Uplighting is something that has become very popular. It helps transforms boring rooms, sets the mood for other rooms, and can help paint your event any color you’d like. Lots of companies have popped up offering what looks like a great deal on DIY uplighting. They show some great photos and great reviews. Most people equate do it yourself with being able to save a nice chunk of money, but this isn’t so with uplighting!

 

DIY uplighting companies cover shipping both ways and offer lighting for $15-25 per light.  A typical 20 light setup from one of these DIY companies costs anywhere from $300-$500.  That alone is a pretty big range, lets take a closer look about why there is a range. Generally speaking, the lights on the lower end of the cost range are RGB 10mm lights. Whoa, we just got too technical, lets translate. The cheaper lights use a couple hundred individual LED diode that have Red, Green, and Blue.  The image below shows exactly what many of these look like, except in our photo it is an uplight that also has Amber.

Looks kind of pretty, right? Well it is, if you look at the light, but you don’t want to look at the uplight itself, you want to see how it looks on a wall/ceiling, because the purpose is to make the room look great.  If you want only a Red, a Green, or a Blue uplight, you will probably be relatively happy with the results. If you want a different shade of any of those colors, or if you want a mix of colors, such as Aqua, Pink, Purple, etc, the results will leave a lot to be desired.  As you can see in the photo below, the colors don’t mix very well. You can clearly see some green and some red on the wall in this photo.

What about the $25 lights, those must be better right?  Well yes, based on our research, they are.  They are utilizing Tri or sometimes Quad LED lights.  Whoa more tech speak, lets make some sense out of it. These more expensive rental lights have high power LED chips that contain RGB or sometimes RGBA within 1 single diode.  This means near perfect color mixing to provide great results.

Great, so you should rent the more expensive lights and everything will be perfect, right? Well, we want your business so no, they are horrible you won’t be happy! Okay okay, maybe you should, but what else should you know to help you decide?

  1. All of the DIY rental companies online with the exception of one, that we’re aware of, provide plug-in uplights.  That means you need to crawl around on your hands and knees plugging in the lights, or you’re asking a friend to do it for you. Then you’re doing it again to clean them up.
  2. Speaking of cleanup. Do you have someone who will be responsible enough to clean them up? Will the venue let you leave them there overnight?
  3. Where are the outlets located? Close enough to where you want the lights? Who is going to tape down the power cables if you have to run distances? You don’t want anyone tripping over the wires!
  4. You asked for pink uplights, but after placing them down you decide you don’t really like the look, will you be able to change the shade? The option menus on the lights are not user friendly, especially if you want a shade outside of the 7-15 standard colors that are preconfigured on most lights.

It will take you 45 minutes – 1 1/2 hours to put properly place 20 uplights, that you’ve just spent $500 on.  How much if we do the work? You’ll find our price, for the same amount of lights, to be only about $150 more than what you’d rent it for, yup for right around $650 you get 20 lights, setup, cleanup, and delivery in most of North Jersey. We do travel outside of North Jersey, even outside of New Jersey, but may impose a travel fee.
We also use among the highest quality uplights, these lights have HEX LEDs. Instead of just Red, Green, Blue, and Amber in one diode, they also have white and UV, which provides an even wider range of colors. You’re also hiring a professional company. We come prepared and will place lights with a wider beam, providing a bigger wash of light, where appropriate, to really help your room look amazing, and full of color.

Visit our NJ Event Lighting Quote website for a free no-obligation quote for your event. We don’t even ask for your phone number, no annoying sales calls from us!