effective solutions that work with these examples.

Wash Light & Effect Lighting Combo

Chauvet 4Bar

Chauvet has some awesome fixtures that are essentially plug and play! The Chauvet 4Bar is wash lighting with 4 separate par cans that are either sound activated or can be DMX programmed. Don’t be afraid of DMX! (The rapper is chill too, OK bad joke!)

There are so many tutorials on everyone’s favorite free public libraries, aka Youtube and DJ Video Network. By watching videos you’ll have a basic understanding of how to begin programming in “DMX Mode.”

Wait, what’s this technical term called wash lighting? It’s simply a flood of color on a dance floor. This light is also easy to set up on a lighting stand with an O-clamp attached to it.

Chauvet 4Play

This light is a staple for my basic lightshow. It features 4 different cans that shoot LED circles and dots on the dance floor. It also comes with an option for black or clear cans which look super cool when in use! The sound active programs are solid and again if you have DMX knowledge you can program until your heart is content. Setup? Simple. Attach with an O-clamp on a lighting stand and you’re good to go.

Combo It Up

How much? Don’t we all love this question from clients? Anyway, depending on your favorite retailer, you’re looking at an investment of $800-1000 for both lights. It’s a solid investment because it really covers the basics of any light show (wash and effects) and can be set up in under 10 minutes for both lights. You’ll have a clean look with minimal cables.

Wash Light & Moving Head Combo

Chauvet Intimidator Spot Duo

This is a new product that incorporates their popular Intimidator moving heads into a light that’s easy to set up and use. What are moving heads? If you watch The Voice, American Idol, or any major production, those lights that move around robotically and change colors are good examples of what a moving head light is and what it’s capable of.

These mount the same way as the 4Bar and 4Play and have a sound active mode and are DMX programmable. To get the most out of this light, proficiency in DMX programming would be recommended. These can be used to spotlight a Grand Entrance or even the First Dance.

Combo It Up

These lights can be used in combination with the 4Bar or even the 4Play. The price point is a little higher at around $600. You’re getting a ton of options for your dollar with this fixture though!

All 3 of these lights can be used separately and work well. Putting a combination of them together is an option that’s budget friendly and easy to use that can help make your next event great!

If you have any questions or comments about lighting, please feel free to email me! [email protected]