Austin WeddingDay Articles of Interest

Let the Light Shine

Specialty Lighting is the newest trend for 2009 weddings and special events. And we’re not talking about your standard rope or “Christmas” twinkle lights here, but rather computer-controlled ambient lighting, energetic dance floor lighting, and elegant, romantic architectural highlighting. Specialty lighting is custom designed to enhance all of the elements of your event and help you to fulfill your creative vision.

Bryan Azar, founder and head lighting designer of the Austin-based firm, ILIOS Lighting, says, “Lighting can make or break an event, it’s the one element that can bring all the other aspects of your décor together.

Good lighting design completes the look and theme. We can make a $50 floral arrangement look like a $500 with proper pin-spotting (a focused beam, like a mini-spotlight) or get your guests out of their chairs and onto the dance floor with dynamic, club-style lighting.”

“Your other vendors will love you for hiring a lighting designer: the photographer, the videographer, the band or DJ, the linens person, the florist…we highlight all of their work and then finish out the ballroom or tent with washes of color or projected patterns, bringing it all together. Lighting is something of an enigma - it creates the intangible, the emotions or the mood - and you may not have consciously realized that you’ve been affected by it, but if it’s not there or if it’s poorly done, you will notice it.” Indeed, who wants to spend a fortune on florals, a band, or décor, only to get to the venue and realize that you and your guests can’t even see them?

Knowing the basic types of lighting and some of the different fixtures will help you convey your vision to your lighting designer. Here are some helpful terms:

Conventional Lighting: static or “fixed” lighting that is put in place before an event and cannot be changed once in position.

Examples of these types of fixtures are:

• Par Can: something like a flood light, used for lighting a large area of floor or wall, can be colored by using a gel (a thin, colored sheet of plastic) but the color cannot be changed during event. Par Cans have a high light output, however they consume a large amount of electricity and can get VERY hot. They also tend to be a bit bulky and a bit of an eyesore if not properly disguised.
• Leko: used for projecting an image such as the bride and groom’s monogram or a special design like stars, swirls, or a tree. Images are cut into a steel disc or etched into a glass disc, called a Gobo. Gobos are inserted into the light fixture. (If you have your initials custom cut, be sure to ask your lighting designer for the gobo after your event, to use again or to have as a keepsake!)
• Pin-spots: basically, miniature spotlights used to highlight floral arrangements or a cake or food station. Even if you do no other lighting for your event, pin-spotting is essential for bringing out the beauty of floral arrangements or table décor!

Intelligent Lighting: automated or computer controlled lighting, that can be either pre-programmed or manipulated during an event. (i.e.: change color or images)

Some Intelligent Lighting fixtures are:

• L.E.D.s: A fixture that does not use light bulbs, but rather, light-emitting diodes that can create any color you wish. LEDs emit little to no heat and draw far less electricity than conventional fixtures, making them ideal for lighting ice sculptures, fabrics, or tight spaces with poor ventilation. Some LEDs are even submersible, meaning you could put them in a fountain or swimming pool and change the color of the water to match your décor!
• Movers: an overall term for motorized light fixtures than can swivel, tilt, and change their colors or internal gobos via a control console. Excellent for creating a dynamic backdrop for your band or accentuating the action on the dance floor, however these fixtures can be large and usually need to be hung from trussing. (Trussing is interlocking steel support beams that will need to be assembled by your lighting designer’s licensed rigging crew.)

Before calling a lighting designer, Bryan of ILIOS recommends knowing your overall theme and colors, lighting budget, floor plan with table placements and headcount, and how much power (electricity) will be available. The more information you can provide, the more you will help your ­lighting designer create an effective and efficient schematic plan. He also advises that putting each of your vendors in touch with each other, or hosting a vendors’ meeting, is invaluable for smooth planning. Other vendors will often have specific requests or requirements of the lighting designer and these needs must be discussed well in advance of the event.

As for the groom, lighting is often an area of the wedding planning that you can happily pass off to your hubby-to-be. In Bryan’s experience, it’s the guys who usually get interested in the lighting first, perhaps because of all the electronic gadgets and computer stuff. “I sometimes have a tendency to go off into “techie” talk when discussing lighting with a ­couple, and the guys can usually deal with that,” says Bryan.

“Sometimes I think they are actually relieved to discover something about wedding planning that isn’t all flowers and lacey fabrics!! It’s an aspect of the planning they can enjoy and it makes them feel useful!” So let your guy have some creative say in the process while helping you to take something big and important off your seemingly never-ending To Do List.

Now that you are familiar with the basics of specialty lighting, let your imagination run wild. A well-designed lighting plan is “the icing on the cake” that will take your special day from merely memorable to absolutely unforgettable. Whatever you and your groom can dream up, a good lighting designer will be able to make your ideas a happy reality.

To schedule an appointment with Bryan Azar of ILIOS Lighting, please call 512.440.7045 or email him at azar@ilioslighting.com, or visit their website at www.ilioslighting.com for more information and to view a portfolio of weddings and private events.