Tag Archives: Bistro Lighting

Event & Wedding Lighting at the John Marshall Ballrooms

Lighting the John Marshall Ballrooms

The beautiful historic ballrooms at the Hotel John Marshall are a Richmond, Virginia institution. They make for a very lovely venue for wedding ceremonies & receptions, corporate parties, and other special occasions. With two stunning ballrooms, a pre-function lobby space, bridal suites, and a hip-looking lounge, there’s plenty of room to fit most events. The Hotel John Marshall provides plenty of space for any event and the authentic look of the historic building brings a next-level amount of class not found elsewhere in Richmond.

As a selection for a venue, you can’t get much better than the John Marshall. However, as is the case with almost all venues, the ambiance can be improved dramatically simply by adding a few lighting features. Check out the details of the most popular services below.

Uplighting

An especially popular technique to use in this space is uplighting. Using LED lighting, you are able to set the mood using the colors of your choosing. In addition, uplighting has the power to make a large room feel intimate. Beyond that, choosing your uplighting colors can be fun! Try out our powerful Color Picker tool and explore the many different possibilities uplighting can provide.

Custom Gobo

Custom gobos are also relevant in the world of wedding lighting. They are a fantastic way to make your event personalized and memorable. Frequently, a monogram gobo is projected on to the curtain on stage. This location is desirable as the gobo is centered and presented in a way the entire room can see it. Gobos can also be aimed on the dance floor or even in the lobby so guests may see it as they enter.

Pin Spotting

If you are planning on spending a great deal of money on beautiful centerpieces, you don’t want to have them washed out by keeping the work lights on full in the ballroom, and you definitely don’t want them to be overlooked if the lights are a little dimmer. With pin spots, you are able to keep the lights at romantic level while having your magnificent centerpieces pop out of the background and create an eye catching effect. Consequently, pin spotting will allow your guests to admire the centerpieces all night and have them stand out in photos for years to come.

Bistro Lighting

Bistro lighting has the potential to have the biggest “wow” factor. When done correctly (and safely), bistro lighting creates an unparalleled experience. Working with the large ceilings and beautiful chandeliers, bistro lighting hanging from the balconies in the John Marshall produces a very intimate feel. Many popular Pinterest posts also feature bistro lighting.

Draping

The large space provided by the Virginia and Marshall ballrooms can sometimes feel massive. Custom drape features be can added to the space to reduce the expanse or transform the space. Furthermore, drape for weddings are completely customizable and many colors are available. Drape can have bunches and gathers, door arches, complement existing pieces, or create pieces of their own.

You can visit the website for The Historic John Marshall Ballrooms here. See the pictures from this post and many more in our galleries here.

Bistro Lighting Styles for Weddings, Corporate Events & More

Bistro lighting is one of the most popular wedding lighting options, and The Lighting & Sound Co provides every style of bistro lighting you may need!

Also known as string lighting, festoon lighting, or cafe lighting, what we refer to as bistro lighting, is an individual strand with bare lightbulbs dangling down at even intervals. Bistro lights provide a classic, timeless look with a warm glow. The lights are often hung over a reception area, but can also go over a dance floor, patio, or entrance area. Typically, our technicians will install multiple strings of bistro at an event site, arranged in a particular pattern.

One of the best features of bistro lighting is that it can be used nearly anywhere. We commonly install bistro light strings in tents, but have hung them in barns, over open fields and courtyards, in hotel ballrooms, on top of swimming pools, and around food courts and skating rinks. It also neatly complements other types of lighting including uplighting and chandeliers.

Styles of Bistro Lighting

Following are several styles of lighting installations. This is by no means an exhaustive list but includes our most commonly-provided services:

Tracing Bistro

Typically installed in a frame tent or other space with exposed rafters, this style follows the roof supports. This style uses simple bistro which, while not as bright as classic bistro, offers a great look when used for tracing, and is great for shorter tents.

Tracing bistro lighting on a tent for a wedding at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.

Fanning (or festooning) Bistro

Often used outside, all of the strands of lights fan out from one point, on a building or other support structure.

Festooning Bistro Lighting for an Event at Tredegar Ironworks in Richmond, VA.

Traditional (or Zig-zag) Bistro

Our most common service which provides a classic glow in any space, be it a ballroom, tent, or open field. If there is no place to hang the bistro from, we will bring appropriate support structures that don’t distract from your event.

Gathered Bistro

Commonly used to gather all the strands together over a key spot like a dance floor.

Gatherered Bistro Lighting for an outdoor event.

Parallel Bistro

Effective where there are balconies, buildings, or roof structures that create a long rectangular area.

Bistro lighting paper lanterns dance floor

Parallel bistro lighting with paper lanterns over a dance floor.

Crossing Bistro

An excellent style for tents, because some tents are shorter than others. A stylish way of hanging bistro lighting, great for frame tents and long but thin indoor or outdoor areas.

Crossing Bistro Lighting with chandeliers at a networking event for Richmond Weddings.

Bistro Arch

Also good for shorter tents, but works in any tent; bistro strings follow the angles of the roof to leave plenty of headroom for guest.

Bistro Arch inside a tent for an event at Tredegar Ironworks.

7 Things You Need To Know About Wedding Lighting

Looking for wedding lighting? Lighting up your special day? Here are some things about wedding lighting you should know:
Wedding entertainment is an extremely competitive business. Many couples are shopping around looking for the most affordable solution, while wedding vendors are providing crossover services that they are often unqualified to perform correctly. Uplighting is a fairly new addition in lighting weddings, but since early 2000, it’s been one of the fastest growing services offered by production companies.

