The most common question we get asked by couples considering a dry hire wedding is ‘how do we turn the space from an industrial style unit into a stunning wedding venue?’ Clearly London’s warehouse and arch spaces were not designed with weddings in mind but have become popular amongst urban couples who want to embrace the city look. There is no sense in spending a fortune on a beautiful bare brick arch or historic warehouse to then dress the interior to feel like a marquee. Without putting too fine a point on it, if this is your vibe then your best bet is to book a marquee. But for couples who love the industrial feel - shabby chic, rustic romance, the loft-look - the answer is always to enhance your venue, pick out its beauty, work with the space not against it. The way to do this is through careful lighting.
(All photographs in this piece are from real weddings produced by The Wedding Arrangers - we designed, produced and managed all of these lighting set ups)
How to light your warehouse wedding
At The Wedding Arrangers we pride ourselves on lighting London’s blank canvas venues beautifully. As wedding planners we feel that getting the lighting right sets the perfect mood - and that needs to change and adapt throughout your event. Your ceremony may need a little brightness whilst your dinner will need to feel that bit more comfortable and romantic. As we transition into the evening we’ll want to achieve different feels for dancing and maybe chill out or lounge areas. You may have a one room venue where you’d like a full nightclub light show for your dancing but twinkly fairy lights for your ceremony. Your wedding planner will need a clear plan of how to manage the transition through the different parts of your day.
Photo courtesy of Graham Joy Photo
What lighting options are there for blank canvas venues?
Unless you work in event production you are unlikely to know all the terms for the lighting options available to you. To help out we’ve compiled a list of the lights we are asked for most often.
Festoon lighting - strings of bare bulbs, often hung across or in line with tables in a seating area. You’ll need the festoons to be dimmable and be clear on whether you want warm white or ice white bulbs.
Uplighters - usually set against walls or pillars to highlight architecture and brickwork and add a colour wash. They can also be used in amongst trees or foliage or to highlight areas outdoors. Uplighters can be dimmed and set to colour changes to alter the mood of your event.
Fairy lights - carefully placed strings of fairies can enhance trees, foliage, stairways, iron work and other architectural features
Pea curtains - effectively a thick curtain of fairy lights. These can be difficult (expensive) to dim provide a stunning backdrop to a ceremony or a top table
Drop bulbs - bare Edison style bulbs on different length flex arranged over an area such as the dining tables. Ensure yours are dimmable and that your planner is keeping an eye on the brightness.
Candles & tealights - not all London dry hire venues allow bare flames. Those that do usually require that the candle is housed in a sturdy glass container at least 3cm higher than the flame. For those that do not allow candles consider battery operated faux options.
Mirror balls - Got to have a mirror ball for the dancing, right? Think about the kind of spotlights you’ll use on this - if we can add colour to the spots there’ll be more options for fun effects. Also consider how these are controlled - some people find the constant spinning effect too much if it is on all night. For a full Studio 54 vibe consider multiple balls hung in clusters.
Moving heads and scans - effects lighting to add excitement to your dancefloor. Your DJ or band may supply some basics but if you want control of your over all look this is something you should talk through with your planner.
Haze - OK, not a light as such, but adding a small amount of haze (a kind of modern smoke effect) really picks out the rays of light and adds atmosphere to a dancefloor
Gobos - a kind of light stencil. You can use these to project logos or even just shapes or texture in a room.
Strobes, sun lamps & other club lights - if you want to go full Ibiza for your dancing consider these club effects. They should be used sparingly - when the music hits a crescendo for instance - but can really wow the crowd.
Neons - Neon lighting is a quick and easy way to add fun to a bar space. Hire retro signs that can be easily hung and plugged in or even have a unique sign built for your party
Wedding photography and lighting
It seems obvious to point out, but when your wedding planner is designing the lighting set up ensure that they are liaising with your wedding photographer to ensure that the light is suitable for capturing the day. There may need to be a small adjustment ahead of speeches or a well lit area for group shots. Some photographers hate coloured uplighters or haze, again, your planner should be aware of when to use the effects to minimise disruption to the photographs.
Photo courtesy of Katherine Needles Photography
How much does it cost to light a wedding?
Most dry hire venues will require at least some lighting to be brought in especially for your event. If your venue only allows access on the day, we’ll need our production crew to arrive first for set up (we can’t lay out tables until the festoons are up) and then, at the end of the night, they are in last for de-rig. The size of the crew will depend on the size of the job and the time restraints. Remember venues with multiple rooms will require different set ups. Talk to your planner in detail at the outset when budget planning about the kind of costs to expect. We typically see lighting set ups ranging from around £1000 + VAT upwards and often the majority of the cost is in the manpower.
A phone photo from The Wedding Arrangers - our lighting crew hanging drop bulbs at Shoreditch Studios
Your wedding decor and entertainment budget
We find the best approach to light is to consider it as essential decor and an enhancement of entertainment. The impact of well thought through lighting will be so much more than small prop items. London’s warehouse wedding venues have a unique style and beauty that is only appreciated by careful light design. Talk to The Wedding Arrangers today about how to design your wedding lighting.
Food, music, booze
Lots of fun this week as The Wedding Arrangers team were found enjoying tapas and vermouth at Dalston’s Furanxo - a fabulous aperitivo bar that proved a life saver during lock down with their deliveries of hand carved jamon. A trip to Brighton also saw visits to Salt Room and The Flint House - both highly recommended if you’re visiting.
Musically we’ve been immersing ourselves in the amazing Spaven x Sandunes album, a wonderful combination of 21st century jazz and electronica. Hope you enjoy it.
Stay safe x
GALLERY PHOTO CREDITS - Eclection Photography, Nifty Photo, Lisa Jane Photography, Through The Woods We Ran, Blake Ezra, Amy Sanders, Alice the Camera