25 Wedding Venue Lighting Ideas for a Stunning Wedding

Figuring out how to illuminate your wedding space is one of the biggest decisions you can make when it comes to venue design. It determines how your environment feels and, ultimately, everyone’s experience on the day. 

But which lighting options are worth considering? Here are 25 of our top picks.

Fairy light ceilings

Fairy light ceilings are a go-to classic for wedding ceremonies. They’re incredibly popular right now because of the almost magical vibe they create. Plus they’re becoming increasingly recognisable as more people add LED versions in their homes. Choose them if you want to give the whole space a soft glow for when dinner is over.

Fairy light backdrops

A fairy light backdrop has a similar effect. These hang vertically, creating strands of light that become a completed curtain. They’re ideal for photo backgrounds and provide hundreds of tiny points of light for every shot. Just put them in front of sheer drapery or foliage for maximum effect.

Festoon lighting

Festoon lighting features chunky bulbs strung along a heavy cable. The festoons themselves have a relaxed garden-party quality, adding to the atmosphere in a way that fairy lights don’t.

You’ll want to use these overhead and outdoors, preferably zigzagged across a courtyard at your venue or running down the length of a marquee. Check the festoon is water-resistant before installing outdoors.

Edison bulbs

Edison bulbs are useful at wedding venues when you want an exposed filament that gives off a warm amber light. These look distinctly industrial and vintage, although the style was almost universal until 15 years ago. 

Edison bulbs work best paired with reclaimed wood, bare brick, and russet barn settings. Just remember they are mainly decorative and not functional, although you wouldn’t want to tell Edison himself that!

Curtain lighting

If you’re looking for a shimmering vertical sheet of light, then curtain lighting could be a good option. These cascade down from a rail attached to a wall and are a quick fix if you’re staring at a blank and unattractive wall front. 

Consider layering them for a more comprehensive view. Adding more than one lighting “drape” can have a profoundly welcoming and relaxing visual effect.

Canopy lighting

If you’re going to be in a marquee or a tipi, you might want to look into canopy lighting. This option uses strands that radiate out from a central point to the edge of the room, giving the impression of an overhead firework or a starburst. Use this if you’re looking for a lighting option that’s more dramatic than conventional flat fairy light ceilings. You can also get it in a range of colours and even RGB lighting options.

Beam lighting

Beam lighting is a great option if you’re allowed to use haze or fog at your venue. Beam lighting reveals itself as it passes through the smokey medium, which makes it perfect for dance floors or the band’s stage setup. 

Up lighting

Up-lighting sits on the floor and applies a wash of colour to your walls, columns, or alcoves. This type of lighting is perfect for creating an otherworldly ambiance and changing how rooms feel. 

Many couples like to programme colour shifts into them as the day goes on, choosing warm amber for dinner and then darker, deeper tones for the evening. Alternatively, you can get them to rotate through various colours depending on your itinerary.

Dance floor lighting

Dance floor lighting is exactly what it sounds like. Typically, these lights use LED technology and feature various colours and moving heads. The goal is to dim the surroundings of the dance floor and light the dancing area itself once the DJ arrives. Often, music vendors can set up dance floor lighting for you.

Top table lighting

Tabletop lighting is another consideration, but something many couples forget in the rush to get everything done. Modern LED lights have touch-sensitive bases that allow guests to change light intensity on demand.

Ceremony lighting

Ceremony lighting is essential for keeping you and your partner well-lit during the wedding vows themselves. It should be bright enough for guests to see you easily, but it shouldn’t dazzle you or cause you to sweat. It should also be suitable for your photographer to get those all-important snaps.

Staircase lighting

Staircase lighting provides a natural photo opportunity and looks great when incorporated into your background. LED strips tucked under nosing or lanterns on banisters can look wonderful.

Entrance lighting

Entrance lighting sets the mood for the venue and tells guests the type of afternoon or evening that’s in store for them. It also solves a practical problem by making it easier for people to find their way to your event from the car park after dusk.

Make sure that you use lanterns to illuminate the path or post lighting around an illuminated archway. Use dramatic lighting options like flaming lanterns if you want something more theatrical.

Outdoor lighting

Decorating mature trees with fairy lights or marking pathways with stake lights is a good way to use outdoor lighting to improve safety. Outdoor lighting ensures guests can see where they are going and what they are doing after the sun goes down, reducing the risk of trips, slips, and falls.

Courtyard lighting

Courtyard lighting is exactly what it sounds like. Most couples opt for festoon strung lighting that criss-crosses overhead. This approach is helpful for outdoor drinks, conversations, and when people need to get fresh air away from the main event venue.

Marquee lighting

Marquee lighting can take any shape you desire. However, lighting structures must be able to fit within the confines of the tent itself. Therefore, always confirm the power supply rating to the tent.

Feature walls

You don’t always need to light up every corner of your venue. Instead, use lighting to establish a focal point. 

Feature wall lighting can be so useful here. Many couples use it to emphasise floral installations or highlight a green wall. 

Neon signs

Sometimes a custom neon sign can fit your wedding theme and add a sense of fun and drama to your venue interiors. These signs read as modern and personal, so it is often worth customising them. Just note that commissioning will increase the cost substantially. 

Light-up letters

Light-up letters have a similar purpose. However, they tend to be more flexible, allowing you to create giant ‘Just Married’ or ‘LOVE’ signs you can place outside. 

Light-up letters are heavier and bulkier than they look in pictures online, so be prepared. Make sure you get professional installers to bring them to your venue or let staff know ahead of time about the equipment you’ll need to move them.

Light-up numbers

Light-up numbers are similar to letters, but for slightly different purposes. You can use them to represent significant dates in your relationship history, like when you and your partner met or the number of the first house you lived in together. They can also come in smaller formats, making them suitable for venues with more limited floor space. 

Hanging candles

Hanging candles are the lighting option to choose for your venue if you’re prioritising a magical atmosphere above virtually everything else. Real candles are a safety issue, but you can now substitute them with realistic-looking alternatives at many venues that naturally flicker and wane according to a programme.

Table lighting

Table lighting allows your guests to see the wedding breakfast in front of them and makes life easier for caterers. Lighting should hang from the ceiling and come close to tabletops, or be directional, so eaters can see where their cutlery is. 

Be careful, though. If using hanging lighting, make sure it doesn’t impede guests’ line of sight across the table (unless you’re lighting a large table where over-the-table chats aren’t possible anyway). 

First-dance lighting

First-dance lighting can be a cue in itself that signals the wedding has moved into a new phase. Usually, it’s a single spot on the dancing couple, but it could also comprise an array of lights that fundamentally change the venue’s mood. Ideally, you want lighting that transforms what could be a potentially awkward moment into a photogenic and cinematic one.

Ambient evening lighting

Adding ambient evening lighting is a nice touch to consider, especially if your venue’s existing options are limited. Most couples drop overall lighting intensity significantly and use these lights to generate a warmer ambience. Ambient evening lighting usually comprises low lamps, dimmable lights and real candles. 

Layered/cinematic lighting

Finally, layered and cinematic lighting could also be an option for your venue. The best lighting at weddings is rarely based on a single idea. Instead, experienced interior designers create various layers of lighting to add to the atmosphere and to practically guide guests along exits and pathways.

Choose the right option for your day

You won’t need to use every lighting option mentioned in this list, but you will need to pick the ones that are most suited to the type of day you have planned. Remember that lighting will change as you move from the ceremony to the wedding breakfast and then the evening entertainment.