let there be LIGHTS! lots of LIGHTS!

let there be LIGHTS! lots of LIGHTS!

i love the way that LIGHT can transform a space, create a mood and bring magic — especially to a wedding! let me show you how i used LIGHTS to create amazing WOW effects in four different ways at an outdoor wedding reception: 1. cafe lights 2. marquee love letters 3. DIY marquee chalk sign 4. lit centerpieces.

i just love the power of little café lights overhead! it’s a beautiful way to define an area for the event and make any ordinary space absolutely extraordinary! for this outdoor wedding, we left the lights to the professionals. we called Diamond Rental; they came and hung the lights, as well as taking them down. usually they come in 100 ft increments; we rented 300 feet so that they could be strung back and forth across the grassy part of the backyard.

DIY Marquee lights are such a brilliant way to light up ANY event, but especially a wedding! I used the 12” DIY letters in 2 different ways at this wedding: first to create an amazing welcome to the reception, and second to direct guests to the refreshments in a fun, classic way!

these DIY Marquee letters are made from paperboard and come all white. each marquee kit includes the letter, the light strand and the exact number of clear bulb caps needed. they are very lightweight, and can be customized to fit the décor perfectly. in this case, i simply spray painted each letter with gold spray paint.

the yard that we were hosting the wedding in had this cool arched entrance. to create the most amazing statement entry, i attached their names spelled out with the 12” letters right to the metal archway.

once we arrived at the venue, i used thin floral wire to attach them to the archway. i secured the light strands to the back of the letters with clear packing tape, and then actually ran the wire through the light strands and onto the arch.

the “Marquee Love” letters come in 8”, 10” and 12”; each size is a different font. click here to see the whole collection of letters available!

because the couple was expecting a large crowd of friends and family, we opted for a really fun, fresh approach to the catering. we hired a “taco” food truck and arranged for “Bahama Bucks” to serve their delicious shaved ice. i used the marquee letters to create signs for the food!

i cut the sign backers out of white foam core, and evenly spaced out the letters onto the board. behind each letter, i cut out a small hole that would allow access to the battery pack. i then used hot glue to attach the letters right to the boards. to make them look a little more polished and pretty, i used gold glitter tape (1”) around each edge; it was the perfect finishing touch. i punched holes in both corners and used wire to hang the signs from the large special event tent.

i had to get a little creative with the LONG “snowcones” signage. to make the foam core backer long enough, i used a square piece of white vinyl on the front and back. That created a large enough seal to stabilize the entire length of the 2 boards combined into one sign.

i have already re-used the signs a couple of times, so i plan to keep them safe for future use! The 12” Marquee Letters are available at Michaels. others may be found in craft stores and online retailers!

to create very beautiful, elegant and affordable centerpieces we decided to go with live succulents and add in mini copper lights.   our plan was to have about 12 tables that would need centerpieces, so we gathered up different size vases and jars. some of the tables would be the smaller “tall boy” style, and some were the full 8’ rounds, so it made sense to create clusters of jars on some, and larger single jars on others.

we bought ‘value’ sets of succulent plants from Home Depot and extra potting mix. we grouped jars, and styles of plants that created contrast and looked good together. as we planted them into the jars, we also added a battery pack for the mini copper lights into the soil, then loosely added the lights around the plants. The result was fantastic!

we hot glued little clips to skewers and added mini instax photos into the jars here and there… as the evening started to dim, the mini lights did an amazing job of being beautiful and magical!

shortly after this wedding, i was able to lend out my set of mini lights, and use the marquee letters in different ways! these solutions are great for using and re-using. they are easy enough solutions for any type of party décor, not just weddings! lights make EVERYTHING more beautiful!

this marquee chalk board sign was such a great way to draw attention to the party!

i used outdoor round bulb strands to light the board.

tomorrow i will be sharing a high impact way to incorporate PHOTOS into the decor and ambiance of any special event! see you tomorrow!

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