Outdoor Wedding Lighting Ideas

How to Light an Outdoor Wedding in Style

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Tips

What Are Wedding Lights?

Wedding lights are simply lights used to create a special ambiance and atmosphere on your special day. Preparing for your big day not only includes selecting the venue and sending wedding invitation to the guests. You’re also going to need lights for decorating your wedding to make it truly memorable and magical. Wedding lights not only help set the atmosphere, they also provide light at night and create a magical experience for your guests. Ambiance is key when it comes to setting up lights for a wedding, and that’s why we’re here to help you make the perfect choice for your wedding day.

Tips For Your Outdoor Wedding Lights

Match Your Lights To Your Venue

A wedding might be at the local church or the beach depending on the couple. If your venue is outdoors, make sure your lights provide enough visibility for your guests and that they are fully charged (if they are solar). For weddings that would be held in a church, candles in glass holders would be the perfect lighting decoration to use. On the other hand, outdoor weddings are more suited for heavy string lights with industrial bulbs. Always make sure your lights won’t clash with your overall wedding theme to ensure a beautiful experience.

How To Light An Outdoor Wedding

Excellent lighting should not only be found on decorations such as your tables or centerpieces. Hanging lights for your wedding reception should also be intertwined into your decor as they will be part of the backdrop of all your photos. 

Hanging lights for an outdoor wedding is relatively simple and only a few materials are needed. Make sure that you keep a consistent count of bulbs between each post for a uniform look.

How To Hang Outdoor Wedding Lights

Figuring out how to do outdoor lighting for a wedding is somewhat of a nightmare, but trial and error of others has made it easy for you! 

Start by measuring out your perimeter and purchase the right amount of lights. Keep in mind that there are a few feet of empty line without light bulbs to attach different strings. The majority of string lights can handle a maximum of five strings connected to one another. Any more and you may blow a plug.

Purchase some 1″ metal tubing and cut the tubes into 3 foot pipes. Also purchase some 3/4″ metal tubing and cut the tubes into 10 foot pipes. Hammer the larger pipe into the ground and place the 3/4″ pipe into the 1″ pipe for support. Hook your lights onto the top of the pole and voila! You have a perimeter of beautiful string lights.

Wedding Lighting Types

Outdoor Solar Powered Lights

If you’re planning to have an outdoor wedding, it’s essential you purchase solar powered lights. The great thing about these lights is that you can fully charge them the day before your wedding to make sure you can dance the night away without running out of juice.

Battery Powered Lights

Battery powered lights are another great choice, but you will need to purchase batteries as well which could get expensive depending on how lit you want to get. Battery powered lights are somewhat of a last resort because the cost often does not outweigh the overall effect.

Outdoor String Lights

Normal string lights, often used around Christmas time, are a great alternative if you have access to electric plugs or extension cords. The benefit of these lights is that you know they won’t go out, unless there is a random power outage in your area.

Outdoor Wedding Lighting Ideas

String Lights Along The Aisle

This cute & cheap wedding lighting idea takes simple string lights and runs them along the aisle. Double up your lights for an extra bright walk to happily ever after. Perfect for a night-time or dusk wedding!

Big Bulb String Lit Borders

A cheap and effective way to not only separate areas that are not for foot traffic, but also provide a lit pathway! Stringing along some bigger-bulbed string lights keep a nicely lit perimeter for your guests to follow (and not cross!).

Industrial Table Lighting

Perfect for a rustic outdoor wedding, these industrial lights are sure to be a talking point during your dinner. String up as many as you like, but we think the more, the better!

Candles In A Jar

Save a ton of money by buying some simple candles and mason jars. You can place these along the wedding aisle, or string them up and tie rope around the top rim of the jar. This is a totally unique and interesting way to light your outdoor wedding, that is sure to catch the attention of your guests!

Outdoor Wedding Light FAQ

FAQs

WHAT IS UPLIGHTING FOR A WEDDING?

“Uplighting” means using your light placements to accentuate your wedding venue. This would include placing candles near centerpieces or photos, or placing flood lights against natural foliage and flowers.

HOW MANY FEET OF STRING LIGHTS DO I NEED?

To be on the safe side, we recommend at least 100-150 lights for each foot to two feet of tree when wrapping lights. When stringing lights along poles or banisters, use a tape measure of the total area, and plan to use at least an additional 6 feet on either side.

HOW MANY UPLIGHTS DO I NEED FOR MY WEDDING?

We recommend to have at least 10 sources of lighting when filling a room or area with 100 guests. After that, add about 10 lights per 50 people or square feet of the total wedding area.

WHAT COLOR IS WEDDING UPLIGHTING?

We recommend using white or soft-yellow lighting for uplights, and keeping darker tones like purple, blue, and red for the dancefloor!

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