9 Questions You Should Be Asking Your Lighting Company

Be it your friend down the road, your trusted DJ, or a lighting specialty company, there are a few key questions that you need to be asking your lighting company before the big day. Knowing what to expect and ask can be the difference between making your wedding or breaking it. Good lighting works in harmony with the decor, color palette, and mood of the event. It takes all of the individual spaces and ties them together while adding the practical benefits of being able to see all of the hard decor work and getting great pictures. Poor lighting looks tacky and cheap at best and downright painful at worst. Think of how bad getting blasted by a flashlight beam in the dark feels, now apply that to every poorly placed light that your guest have to walk by.

Admittedly, there is a lot of confusion surrounding wedding lighting. Not many couples really know what questions to ask and what good service looks like, or what their own role in the planning is. Unfortunately, reviews only get you so far in this regard. When trying to find the service and company that is right for you, follow these guidelines and you can’t go wrong.

1. How long have you been in business? Figuring out just how much experience with lighting and weddings is a great place to start. Do they have any experience lighting your venue type? If they are a new company, ask them why they got into the business and what previous experience employees have with the industry. Trusting new companies can be risky, but you can often find great prices and an eagerness to please. If they are older and established, see if you can find reviews of their services.

2. What do your consultations look like? Does the company sit down with you, go over details, colors, etc and come up with a plan?  Make sure the people you are working with listen to what you have to say. If they are not giving you feedback or showing that they understand the details that you are providing, it might be best to find a different company.

3. Can I see your previous work?  Websites, portfolios, etc are great ways to view work they have done for other people. Most have pictures posted online, but even going through them in person gives you their thoughts and opinions on the pictures. If they don’t have pictures, ask them to set up a demo or some other kind of display for you. This is one of the best ways to see what they are capable of as a company.

4. Are you willing to work with my budget? If you have a strict idea of how much you can spend on your lights and decor, make sure they know that going into the meeting. They don’t want to design a display they are going to have to change and you don’t want to be tempted with something you can’t afford.

5. How far out are your clients booked? Does this company have time to fit you into their schedule? Another thing to ask is how many other weddings they have going on that weekend. If your venue requires you to be on a very tight setup and takedown schedule, then the company needs to know how many people they are going to have to spare to put up your display.

6. Are you willing to work with my venue and their restrictions? Setting up lighting displays can get complicated quickly. Pin lighting, downlighting, and hanging chandeliers require additional structure and hardware that the venue might not be willing to let you use. If you can bring the section of your vendor contract that details the rules about decor, the lighting company can make sure that what they design is possible.

7. What are your delivery policies? Does the company charge more for services offered on holidays and off hours? Is there a surcharge for stairs? Make sure that both of you are on the same page on where the venue is, where in the venue your wedding will be, when they will be there to set up and take down, and how much time they have for both of those things.

8. When will you expect me to pay for the lights? Normally, there is some sort of down payment that is given at the time you formally accept a proposal. The rest is usually paid for within a few weeks of the event.

9. Do you have any insurance for cancellation? Make sure you know what the companies policies are in case of cancellation or unforeseen obstacles. If your wedding gets rained out, you want to know what, if any, of a refund you can expect to be getting from the company.