How far in advance should I book wedding lighting?

For peak season (September to November and March to May) book 6 to 12 months ahead, especially for popular Byron Bay and Gold Coast dates. Off-peak weddings can often be quoted and booked within a few weeks. Either way, we return quotes within 24 hours so you'll know quickly whether your date is available.

Does the lighting hire include installation and packdown?

Yes — every Lume Hire wedding package includes delivery, professional installation and packdown. We install before you arrive and pack down after the event, usually the next morning, so no one in your bridal party touches a ladder.

What happens if it rains on our wedding day?

Our gear keeps running. All our fixtures and festoon are IP64 waterproof and every item is tested and tagged, so rain doesn't stop the lighting. We also design installs with weather in mind — proper cable management, protected connections and rated rigging that handles coastal wind.

Can you light a private property or paddock with no power?

Usually, yes. We regularly light hinterland properties around Byron Bay, Ballina and the Tweed with generator power or by carefully managing the property's existing circuits. Tell us the site details when you enquire and we'll plan power as part of the design.

How much does wedding lighting cost?

Simple festoon packages start in the hundreds; layered looks with canopies, uplighting and feature pieces run into the low thousands. It depends on venue size, access and how many layers you want. Our guide on event lighting costs breaks down the pricing, or send us your venue and date for an exact quote within 24 hours.

Planning Guide

The complete wedding lighting guide

How to plan lighting for your ceremony, reception and dance floor — what works, what to budget for, and what to leave to professionals. Written by the crew that's installed wedding lighting across the Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Northern Rivers for 10+ years.

Start Here

Think in three scenes, not one look

The biggest mistake couples make is planning lighting as a single decision. Your wedding is actually three lighting scenes: the ceremony (usually daylight or golden hour, where lighting frames rather than illuminates), the reception dinner (warm, dimmable, flattering) and the dance floor (colour, energy, movement). Each scene wants different gear. A fairy-light canopy that looks magical over dinner does nothing for a ceremony at 3pm, and uplighting that fills a dance floor would feel harsh during speeches. Map your run sheet against sunset time for your date and venue — a Byron Bay hinterland reception in June goes dark by 5:30pm, while a January wedding in Surfers Paradise has light until nearly 8pm. Once you know when darkness lands, you know which scenes need real lighting and which just need styling.

Wedding styling with warm feature lighting in a boho setting

The Layers

Canopy, feature, wash — the three layers that build the look

Professional wedding lighting is built in layers. The canopy layer goes overhead: festoon strings or fairy-light canopies that give the whole space its glow — see our guide comparing festoon vs fairy lights for choosing between them. The feature layer draws the eye: marquee letters, chandeliers over the bridal table, pendants above the bar, and table centrepiece lighting. The wash layer is colour: LED uplighting on walls, trees or marquee peaks that ties everything into your palette. Most weddings look finished with two layers; three is when guests start asking who did your lighting. Everything in our hire range is IP64 waterproof and tested and tagged, which matters more than couples expect — coastal weddings from Kingscliff to Coolangatta get weather, and your lighting shouldn't care.

Layered festoon and feature lighting at a wedding reception

DIY vs Professional

What to DIY and what to hand over

Honest answer from people who do this for a living: candles, lanterns and battery table lights are great DIY territory. Anything overhead, powered or rigged is not. Overhead installs are working-at-heights jobs that need rated rigging and someone who understands load — a festoon run over a dance floor is holding weight above your guests' heads. Power is the other trap: venues and paddocks have limited circuits, and a tripped breaker mid-reception is a genuinely common DIY story. Professional hire also solves the logistics nobody thinks about: delivery, install before you arrive, and packdown after you leave, so nobody's uncle is pulling cables at midnight. Our wedding lighting service covers all of it in one quote, returned within 24 hours. Start the conversation at our contact page.

Professionally installed overhead wedding lighting at dusk

Frequently asked

: For peak season (September to November and March to May) book 6 to 12 months ahead, especially for popular Byron Bay and Gold Coast dates. Off-peak weddings can often be quoted and booked within a few weeks. Either way, we return quotes within 24 hours so you'll know quickly whether your date is available.
: Yes — every Lume Hire wedding package includes delivery, professional installation and packdown. We install before you arrive and pack down after the event, usually the next morning, so no one in your bridal party touches a ladder.
: Our gear keeps running. All our fixtures and festoon are IP64 waterproof and every item is tested and tagged, so rain doesn't stop the lighting. We also design installs with weather in mind — proper cable management, protected connections and rated rigging that handles coastal wind.
: Usually, yes. We regularly light hinterland properties around Byron Bay, Ballina and the Tweed with generator power or by carefully managing the property's existing circuits. Tell us the site details when you enquire and we'll plan power as part of the design.
: Simple festoon packages start in the hundreds; layered looks with canopies, uplighting and feature pieces run into the low thousands. It depends on venue size, access and how many layers you want. Our guide on event lighting costs breaks down the pricing, or send us your venue and date for an exact quote within 24 hours.

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