By Alan Dodson, the “Wedding Wizard”
Any mobile entertainer who is looking for a cost-effective and dramatic way to create an elegant mood for a wedding reception need look no further than LED uplighting.
As the manufacturing of LED lighting fixtures continues to evolve, more and more options are now available to us for creating truly unforgettable room décor.
Far too many DJs just put lights in a room without thought to what is required to create the proper effect. The two biggest mistakes are not enough lighting to properly do the job, and failing to do a room design for the lighting.
It’s Time to Step Up
If you intend to be a consummate professional wedding DJ/Entertainer, you must be more knowledgeable than ever before, in every aspect of wedding trends, decor, colors and designs.
So, if you want to remain competitive and provide comprehensive services to your clients, it is time to step up, learn properly and execute flawlessly in every aspect of your business.
Some lighting can be quite simple, like a projected monogram on a wall or dance floor Perhaps some pin spotting on the cake or highlighting the sweetheart table. Very little knowledge is required to do these simple, plug and play, lighting effects.
However, when it comes to creating a total room decor utilizing a combination of effects lighting, uplighting, lasers, moving heads, and others, lighting design knowledge and experience is a requirement.
Keep Other Professionals in the Loop
Lighting is also something that MUST be discussed with anyone who will be providing any kind of decorations for the event, this will include the florist, linens provider, rental companies, wedding planner/coordinator, family members, venue manager/staff, and of course the couple. However, always discuss the final design and colors with the photographer and videographer.
Keep in mind that some of the current trends in decor include paper lanterns, hanging bead walls, lighting boxes, overhead drapes, glass spheres and many other items that can influence placement of lighting, reflections, shadows, or possibly completely block some elements.
Learning About Lighting
You can watch useful tutorials at DJvideoNetwork.com, however I also highly recommend attending one or more of the comprehensive workshops offered at trade shows to learn how to be a lighting specialist. ProMobileDJ.com’s own “Sound & Lighting Guru,” Ben Stowe frequently offers them and his company, NLFX Professional sells all the gear you could want.
My advice? Do lighting right, or don’t do it at all!
