Wedding Lighting Tips

From Lume Hire

A marquee is a blank canvas. That's both its superpower and its biggest challenge. Without light design, even the most beautiful tent becomes a shadowy, cavernous space where guests squint to see their food and faces look tired in photos. With intentional lighting, it becomes an intimate, glowing room that feels luxurious and romantic.

Start with ambient overhead light. This is non-negotiable. Festoon stringing is the standard choice: 40–80 metres of warm white bulbs hung in lines across the marquee, usually 1.5–2 metres below the peak to create visual interest. Spacing bulbs 1–1.5 metres apart gives you about one bulb per 1–2 square metres of floor space. For a 12x18m marquee (216 sq m), you'd typically use 50–70 metres of festoon. This light needs to be bright enough that guests can see their plate and each other's faces without strain.

Add wall uplighting for depth. Once you've got overhead festoon sorted, uplighting the inner walls (or outer marquee fabric if it's visible from inside) creates dimension and atmosphere. 6–10 uplights around the perimeter, all 2700K warm white, make a dramatic difference. The walls become a soft glow rather than dark voids, and the space feels intentionally designed rather than accidentally lit.

Create distinct zones with light. Most marquee receptions have a dining area, a dance floor, and perhaps a bar or lounge corner. Lighting each zone differently helps guests navigate and understand the space. The dance floor might be brightest and most energetic (40+ foot-candles); the dining areas medium brightness (25–30 foot-candles); the lounge or garden transition zone subtler (15–20 foot-candles). Use clustered festoon over dining tables and separate dance-floor rigs over the dance area so you can dim or brighten each independently.

Don't forget the entrance and pathways. The moment guests arrive is their first impression. Light the marquee entrance with a combination of uplighting and subtle festoon so they're not walking into darkness. If there's a garden path or outdoor transition to the marquee, fairy lights or low-level pathway lighting guide them safely and set the tone.

Consider your roof material. If it's a traditional white marquee with a peaked fabric roof, overhead festoon reflects beautifully off the white ceiling and fills the whole space evenly. If it's clear-roofed or wood-beam interior, you've got more flexibility but also more responsibility—you'll need to fill more space without that reflective ceiling to help. Dark marquees need more light sources because the fabric absorbs rather than reflects.

Power distribution and cabling. Plan this first. Marquees typically have generator power brought to a central point or the perimeter. Map out where all lights plug in and how cables run so nothing is a tripping hazard and everything has adequate reach. Most rigs require 2–3 separate power circuits depending on total wattage. Your lighting designer should coordinate with your marquee supplier on power locations.

Dimming capability is worth the investment. If your budget allows, add dimmer control to key areas. Being able to drop the light level as evening progresses, or increase it for toasts and decrease it for dancing, gives you flexibility that static brightness doesn't. Many modern LED systems are dimmable, so ask whether your hire includes this option.

Don't over-complicate it. A beautifully lit marquee doesn't need projection mapping, moving lights, or laser effects unless that's your style. Layered warm light—overhead festoon + side uplighting + accent lights on features like the cake or bar—creates an elegant, timeless atmosphere that photographs brilliantly and feels warm in person.

Lume Hire designs and rigs complete marquee lighting solutions, including power coordination with your marquee supplier, so everything is integrated and invisible on the day. You just show up and enjoy a beautifully lit room.