{"id":1628,"date":"2014-06-15T18:36:33","date_gmt":"2014-06-16T00:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/?p=1628"},"modified":"2016-03-15T21:37:09","modified_gmt":"2016-03-16T03:37:09","slug":"tips-for-uplight-improvements-uplighting-houston-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/1628\/tips-for-uplight-improvements-uplighting-houston-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Uplight Improvements for Houston Events"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Bride<\/a>
Bride and Groom’s First Dance for their Wedding at Las Velas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Edited By DJ Francisco<\/a><\/p>\n

10 Tips for Improved Uplighting Houston Events<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

It is amazing at how quickly Uplighting is becoming a \u201cmust have\u201d item at Weddings. No, it doesn\u2019t surprise me that brides are wanting this after all, when done correctly, it adds more \u201cpizazz\u201d than perhaps any other single decoration you can do. That said, as a wedding vendor who does this on a regular basis, I\u2019d like to share a few bits of wisdom that will help you with your own Uplighting.<\/p>\n

\"Why<\/a>
Uplighting at Las Vegas for a Wedding Reception<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1) \u201cColor selection\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 I have to be honest, I generally cringe when a client says \u201cWe want a very subtle color.\u201d The whole point in going to the time and expense of Uplighting is to enhance the facility. Vibrant colors are what make your pictures jump off the page. They also, quite noticeably change the mood of your guests. It\u2019s been proven in Scientific studies that colors have a dramatic impact on mood and energy. If you\u2019re really after a subdued vibe for your event, white or amber are excellent choices. However, aren\u2019t most brides always the ones telling me they \u201cjust want our guests to have a great time\u201d? Use color to your advantage! Magenta, Purple, Blue, or Red (or shades thereof) are some excellent choices.<\/p>\n

\"Herreras<\/a>
Herreras Reception Hall Amber LED Uplights Side Wall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2) LED or Incandescent?<\/strong> \u2013 Incandescent cans\/fixtures still are used fairly regularly by some lighting contractors. I believe it\u2019s primarily because these fixtures are cheaper or perhaps it happens to be what the lighting vendor has in their stock. While we do also have some incandescent fixtures, we don\u2019t typically recommend them for Uplighting for several reasons; 1) They get hot and little ones are drawn to them like a moth to a flame. It\u2019s a sure-fire recipe for little hands that get burned and that translates into wailing kids at YOUR event. 2) It takes a lot more power to run them and that means more and bigger extension cords to power them. 3) Limited color choice. These fixtures use gel paper to shade the bulb for whatever color you\u2019re after and that means, no changes at the event. If your chosen gel paper color doesn\u2019t mix well with the paint on the walls, tough luck as there\u2019s no way to tweak the color shades on the spot.<\/p>\n

LED fixtures are cool to the touch, use very little electricity and the colors can be changed quickly, at the venue. If the color you picked at your meeting gets changed by the color on the wall, your technician can often adjust the shading on-the-fly, prior to your guests\u2019 arrival.<\/p>\n

\"Uplighting<\/a>
Elegant Uplighting at the Sugarland Marriott<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3) Table\/Chair Placement<\/strong> \u2013 Uplighting is usually done by placing fixtures on the floor, next to the wall. We recommend a 3 foot buffer zone for all tables\/chairs. This keeps guests from bumping, moving or even damaging the lighting fixtures. It also gives the lighting technician the ability to do a more even spacing between each fixture, improving the overall look of the presentation.<\/p>\n

4) How much is enough?<\/strong> \u2013 One thing I tell all my clients is \u201cDon\u2019t skimp on the number of fixtures.\u201d When you run short on a color presentation, it\u2019s very apparent to everyone in attendance. It\u2019s better to slightly over-do it than to come up short. The biggest question I hear is \u201cHow many cans do I need?\u201d As you would expect, it obviously depends on the size of the room(s), the number of guests, and what wall-space is available for lighting. What I can tell you is, for most of our jobs (125-200 guests), the magic number always seems to come up to 20. This is roughly a 1500-2500 sq ft. For rooms of 2500-4000 sq ft, I generally recommend 30 lights, sometimes more.<\/p>\n

5) DMX vs Stand-alone (LEDs only)<\/strong> \u2013 LED lighting fixtures have two modes they can be operated in; stand-alone or DMX. I won\u2019t bore you with the techy details but basically DMX means the lighting fixtures can be controlled remotely (either wireless or wired). Of the jobs we\u2019ve done, almost all have been non-DMX. Without going into specifics, basically DMX will add $200-$400 in labor costs, not to mention the fact that it will add tons of cable and tape to your setup.\u00a0 Yes, we\u2019ll be happy to make your entire venue \u201cbeat to the music\u201d or \u201cmake the colors change between songs\u201d a cool and unique feature that only few select to have but is well worth the extra dollars if you want your guests to ooooh and aaaaaahh the moment the lights start changing to the beat of the music.<\/p>\n

