What's actually included in a lighting design?

A full plan for how light changes across your night — arrival, ceremony or dinner, then the shift into dance-floor energy — mapped against your venue's layout and natural light. You get a visual plan and an itemised quote, not a vague concept.

Do I need to already know what products I want?

No — that's the point of designing first. We work from your venue, guest count and the feeling you want, then recommend the mix of festoon, uplighting, canopy or pinspot that actually delivers it. Most clients arrive with a Pinterest board, not a spec sheet, and that's fine.

Can you design around an existing venue lighting rig?

Yes — plenty of venues have house lighting we work with or around rather than replace. We'll tell you honestly where the house rig is enough and where it isn't.

How is this different from just hiring festoon or uplighting directly?

Hiring a single product gets you that product. Design gets you a plan for the whole night, so the ceremony backdrop, the dinner glow and the dance floor don't fight each other or feel like three separate purchases.

Event Design

A lighting plan built around your night, not a hire list

Ceremony, reception and the moment the dance floor opens — designed as one arc.

Why design first

Most lighting problems come from buying products before there's a plan

Festoon over here, uplighting over there, a few pinspots on the cake — bought separately, it usually looks like three separate purchases because it is one. Design starts from your venue and the shape of your evening instead: where the light needs to be warm and low for dinner, where it needs to lift for the first dance, and where the natural light from your ceremony slot changes what you actually need after dark. The product list comes out of that plan, not the other way around.

Boho-styled outdoor celebration under a full designed lighting scheme

The process

Venue, brief, plan, quote — in that order

We start with your venue's floor plan and your run sheet, then a short call about the feeling you're after — most people bring reference photos, not a spec. From there we put together a visual layout and an itemised quote covering everything from festoon to uplighting to projection, so you're approving one coherent design rather than assembling one yourself from a product catalogue.

The arc of the night

Light changes as your event does

Arrival light is bright and welcoming. Dinner drops warm and low. The dance floor lifts again once the first dance starts. That shift is programmed in advance, not improvised on a dimmer switch by whoever's closest — so your MC can call it and it just happens. See how this plays out in a full reception on our wedding lighting page, or for a corporate brief, our corporate event page.

How it works

Poolside corporate event set up with festoon lighting overhead

Get a quote

Tell us about your event and venue — we come back with options and a price within 24 hours.

Pre-visualisation render of an event lighting design

Design & plan

We spec the right gear for your space, with renders for bigger builds so you see it before the night.

Lume Hire crew installing lighting from a boom lift

Delivery & install

Our crew delivers, rigs and tests everything — you never touch a ladder.

Festoon-lit lagoon event in full swing at night

Enjoy & packdown

Enjoy the night. When it wraps, we come back and pack it all down.

Event design, answered straight

: A full plan for how light changes across your night — arrival, ceremony or dinner, then the shift into dance-floor energy — mapped against your venue's layout and natural light. You get a visual plan and an itemised quote, not a vague concept.
: No — that's the point of designing first. We work from your venue, guest count and the feeling you want, then recommend the mix of festoon, uplighting, canopy or pinspot that actually delivers it. Most clients arrive with a Pinterest board, not a spec sheet, and that's fine.
: Yes — plenty of venues have house lighting we work with or around rather than replace. We'll tell you honestly where the house rig is enough and where it isn't.
: Hiring a single product gets you that product. Design gets you a plan for the whole night, so the ceremony backdrop, the dinner glow and the dance floor don't fight each other or feel like three separate purchases.

Keep reading

Design, in depth

Event Lighting Design — full specs

The full design process, from brief to installed plan.

Event Lighting Design — Gold Coast

Design by the crew that knows Gold Coast venues.

Immersive Experiences

Spaces guests step into, not just look at.

Wedding Lighting

How design comes together for a full reception look.

Corporate Event Lighting

Design for brand activations, galas and product launches.