Wedding and event lighting installation across metro Atlanta
Cafe string lights over the reception, warm light inside the tent, uplit oaks behind the ceremony, and a lit path back to the cars, hung by the same insured crews that have installed holiday lighting on 7,500+ metro Atlanta homes since 2018. We supply commercial-grade LED product, install the day before or the morning of, and take everything down after. Send the venue address, a photo, and the date for a free written quote.
Event lighting from a crew that hangs lights for a living
We are best known in metro Atlanta for Christmas lights. Since 2018 our crews have hung holiday lighting on 7,500+ homes from Cumming down to Buckhead, and the habits that work built carry straight over to a wedding or a party: commercial-grade LED product we supply ourselves, rigging that never puts a staple or screw into a shingle or gutter, cord runs planned around the outlets that exist, and a timer set before the crew leaves. The difference is the calendar. A holiday display has to survive six weeks of weather. An event install has to look right for one evening and photograph well, then be gone the next morning.
Most requests fall into a short list. Cafe string lights, the G50 globe or S14 Edison-style bulbs on black cord that people picture over a reception, run as a canopy or a zigzag above the tables and the dance floor. Tent lighting, strung along the rafters of a frame tent or draped in swags from the crown. Pergola and arbor lighting for the ceremony or a patio bar. Uplights and trunk wraps on the trees that frame the ceremony site, so the background of every photo has depth after sunset. And pathway and entrance lighting, so guests can find the driveway and the restroom trailer without a phone flashlight.
Color temperature decides how the night looks in pictures more than bulb count does. We install 2700K warm white for nearly every event, the same warmth as an old incandescent bulb, because phone cameras and wedding photographers alike render it as flattering skin tone rather than the blue-gray cast a 4000K or 5000K bulb throws. Where a client wants a candlelit look, 2200K amber does that. What we steer people away from is mixing temperatures across one space, because the eye forgives it and the camera does not.
Event dates book around our holiday season. From March into early October the calendar is open, and a backyard wedding in Roswell or a rehearsal dinner in Decatur can usually be scheduled a few weeks out. From late October into December our crews are on rooflines six days a week, so November and December event dates are limited and should be asked about as soon as the date is set. Corporate holiday parties are the exception we plan for, since that lighting often goes up with a building's seasonal display and comes down with it in January.
Commercial-grade product, off our truck
Every strand, bulb, guide wire, and uplight comes off our truck. The bistro cord is commercial SPT-2 with shatterproof LED bulbs, not the retail sets that lose a socket in the first rain. Nothing is bought or stored on your side. After the event the crew packs it all back onto the truck, down to the last cable tie.
Rigging that leaves no marks on the venue
The no-staples, no-screws rule from our roofline work applies to your venue too. Spans hang from tensioned guide wire, from existing structure, or from temporary poles we bring. Tents are lit with the clips and ties the tent company allows. Trees get a loose loop with a spacer, never a cinched strap. On Monday morning the venue looks the way it did before we came.
Power mapped before install day
We count outlets on the site visit, map each run to a GFCI-protected circuit, and keep every plug lifted off the ground and out of foot traffic. LED bulbs draw a fraction of a watt apiece, so a normal backyard's outdoor outlets usually carry the whole design. A generator enters the plan only when a site has no power at all, and then it is a quiet inverter model placed well away from the tables.
Fully insured, and gone by morning
Our crews are fully insured, and venues that ask for a certificate of insurance before load-in can have ours. Install happens the day before or the morning of the event, with a timer set before we leave so the lights come on at dusk without anyone flipping a switch. Teardown is the next morning, or that night if the venue requires it, and we haul everything out.
Cafe lights over a backyard reception, span by span
A reception canopy starts with a sketch of the tables and the dance floor, because the lights belong over where people sit and dance, not over the open lawn. From the sketch we lay out runs: a zigzag from the house to the tree line, a square canopy between four poles, or parallel lines down a long tent. Anything over 20 to 25 feet goes on a tensioned guide wire with turnbuckles, so the cord hangs from the wire instead of holding itself up. Spacing is typically 24 inches for a dense, low ceiling of light over a small patio and 36 inches for a wide canopy where tighter spacing would start to look like a runway. Bulbs are 2700K LED and shatterproof, so a tossed bouquet or a gust of wind never leaves glass on the dance floor. If the patio is staying lit after the wedding, our patio and bistro string light installation page covers the permanent version.