6) Static or Color-Change<\/strong> \u2013 Most LED fixtures can be programmed to roll gently from one color to the other. This is known as \u201ccolor change mode\u201d. We do have a fair portion of our wedding clients that opt for this setup, but I\u2019d place it as the minority. Practically all of our school dances or proms use color change but weddings typically will either go with a single (static) color or perhaps may use alternating patterns of color (\u201cred \u2013 white \u2013 red \u2013 white\u201d). Only you can decide what works best for your color scheme and venue. One thing I will add is that it also can be dictated by the wall space available. We\u2019ve done a number of venues where they may have a patio area with temporary sidewalls installed. These types of setups will have minimal wall space to be colored and may work better with multiple colors, rolling constantly. A hotel ballroom typically will have a lot of open wall space and will get too busy with so many colors going on. Better to choose a static color, or pattern of statics and stick with that.<\/p>\n

7) Chair Rails, how to handle them<\/strong> \u2013 When we do an install, one of the things we\u2019re always trying to do is to keep fixtures out of the way and close to the wall. First, we don\u2019t want guests tripping over our fixtures but also (to be transparent) we really don\u2019t want guests stepping on (and potentially breaking) our expensive fixtures. One of the problems we regularly run into are chair rails. While these do a great job at preserving paint from chairs and tables, they also block off light as it travels up the wall area. The only way to overcome this is to set fixtures further away from the wall, usually about a half-foot. However, keep in mind table and chair placement (#3 above).<\/p>\n

8 ) Uplighting sets the tone<\/strong> \u2013 One of the things that I regularly preach to my clients (most of our engagements include DJ service as well) is that we create great events by setting the tone from the very start. The moment a guest walks in we want them to do \u201cthe tilt-back\u201d (as I like to call it). That\u2019s where they walk in the entrance, then pause as their eyes widen and they take in all the sights and sounds we\u2019re presenting. If we\u2019ve done our job correctly, this raises the expectation of your guests. Once that expectation is raised, it\u2019s much easier to push it on into \u201coff the hook\u201d territory. Uplighting is a tremendous tool for setting the tone of an event. When a guest walks into a room with bright, vivid colors all around, they can\u2019t help but to expect a fantastic evening and expectation creates energy.<\/p>\n

9) Do it yourself or hire a Pro?<\/strong> \u2013 I know that everyone is looking for ways to save a buck, especially in today\u2019s economy. While it\u2019s true that fixtures can be rented, most people don\u2019t realize what it takes to get power to all your fixtures. By the time you rent the fixtures, then buy all the extension cords needed, it often is the same price (or more) than just paying a professional outfit to do the install, not to mention the job of tearing it all back down and returning the fixtures. But even beyond the \u201chassle factor\u201d involved, having a bunch of extension cords often creates a huge mess and that\u2019s not something you want on your special day. We use special zip cord with add-a-tap outlets for our installs. These are long strands of cable (25ft & 50ft) that have an outlet every 5 feet. It puts a much cleaner line against the wallboard but, more importantly, it helps to keep spacing even between fixtures. There\u2019s nothing that will ruin a lighting presentation faster than to have a 5ft gap, then 7ft, then 4ft, etc.<\/p>\n

However, if you are the DIY type, we also rent out our led uplights for you to install on your own. This will save you some money and our lights are easy to set to any particular color you may want. Just be prepared to have one or two people dedicated to installation of these lights and then to pick them up at the end of the night.<\/p>\n

10) Children<\/strong> \u2013 I debated strongly whether to mention this or not and let me say it first, I LOVE kids. I have 4 of my own and kids hold a near and dear place in my heart. That said, for some unknown reason, a lot of parents have a tendency to not<\/strong> keep watch over their kids at weddings. Add Uplighting into that picture and you have an almost guarantee that the kids will be messing with fixtures, expensive lighting fixtures. There\u2019s nothing worse from a vendor\u2019s perspective than to look up, as I did a couple of months back, and see some three year old walking along the wall, kicking your fixtures like a kickball. It\u2019s a delicate subject but, if you\u2019re going to do Uplighting, please make your guests (with children) aware of the situation and ask their assistance to keep things in control. When things get broken, it\u2019s the client who ends up paying.<\/p>\n

I hope the above gives you some ideas in improving uplighting houston events for your own event. If there\u2019s anything I may do to assist, please don\u2019t hesitate to contact me anytime. Now, light it up!<\/p>\n

