How Many String Lights Do I Need for a Wedding Reception?
String lights (or fairy lights, if you prefer) have long been a mainstay within the wedding industry. There's nothing that can add quite the same magical "fairytale-esque" ambience to a wedding venue. However, when running through wedding lighting ideas, many happy couples are unsure how many metres of string lighting they should hire. So what's the answer?
The meterage of string lights you hire will depend on the size and location of your venue as well as your overall wedding theme. Some intimate indoor wedding receptions may only require 100 metres or less, whereas more extravagant outdoor celebrations could require as much as 500 metres.
Thus, given that there's no straightforward answer to this question, let's delve a little deeper into the factors that will decide how many metres of fairy/twinkle lights you will need to hire for your indoor or outdoor wedding event.
Factors That Will Influence How Many Fairy Lights or Twinkle Lights You Need to Hire for Your Sussex Wedding Reception
As mentioned, a few factors will influence how many metres of wedding string lights you will need to hire for your Sussex wedding. While there is a broad spectrum of variables, below are the main aspects that will influence your final length of hired LED lights.
Indoor vs Outdoor Wedding Reception
While it may seem obvious, it's worth mentioning that you will feature string lights more heavily as part of an outdoor lighting ensemble than you will for an indoor wedding venue. When going through the lighting design phase, string lights will feature heavily in an outdoor lineup, whereas they might only be used as wedding décor features for an indoor celebration – reducing the meterage required.
For example, they are an excellent fit if you are a bride and groom looking to accentuate the night sky by running string lights in straight lines across the "open-air ceiling" above. However, indoors, you may only need Christmas lights to wrap around some of your winter wedding features (such as fir trees).
Size of the Wedding Event Venue
Another reasonably obvious influence on your hired meterage of fairy lights is the size of your wedding venue. If you have a much large surface area to cover in the first place, the chances are that you will need to hire potentially hundreds of metres more to fill the necessary space.
Overall Wedding Style/Theme
For some happy couples, the string lights are will be the focal point of the lighting lineup. In contrast, others will only want to use them in a specific area, such as over the outdoor dance floor or in the smoking lounge area.
You might want string lights to create a party vibe or highlight specific aspects of your wedding day décor, such as your floral arrangements.
Style of String Lights
In many cases, the specific string lighting style will determine how many metres or the number of string lights you need to hire. For instance, in conjunction with your lighting designer, you might have decided that you want tiny lights for romantic lighting purposes. In other instances, you might feel that larger cafe lights (also go by the name of bistro lights) with faux Edison bulbs are the perfect wedding inspiration.
Irrespective of your choice, it will require differing gaps between the lights and thus will impact how many you need to hire for your wedding. Smaller lights will likely have smaller gaps between each LED light, reducing how many metres you need, whereas larger bulb styles will undoubtedly run longer, costing more.
Talk to QOKO Events Regarding Your Sussex Wedding Lighting Ideas
When planning a wedding, getting your lighting right is crucial. However, that can seem like a daunting task to those unfamiliar with the wedding event industry. With string lights being such a popular choice, it's vital to choose a length appropriate for your needs so that you don't feel let down or disappointed on one of the most important days of your life.
That's why it makes sense to partner with an experienced event lighting hire company to receive advice and talk through your options. From ensuring that there's enough light for your wedding photos to offering wireless, battery-operated fixtures for outdoor wedding receptions, QOKO Events have all wedding lighting options covered for you.
We take the hard work out of wedding planning by providing you with turnkey wedding productions, including string lighting. So if you want to ensure your lighting looks incredible on the big day, make sure to give us a call on 01403 626008 to discuss your ideas in more detail.
