how many Uplights do you need for a wedding?
By far, the most popular question we get is "how many up lights should I rent for my event?". This is a very difficult question to answer because there is no right or wrong answer.
The "official" recommendation is to space each light approximately 6-12 feet apart. Each light is going to illuminate roughly a 3-4 foot area of wall (width). The more lights you use means the closer you can put them together and the more color, light, and brightness you'll get.
Try the calculator to get an idea of how many lights based on the size of the area you want to light.
A guide for some common uses:
quantity recommendations
Enter either the dimensions of the area you want to light, or the square footage, to get an idea of how many lights to rent. Also check out this article for more information: How many lights to rent
Calculate by Area Dimensions
Enter the width and length of the area you want to light.
Calculate by Square Footage
Enter the total square footage of the area you want to light.
Here’s the most common room sizes
| Sq Footage / Room Capacity | Minimal Lighting | Moderate Coverage | Full Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 (25) | 6 uplights | 8 uplights | 12 uplights |
| 2000 (45) | 8 uplights | 16 uplights | 23 uplights |
| 3000 (65) | 15 uplights | 22 uplights | 30 uplights |
| 5000 (100) | 22 uplights | 35 uplights | 50 uplights |
| 10000 (200) | 40 uplights | 70 uplights | 100 uplights |
| 12000+ | 70+ uplights | 100+ uplights | 120+ uplights |
*** Its strongly recommended to book a few more lights then you absolutely must have. For example, if you calculate you must have exactley 19 lights, then you should probably round it up to 20 just in case of any technical difficulaties. As a reminder, we don't send out replacement lights. We test all of the lights before shipping, but failures do sometimes happen so make it stress-free on yourself and be prepared in advance with a backup. ***
Questions to ask yourself to help determine how many to rent:
1) Do you want to light the whole room or just a specific area?
If you're trying to stick to a budget, keep in mind that you don't have to light the entire room to get a cool effect. Maybe focus your lighting on just 1 wall? Or just specific areas? Or just use a couple as a nice accent effect. Lots of possibilities - get creative! :)
2) How big is the room?
You don't have to break out the tape measure or figure out the exact square footage, just take into consideration what you are lighting. Is it a high school gym that can pack in 2,000 students? Is it a banquet room hosting a wedding for 200-300 guests? One room at a private residence where you plan to have a dinner for 10-20 of your closest friends? The bigger the room - the more lights you'll need.
3) Are you looking to wash the entire room with color, or are you envisioning more of an accent effect?
Again, more lights means you can put them closer together which gives off more glow. Check out some photos to see more specific examples.
Ready to sign up? Get started by checking availability for your event date!Some examples of uplight configurations
Accent usage
As the case with this wedding tent, accent usage is used to set the mood, especially when trying not to distract or deviate your guests attention from a specific focal point. For this particular wedding event in Georgia, this company used 8 uplights to achieve this effect.
Moderate usage
Here the usage of purple uplights in a university gym helped give some color and depth to the hall. Overall though, only 10 - 14 uplights were used. The gym was well over 2000 sq ft. So, if they wanted to achieve full coverage, they needed 7 to 8 more uplights.
Full usage
This gala in downtown Bronx, New York City had a full compliement of uplights including green, violet and even yellow. Overall, this gala used well over 30 uplights.