DIY Wedding Dance Floor Lighting

Make your first dance magical with creative lighting techniques.

The bridal couple's first dance as husband and wife is the most romantic part of the wedding reception: The bride and groom dance the first waltz of their married life together accompanied by a sultry ballad that represents their promises to one another. But even with all the beauty of this moment, the lighting on the dance floor can make or break the mood. To ensure your first dance is the perfect precedent for the rest of your lives together, experiment with various lighting effects and dim lighting.

Instructions

1. Suspend paper lanterns in your wedding colors from the ceiling above the dance floor. For best results, vary the height of the lanterns and space them evenly. Accent this decor by incorporating paper lanterns into centerpieces on the dinner and cocktail tables.

2. Project your monogram or other wedding-themed patterns on the floor and walls with a gobo projector. Use a metal gobo to project in black and white and a glass gobo to create color effects on the walls. Positioning objects such as plants in front of the gobo will also block light passing through the object and create patterns on the wall.

3. Staple netted Christmas lights across the ceiling. Turn off the lights just above the dance floor and plug in the Christmas lights to create the illusion that you are dancing beneath the stars. Add a single spotlight to mimic the moonlight.

4. Position the dance floor just beneath a large chandelier if your wedding is at a venue, such as a hotel ballroom, that allows you to customize the location of the tables and dance floor.

5. Dance to the light of faux fireflies at your outdoor wedding: Hang jars with small candles from low tree branches. Place additional jars on the ground around the perimeter of the dance floor. Make sure to cover the jars with hole-filled lids so tipped-over candles won't become hazards.

6. Let the dance floor provide the light. Build your dance floor up on a platform or frame that suspends it slightly off the ground. Use a transparent or translucent material to create the dance floor and place lights beneath the floor. You can also make the floor with wooden planks, allowing the light to shine slightly through the spaces.

References

• Project Wedding: Wedding Reception Lighting, An Essential Ingredient