What is uplighting by the way? It’s like decorating a college dorm room with lights to make it look cool, except uplighting looks professional. Being in NE Ohio and the Cleveland suburbs, I DJ many wedding receptions at barns. If you’re planning to do the same, remember uplighting works better on white walls than wooden walls.

The problem is that wood is dark, not reflecting color well and absorbing much of the light. If you want uplighting in a barn, I’m not saying it won’t work, but maybe select a bright warm color like champagne. That color will match the warmness of the wood and reflect more light; it’s subtle but does look nice. If you’re wanting a color like navy blue, white walls will simply do a better job at showing off the color.

Venues sometimes provide uplighting as an add-on. They can match whatever color you’re looking for. However, I do have a couple issues with them.

One is that a dark dance floor is usually more inviting to shy dancers. Unfortunately the venue's uplights are almost always left on once the dancing starts (full brightness too). The venue typically has one person who knows how to operate the lights, and that person probably won’t be there during your reception.

The second reason I prefer my uplights is the large level of control I have over them. I can dim them, sync them up to the music, or turn the whole room blue if playing the song "I'm Blue”. I can have them change colors slowly during a couple’s dance or strobe them at exciting moments. Mostly though, I can ensure the dance floor feels comfortable so the guests can lose themselves and have a blast.

A DJ could bring a GigBAR as a cheap lighting option. These have seven different lights all packed together on one stand. It’s super simple to set up and cost around $750. It may look a little cheesy with the lasers and might not be bright enough for larger situations.

On the other hand, a DJ could spend around $1500 - $3500 just for one light. Yes, there are drastically different levels of lighting. I have some lights like this. If you put your hand in front of the spotlight, even 10 feet away, you’ll feel heat. And don’t look into them, you’ll start burning your eyes.

Just because the DJ has nice lights doesn’t mean you’ll get a good light show. Both of the above options have built in light shows, but only using those limits potential. DMX lets DJ’s wirelessly control the lights themselves. For instance, if I play the song “Dancing in the Moonlight”, I can make it look like there is a moon on the ceiling. If I play “Fireball”, I can make the room red with flickering uplights to represent flames. I can place a spotlight on the dance floor during specialty dances. I can achieve a disco ball effect when starting a slow dance. The options are endless. But I must take to time to set all these options. Once I do, they become available with a click of a button.

Just recently, “Hang-on Sloopy” played during dinner. Everyone started loudly singing, “O,H,I,O” during the chorus (it’s an Ohio thing). With the click of a button, I was able to add fun lighting just while they sang each chorus. It was very impromptu, but added a lot of energy to what was happening.

Again, get a DJ who has great lights with great programming.