Frequently Asked Questions

Every wedding is unique and special. Please feel free to use the contact page to ask us anything. Hopefully the common questions listed below can help with some of the beginning steps you are taking in the planning process.
Pricing
  • Our weddings start at $400 for the Duluth area.. Larger rooms can start at $500 or $600 for just the basic up lighting package around the room. Other lighting options can be added depending on the venue. The average wedding lighting package can cost between $400 and $1,200 depending on the size of the room and how many extras you want to add on. Your price quote is based on the venue you choose.
Do you travel?
  • Yes, Duluth Event Lighting does travel and covers a large area. We do ask for a $100 per hour driving away from the Duluth, MN area.
How far out should I book?
  • Each year we have more weddings than in the past. As soon as you book your reception venue, our advice is you should book with us as well.

When will you set up my wedding?

We can have several weddings in a single day to set up. Each venue also has different rules about when a vendor can get in to set up. The problem with the schedule is we do not know if we might be able to set up your Saturday wedding on Friday until the week of your wedding. Some venues offer you the ability to rent the Friday as well, or you take your chance and hope that no wedding booked the day before. Our advice is that if you are offered the ability to rent the day before....do it! We make every effort to set up early if the venue will allow us to. Keep in mind that a venue will not know for certain that the day before your wedding is open until the month or week before your wedding.When it comes to several weddings having to be set up in a single day, there is an order we have to go with. Weddings with bistro on the ceiling must get set up first so that other vendors can do table settings. Ceiling lighting must be set up before large flowers and glassware is set on the tables. It has become popular to have the wedding ceremony in the same space as your reception.. A wedding with guests arriving at 2 for a ceremony will be placed before a wedding with guests arriving at 5 just for the dinner. The important timeline is to be done before guests arrive. At peak season, we have had ten weddings in a single day
What color can I choose?
  • Our lighting is LED based so you can pretty much choose any color you want. There are only two exceptions: black and metalics. We are not able to add any black to a color to darken it. Colors like navy and burgundy are not possible. We have had really good success with doing a dim red for weddings that want cranberry or burgundy. However, a dim blue does not work for trying to look like navy. Metalic colors like gold and silver would be yellow and white. We have had good success in getting the color tone right for a gold being somwhere between an orange and yellow.
A quick note: the warm white, champagne white, and soft white are bright colors. Your DJ likes a dark dance floor later on in the evening. Just something to think about.
What about the weather?
  • Some venues have outdoor areas for weddings with a room inside if the weather turns nasty. We will charge based on what we are decorating. A good example is a golf course with the beautiful outside patio and then the room inside. If we light up the outside patio and then it starts raining, we will not be able to come quickly and decorate inside during your reception. The best option is to decorate both locations so that if you do suddenly need to move indoors, your party will continue seamlessly. Depending on the price quote we gave you, we can offer you the option to choose one or the other before the lighting is set up, contingent on gear availability.


What is your refund policy?
  • The deposit you paid to get on the books as a confirmed wedding is nonrefundable. Some wedding vendors have the deposit be a percentage of the total amount, we don't feel that's fair. We do a flat rate of $200 for the deposit. We ask for payment in full be due one month before your wedding date. If you do pay the full amount early, we will refund your money (minus the $200) up to that one month before your wedding date.
What if I put my wedding on hold?
  • We will honor your deposit and will transfer your info to a new date if and when your wedding planning resumes. Please let us know when you resume the planning as soon as possible so that we can make sure the date is available.
What ceiling treatments do you do?
  • We do not do any fabric ceiling treatments. We can give you recommendations on good companies in town that do. We stick to just lights, so we can offer christmas lights and bistro lights. Some venues are better than others for lights hanging from the ceiling. Both bistro lights and pinspots hang from the ceiling. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are great for projecting a gobo patter on to it. Ask us if your venue is good for any ceiling lighting.
Do you give a military discount?
  • Yes. To qualify for a military discount either the bride or the groom must be an active military personnel. The discount will be 50% off a lighting upgrade like pinspots or bistro. A monogram gobo cannot be discounted because it is a custom order.
What if my DJ offers up lighting?
more comparisons
  • Many DJ's are offering lighting packages. Make sure you know how many they are offering. Most will offer 5 or 8 lights. If that's all you want, that's fine with us. Duluth Event Lighting focuses on the entire room so we normally start with 30 or 40 lights, depending on the room. There is a difference in the quality of up lighting gear as well. Cheap up lighting that most DJ's get can only offer 7 colors, and will not be able to produce the champagne and warm white colors. Going with us will always give you better quality and quantity. There are also many more lighting options like bistro, monograms and pinspots that enhance the lighting decor we offer. Lighting is so important that a recent WeddingWire article about DJ "add on services" says: "While we do recommend hiring a company that specializes in lighting for more extensive needs..." and " you’re better suited to hire a professional lighting company." Please check out our partner page for a list of DJ's that we love working with.
How do you light at Tent?
  • Outdoor tent weddings: there are about a dozen different ways to light up a tent wedding. Most of our gear that we use for tent weddings are outdoor rated. We take extra time to make sure that every connection is taped up so that no water can get in and trip any GFI outlet. Tents can have lighting on the ground at the edges, mounted to the poles and pointed up at the ceiling, or bistro strung in the air. We work with your tent provider because some options require special power to be run while the tent is being built.