Uplighting has been becoming increasingly popular since 2006. Graph courtesy of Google Trends.

With LED technology becoming more affordable and more widely available, companies are able to offer lighting services which greatly improve the overall look of a wedding or reception. We compiled this list to help brides and grooms avoid common mistakes, and become more aware of what is available to take their weddings to the next level. This list is in no particular order.

1. What the heck is a gobo?

A gobo is a template — made of glass or steel — that is inserted into a lighting fixture to obtain a projected image. Steel gobos are typically more cost effective, while glass gobos yield a higher quality image. Some common applications of gobos include:

Monogram names of bride and groom projected on dancefloor at wedding

Sponsor company logos projected at event

Logo/Brand projected in retail shop / gallery

Logo projected at entrance of hotel / restaurant

Pattern gobos used on walls, floor, ceiling to create textured look (as pictured above)

Today, a monogram gobo at a wedding is practically required, and is usually most recommended by photographers, who love having shots of the bride and groom with the monogram in the back.

2. Be careful using businesses that offer wedding lighting as a secondary service.

Many mobile DJs and tenting companies also offer services such as uplighting, but it’s usually best to avoid such companies for lighting services. You wouldn’t want your DJ bringing in your catering, and in much the same way, you probably don’t want them doing your lighting either. While a tenting company may be able to offer you a great price on LED uplights that they purchased at Guitar Center, professional lighting companies are more likely to have the best, most powerful, (and most reliable) equipment on the market. Professional wedding lighting companies will also have a lot more knowledge about lighting, color theory, power consumption, and are going to be able to do far more than just uplighting.

3. Wired vs. Wireless LEDs and how they impact your wedding lighting.

We often find that brides and grooms are misled by companies into thinking wireless solutions are the only way to go. Be wary of companies that claim to only use battery powered LEDs and use phrases such as “no messy wires.” The truth is, any professional production company should be able to offer both solutions. Many times, wireless LEDs are required for areas that it’s impossible to get power to, but wireless LEDs run on batteries with lives of 4 – 8 hours, and this number decreases over time as the battery wears out. Wired LEDs are far more powerful, i.e. all of the ambient lights don’t have to be off in order to see the beam and color. Wireless LEDs are great time-savers, and can be extremely useful, but good lighting companies know how to hide all wires out of sight anyway, so make sure you go wireless for the right reasons!

John Marshall Ballrooms Wedding Lighting

When it comes to lighting, there are thousands of magical possibilities for you to choose from.

4. Wash vs. Beam: What’s the difference?

If you’ve been in the market for wedding lighting for a bit, you might have heard these terms tossed around. The difference is pretty simple: a beam light will be more like a straight column of light, while a wash will have more spread. The important thing to note is that LED lights come in all shapes and sizes, and the thing that distinguishes the width of the beam is the beam angle on each particular fixture. There is no rule as to what looks best, but you should be asking your vendor questions about the options they have available for you.

Make sure that you have options to choose from, and don’t corner yourself into using a look that you’re not in love with.

Bistro lighting can add a beautiful classic look.

5. Is Bistro Lighting for bistros?

Also known as festoon lighting, bistro lighting is strings of evenly spaced miniature light bulbs. Bistro has become incredibly popular as wedding lighting, and is great in conjunction with uplighting; with both, there is a nice color wash, but also a classy incandescent ambient look. The important thing to know about bistro lights is that they can be a safety hazard if installed by the wrong company. Make sure your lighting vendor is using properly rigged aircraft cable (very strong, thin, cable) for runs over 20 feet. Anything more than a 20 foot run begins to get very heavy, and all of the weight is held up by the thin electrical cable that is powering the lights. The last thing you want on your special day is string lights falling onto your guests from improperly rigged lighting.

If it looks unsafe, it probably is, and safety should always be the primary concern.

6. Waterproof Lighting

If you’re expecting to have lighting outside, don’t hire any company that can’t provide you with waterproof lighting. The technical term for equipment rated for outdoor use is “IP 65.” Nobody wants it to rain on their wedding day, but sometimes, bad weather cannot be avoided. Make sure your event isn’t left in the dark while your lighting vendor scrambles to collect all their equipment to avoid damage.

IP65 LEDs are rugged, sealed, and can stand up to most any type of weather. Photo courtesy of Chauvet.

7. RGB vs. RGBW (got hue?)

We’ve been throwing a lot of acronyms around, but this is one that you may be familiar with. RGB stands for Red, Green and Blue. LEDs use these three colors of light in order to mix to millions of different colors. Until recently, we were limited to using Red, Green, and Blue, but with newer technology comes more versatility. RGB LEDs work fine to mix to many colors, but doesn’t have a lot of control over hue.

Achievable color spectrum with RGB LEDs.

The addition of white LEDs gives far more color control, and makes achieving brilliant pastels a viable option. The white LEDs also help to bridge the spectrum gap between colors, making a far larger variety of colors possible.

White LEDs make a wider selection of color options possible.

That’s a brief primer on the world of wedding lighting. If you have any questions related to wedding lighting, feel free to give us a call! Ready to start planning lighting for your wedding? Click here to get started! The Lighting & Sound Company is located in Richmond, Virginia, and provides lighting support all over the east coast.