Why Does Wedding Lighting Cost so Much? Is It Worth It?

I wish I could tell you, "No! Absolutely not! Save your money!"

Unfortunately, the answer isn't quite so simple. Wedding lighting is as complicated and multifaceted of an issue as just about everything else that goes into wedding planning.

Lighting is important for the wedding. It sets the mood, makes it possible for your photographer to get good pictures throughout the event, and that's just the tip of the matrimonial mountain.

You're probably still wondering, so why does wedding lighting cost so much? It's going to be a lot more than just stringing up a few strands of fairy lights and some LED lights, that's why. Event lighting isn't cheap for any sort occasion—it's not just wedding venues that make it expensive.

The style of lighting can make a big difference in establishing the theme of your wedding.

If you're going for a rustic wedding, lantern-type lights or anything else with that charming, aged quality will do wonders for your big day.

Obviously, the more elaborate you go, the more it's going to cost. If you have any kind of tent or other enclosed area with greenery all over the ceiling and lights woven in among the plants, that's a highly specialized order. It's absolutely gorgeous, but it's one of those lighting options that can be pretty complicated to set up. It's going to cost you.

If you're getting overwhelmed with coordinating all the moving pieces, keep an eye out for the signs that you should hire a wedding planner. I've mentioned before that I'm Baltimore-based and one of my former coworkers—an absolutely amazing woman—is a wedding planner. I always thought I could plan my own wedding; but let me tell you, the more research I do, the more I consider giving her a call to rescue me when the time comes.

Elegant lighting can transform your venue.

When you're getting quotes from lighting companies, you'll most likely find that every business worth their salt will have a designated lighting designer. I know it might sound like you're prepping a movie set instead of your wedding, but the right lighting can take every single one of your wedding venue options, and transform them into something magical.

Your lighting sets the mood of the entire wedding. You want to have fun lighting on your dance floor and elegant lighting all throughout your reception space; it really does take a lighting designer to figure out how to balance everything perfectly. After all, every venue is different.

If you're really eager to explore how lighting can make your venue incredible but you're still hesitant about those rental and labor costs, you could try to get innovative with some of your other wedding costs.

You probably don't want to cut out the open bar, but there are some ways to save money without compromising the day. For example, you might find that a photo booth is the only wedding favor you need. Photo booths are both an activity, and they let people leave with a party favor to help your guests remember the day. Don't be afraid to explore creative solutions!

Lighting is absolutely key to having good wedding photos.

When you start trying to book a wedding photographer, one of the first questions you'll get will be what kind of venue you have in mind.

Because let's be real, a beach wedding is going to be a heck of a lot easier from a lighting and photography perspective than a cave wedding. Before you ask if I've gone crazy from the stress of planning a wedding, let me assure you, there are actually some very beautiful cave wedding ideas on Pinterest. It can be done very elegantly.

Regardless, the point here is that different wedding venues mean very different lighting situations. You might think that a typical, indoor venue is overrated if you need to spend so much money on lighting, but having an outdoor wedding isn't always the answer.

After all, if it rains, you'll need to have a nice tent ready to rock and roll on speed dial, which means a whole rainbow of new lighting problems.

There are actually a lot of different types of lighting you may want to include on your big day.

Here's a quick rundown on some of the different types of lights you could use on your wedding day. This ought to give you some insight on why wedding lighting costs so much, since there are a lot of different lights that ought to be part of your setup.

• Uplighting for the entire event room or ballroom
• DJ or dance floor lighting
• Monogram gobo light
• Texture lighting
• Cake spotlight
• Pulpit spotlight
• Pipe and drape lights
• Other pin-spot lights
• Bistro lighting
• Chandeliers

There's a lot of different things you can do with lighting, which is exciting, but that does factor into why lighting can end up costing a $1,000 or more.

If you need more motivation to invest in some of these specialized lighting options, just think about what you're going to do with your wedding photos. Sure, you'll look back on them for the rest of your life, but you'll probably also hang some up on your wall, send them out to loved ones, and do so many other things that allow you to cherish them forever.

If some special lighting can make those immortalized memories look even better, then it's an expense that's well worth it. That's where those pin spotting lights come in, to really illuminate the key moments and places in your ceremony.

Lighting equipment isn't exactly cheap.

Ultimately, when you have a professional company set up your lighting, you're renting equipment from them. Labor costs are never cheap.

So why does wedding lighting cost so much? It's a product and a service all rolled into one. You're renting the lightings and you've got real human beings setting everything up for you. The more elaborate the setup, the longer it's going to take. If you've got several people working to get things ready, think about the hourly wage that needs to go to every single technician of the lighting company.

It's still hard to afford, but if you need to set your mind at ease, just remember that you're trying to make your wedding something magical and memorable.

If you've made it this far into this article, it's probably because you're ready to invest in wedding lighting and not because you're trying to have a low budget wedding.

So is it worth it?

I know that the invoices pile up, but how often in life are you going to get married? It's best to make that special day count and make it as beautiful as you can!