Lighting the ceremony site: trees, arbors, and the walk back
Ceremonies in metro Atlanta tend to start in golden hour and end at dusk, which means the trees behind the couple go dark right as the party photos begin. Two things fix that. Uplights at the base of the trunks, set low and aimed into the canopy, give the background depth. Trunk wraps on the two or three trees closest to the couple put warm light at eye level for everything shot after the exit. The technique is the one we use for tree wrapping and landscape lighting each December, with the strand spiraled tight and the cord hidden on the back side of the trunk. An arbor or pergola takes a single run along its top rail. The path from the ceremony to the reception gets stake lights or a low string along a fence, so the walk is lit without glare in anyone's eyes. Uplights and wraps run off the same GFCI plan as the canopy, on their own run where the distance calls for it.
From site visit to teardown: how an event install runs
It begins with a site visit, in person for larger events, from photos and a venue diagram for a backyard. We measure the spans, count mounting points, find the outlets, and note where the caterer and the band will set up so no cord crosses their path. The written quote comes back itemized by element. Install is the day before whenever the venue's load-in window allows it, which gives us full daylight and a night to see the lights on before your guests do. If the venue only opens the morning of, we start early and finish before the other vendors arrive. HOA rules rarely touch a one-night backyard event, but if your neighborhood restricts poles or lighting we will say so before anything is booked. Couples who want the house itself lit for the photos sometimes pair the event with permanent roofline lighting, which holds a warm white scene from an app. Teardown is the next morning, or that night if the contract requires it.
Backyard weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate parties, and community events
Backyard weddings in Alpharetta and Johns Creek are the largest share of what we light, with a canopy or tent over the reception and a lit walk from the driveway. Rehearsal dinners and engagement parties are smaller: a patio, one canopy, uplights on a couple of trees, and everything down the next day. Corporate holiday parties in Buckhead and Marietta usually pair with a building's seasonal display, which we already handle through commercial Christmas light installation, so the party lighting goes up with it. Community events, from a neighborhood block party to a church festival, need durable product and careful cord management in foot traffic more than anything else. For any of them, send the venue address, a daytime photo of the space, the guest count and rough layout, and the date through the contact form, or call or text (470) 777-7443. A free, written quote usually comes back within one business day.
Event lighting questions from couples, planners, and hosts
What people ask before booking string lights for a wedding or party in metro Atlanta.
How much does wedding lighting cost in metro Atlanta?
Each event is quoted on its own, from measured span length, the mounting points available, bulb spacing, and power access, so there is no price chart. The quote is free, written, and itemized, so a lit pathway or a second tent can be kept or cut and you watch the number move. Call or text (470) 777-7443 or send photos through the contact form, and it usually comes back within one business day.
Do you light tents, and will the tent company allow it?
Yes. Frame tents are the easiest, because lights can run along the exposed rafters or hang in swags from the crown with tent-safe clips. Pole tents need the runs planned around the center poles and the tension lines. We coordinate with the tent company on what hardware they permit and on the load-in window, since the tent has to be up before we can light it.
What happens if it rains on the day of the event?
The lights are fine. Commercial-grade cord and LED bulbs are outdoor-rated, and every connection is lifted off the ground and wrapped, so the usual rain problem is a tripped GFCI, which we head off by splitting runs across outlets. Crews work in light rain but come down in lightning, which is one reason we prefer installing the day before rather than the morning of.
How far ahead should event lighting be booked?
Spring through early fall, three to six weeks is usually enough for a backyard wedding or a party. November and December are our holiday install season, so event dates in those months are limited and worth asking about as soon as the date is set. Corporate holiday parties are often lit alongside a building's seasonal display, which is the simplest way to get a December date.
Can you light a yard that has nothing to attach to?
Yes. A cafe light span needs a fixed point every 20 to 25 feet or so, and where there is no tree, fence post, or eave at the right spot, we bring temporary poles in weighted bases, or set guyed poles for a larger canopy. The cord then hangs from a tensioned guide wire between them, so the wire carries the load and the strand only carries bulbs. A site photo tells us how many poles the layout needs.
Is this the same crew that installs the Christmas lights?
It is. Holiday lighting is what we are best known for, with 7,500+ metro Atlanta homes since 2018, and event work uses the same insured crews and commercial-grade product under the same rigging rules. We are not a decor company; florals and draping come from someone else. We hang lights well and take them down cleanly.
Get a free event lighting quote for your date
Send the venue address, a daytime photo of the space, the guest count and layout, and the date through the contact form, or call or text (470) 777-7443, Monday through Saturday, 8 AM to 7 PM. A written, itemized quote usually comes back within one business day. Spring through early fall dates book easiest; ask early for anything in November or December.