Happy Planning!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edited By DJ Francisco 10 Tips for Improved Uplighting Houston Events It is amazing at how quickly Uplighting is becoming a \u201cmust have\u201d item at Weddings. No, it doesn\u2019t surprise me that brides are wanting this after all, when done correctly, it adds more \u201cpizazz\u201d than perhaps any other single decoration you can do. That … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13,1,135],"tags":[655,653,598,654],"class_list":["post-1628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-houston-wedding-venues","category-houston-weddings","category-up-lights","tag-houston-events","tag-houston-uplighitng-tips","tag-houston-wedding-djs","tag-tips-for-uplight-improvements"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-03-17-at-12.37.35-PM.png?fit=566%2C319&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":327,"url":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/327\/tuscany-villa-in-katy-texas-dj-uplights-and-monogram-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":0},"title":"Tuscany Villa in Katy Texas DJ Uplights and Monogram Photos","author":"DJ Francisco Perez","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tuscany Villa in Katy Texas is a beautiful place to have a wedding reception. The staff there is fantastic, very helpful and very concentrated in keeping their clients happy and well taken care of. I've been there 3 times in the last 6 months and I am truly astonished\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Houston Wedding Venues"","block_context":{"text":"Houston Wedding Venues","link":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/category\/houston-wedding-venues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":487,"url":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/487\/elegant-uplighting-in-houston-that-had-the-quinceaneras-father-speechless-at-the-end-of-the-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":1},"title":"Elegant Quinceanera Uplighting left Houston Father Speechless","author":"DJ Francisco Perez","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's why... On September 5th, 2009 I provided my services at a Quinceanera in the beautiful and Elegant Nassau Bay Hilton. The room by itself is very elegant and has a great view of the water. So the place was set, all I had to do is come in with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Monogram Gobo"","block_context":{"text":"Monogram Gobo","link":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/category\/monogram-gobo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1023,"url":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/1023\/uplighting-services-houston-katy-woodlands-conroe-galveston-etc\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":2},"title":"Uplighting Services Houston, Katy, Woodlands, Conroe, Galveston, etc…","author":"DJ Francisco Perez","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"Here is a short clip of just a few of our recent events where we provided our beautiful LED Uplights and Monogram Design. Enjoy and Happy Planning!! Elegante Entertainment DJ in Houston, Francisco H. Perez Uplighting in Houston on Youtube","rel":"","context":"In "Houston Wedding Venues"","block_context":{"text":"Houston Wedding Venues","link":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/category\/houston-wedding-venues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-03-17-at-12.37.35-PM.png?fit=566%2C319&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-03-17-at-12.37.35-PM.png?fit=566%2C319&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-03-17-at-12.37.35-PM.png?fit=566%2C319&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1071,"url":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/1071\/elegant-entertainment-providing-led-uplighting-elegant-dj-services-sugarland-marriott\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":3},"title":"Elegant Entertainment providing LED Uplighting and Elegant DJ Services at the Sugarland Marriott","author":"DJ Francisco Perez","date":"","format":"gallery","excerpt":"By DJ Francisco Perez Elegant Entertainment providing LED Uplighting and Elegant DJ Services at the Sugarland Marriott Our lovely LED uplighting will compliment any wedding decor and create beautiful atmosphere. LED Lighting makes a great add on to your Houston wedding. By DJ Francisco Perez","rel":"","context":"In "Houston Weddings"","block_context":{"text":"Houston Weddings","link":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/category\/houston-weddings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1140430.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1140430.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1140430.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1140430.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1140430.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2147,"url":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/2147\/dj-service-at-the-tuscany-villa-in-katy-with-uplighting-monogram-and-photo-booth\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":4},"title":"DJ Service at The Tuscany Villa in Katy with Uplighting, Monogram and Photo Booth","author":"DJ Francisco Perez","date":"","format":false,"excerpt":"DJ Service at The Tuscany Villa in Katy - DJ in Houston Up Lighting Design Monogram Photobooth by Elegante Leisure DJ Service at The Tuscany Villa in Katy Elegante Leisure Marriage ceremony DJ in Houston http:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com Uplighting in Houston Video: http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fkO6n7d07M0 How We DJ your Bilingual Marriage ceremony Video #1:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Houston Wedding Venues"","block_context":{"text":"Houston Wedding Venues","link":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/category\/houston-wedding-venues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Elegante-Tuscany Villa DJ in Houston Up Lighting.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Elegante-Tuscany-Villa-DJ-in-Houston-Up-Lighting.jpg?fit=853%2C492&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Elegante-Tuscany-Villa-DJ-in-Houston-Up-Lighting.jpg?fit=853%2C492&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Elegante-Tuscany-Villa-DJ-in-Houston-Up-Lighting.jpg?fit=853%2C492&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Elegante-Tuscany-Villa-DJ-in-Houston-Up-Lighting.jpg?fit=853%2C492&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1123,"url":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/1123\/herreras-reception-hall-uplighting-houston\/","url_meta":{"origin":1628,"position":5},"title":"Herreras Reception Hall Uplighting by Elegant Entertainment Houston DJ Service","author":"DJ Francisco Perez","date":"","format":"gallery","excerpt":"By DJ Francisco Perez Here are some pictures from 2013 where we provided Amber LED uplighting at Herreras Reception Hall. In this hall we used our high powered 54x3 watt LED uplights to cover more spaces and give the entire room an amber wash, not just the walls. Big halls\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Houston Wedding Venues"","block_context":{"text":"Houston Wedding Venues","link":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/category\/houston-wedding-venues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Herreras Reception Hall Amber LED Uplights Side Wall","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1130215.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1130215.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1130215.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1130215.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/P1130215.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8aA1-qg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fhpentertainment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}