Audio and Visual Equipment
Decorative tent lighting available in multiple styles, plus an all-in-one speaker & microphone system available for backyard parties.
Microphone and Speaker System (Karaoke and Music): $90
LED Can Lights: $10 Each
Lighted Fog Machine: $25
LED Fairy Light Walls: $15
Orange Extension Chord: $5
String Lights are available on the tent rentals page when you add a tent to your cart. String lights are not available for separate rentals.
How Many Lights Do I Need?
One stressful part of choosing a tent rental size is also figuring out how many lights you need. Thankfully, our lighting packages are designed specifically to work with all of our tent rentals. If you’re still not sure how many lights you need or are not renting a tent, we’ve provided some helpful advice below.
Accounting for Height and Arc
A good rule of thumb is that if you are hanging string lights in a straight line, you want to add extra length to account for height. For example, if you are stringing string lights along poles that are fifty feet apart, a 50-foot strand of lights is not going to fit. You need to add an additional 2 to 7 feet to account for the arc that the string lights will hang on. For longer distances, tack on even more lights, such as an additional 10 feet if you’re hanging lights down a 100-foot path walkway.
Bulb Type
The type of light you choose will also impact how many you require. There are many bulb styles to choose from that can be confusing when marketed. Generally, the three most common include:
- Standard String Lights: Often called bistro lights, these lights offer great illumination and can be used to create exquisite lighting patterns. The two most common bulbs include your standard LED bulb or your Edison bulb, with the latter providing slightly higher illumination.
- Globe Lights: Globe lights are string lights with thicker bulbs and higher wattage output. For this reason, using globe lights typically requires less lights to achieve the same level of illumination.
- Fairy Lights: Composed of smaller LEDs, these thin strands of string lights give off less light, but provide a unique appearance like sparkles–hence the name!
If you want to achieve higher light output with less lights, you can also tack on paper lanterns, candles, or wall-mounted lanterns that provide a classy and elegant look.
Choosing Your Lighting Style
If you are renting a tent, you will need to decide what string light pattern you will be using. The four most common string light patterns include:
- Perimeter Lighting: Lights are strung across the perimeter of your tent in a linear setup. Simply add up to the length and width of all sides of the tent to get your calculation. Globe lights and traditional string lights are very popular for this lighting style.
- Example: 20x40 Tent: 120 Feet of String Lights
- Corner to Peak Lighting: This lighting setup covers the perimeter of your tent and then typically features two peaks in the middle with lights that expand to all four corners. You will need to add up the perimeter measurements of the tent and then have enough lights that can cover double the length of the tent.
- Example: 20x20 Tent: Roughly 200 Feet of String Lights
- Radial Lighting: Similar to corner-to-peak lighting, radial lighting patterns fan out from the corner poles and attach to any interior poles or wires in the center. Consider adding the length of the perimeter lights with a strand of lights that runs anywhere from twice to two and half the length of the space.
- Example: 20x20 Tent: Roughly 220-240 Feet of String Lights
- Parallel Lighting: Parallel lighting runs parallel in lines across the length of the tent or venue. Fairy lights are very popular for this style.
- Example: 20x40 Tent: Anywhere from 100 to 200 Feet of String Lights
The more complex your lighting pattern, the more lights you will require.
Remember, it’s always better to have too many lights then to have too little.
How to Create Atmosphere with Lights
If you want to create an atmospheric setting, you can also experiment with other lighting options, including LED uplights, which work similarly to landscaping lights and flood lights.
Our multicolored LED uplights can be positioned on the ground and tilted to illuminate a wall or attached to our tent trusses using specialty light clamps to create a night club type atmosphere.
Of course, if you're looking for a decorative aspect to your tent wedding, you can't go wrong with our white paper lanterns. This lanterns can be hung at varying heights and strung together to illuminate your wedding. Experts vary on how much you need, but with our 24" lights you will only require 6-9 lanterns for every 200 square feet of space.
Book Your Special Day!
Whether you’re planning your dream wedding or a fun backyard party, 11:11 Event Rentals offers quality and affordable party rental equipment to make your big day feel special. Our competitive pricing and chic products help you throw a custom and classy event without breaking the bank.