Light string rental

What light strings are

Light strings are cables with small lamps attached at regular intervals, which you span across a space, a terrace or a marquee. They are among the most recognisable forms of atmospheric lighting, and that is not without reason: with a few strings you make a bare spot warm and inviting in one go. Where much lighting is meant to pick something out, light strings do something else. They fill the space itself with small warm points of light, creating an atmosphere you cannot achieve with a single lamp.

The effect is strongest when you span the strings as a ceiling across a space. Above a dance floor, a dinner table or a terrace they then form a roof of warm lights that draws the gaze upwards and makes the whole place intimate. That soft, fairy-tale glow works almost always, whether it is a wedding, a garden party or a drinks reception. It is one of the few forms of lighting that almost everyone immediately experiences as cosy.

Light strings come in various forms. Some have larger atmospheric lamps with a pronounced warm glow, others consist of fine, closely spaced points of light that give a softer, more refined atmosphere. Which version suits best depends on the space and the atmosphere you have in mind. A large hall or marquee often calls for sturdier strings, while fine lights come into their own beautifully in an intimate setting.

Where you use light strings

Light strings suit events where warmth and cosiness come first. At a wedding they are a classic choice: spanned above the dinner tables or the dance floor, they give the evening a romantic, warm atmosphere that comes through beautifully in the photos. In a marquee or a barn at an outdoor location they turn a bare space into an atmospheric party spot in one go.

At a party or company celebration light strings provide a cosy base on which you build the rest of the lighting. They give the space a warm ground tone, while colour accents and moving light play over them. At a corporate event with an informal character, such as a drinks reception or a summer event, they make the atmosphere looser and more inviting than tight room lighting does.

Outdoors light strings come into their own particularly well. Above a terrace, through the trees in a garden or along a facade they give an outdoor space a warm, festive appearance after sunset. Beyond that you see them at receptions, anniversaries, garden parties and openings. Anywhere you want to create a lot of atmosphere over a large area with simple resources, light strings are the logical choice.

The technology behind a clean result

Hanging and tensioning

The difference between beautiful and sloppy light strings lies in how they hang. Strings that sag or hang crooked look messy, while taut strings give calm and class. That is why we span light strings from suitable fixing points or from a tensioned steel cable that bears the weight, so they stay straight and taut along the whole length. We choose the fixing points carefully, with attention to the structure and the load, so everything hangs safely and neatly.

Power supply and safety

Light strings need power, and we tuck that supply away safely and neatly. We route the cables along edges and structures, out of sight and out of the walking routes, so no risk arises and the picture stays clean. For outdoor use we deploy weatherproof strings that withstand rain and moisture, and we protect the connections from water. That attention to safe power and fixing is at least as important with light strings as the appearance.

Warm light and dimmability

The atmosphere of light strings comes from the warm light of the small lamps, which is reminiscent of candlelight. Many of our strings are dimmable, so you can match the atmosphere to the moment: full light at the arrival and softer as the evening becomes more intimate. If you want the light strings to connect with the rest of the lighting, we match them from the same lighting plan, so the warm ground tone and the other fixtures form a coherent whole.

Design matched to the space

A successful setup with light strings begins with the space itself. We look at the shape and the height, at the available fixing points and at the way you use the space. Above a dance floor a dense web of strings that forms a real ceiling of light works well, while above a long dinner table you instead span parallel runs that follow the table. In a garden you follow the natural lines of trees and paths. Every space calls for its own pattern.

At the same time we think about the density and the height of the strings. Strings spanned high give a subtle ceiling, strings spanned lower make the space cosy and enclosing instead. The density of the points of light determines how full and warm the picture becomes. We match those choices to the dimensions of the space and the atmosphere you are after, so the strings are not just hung up but really suit the spot.

Setup, testing and operation on site

On the day itself we hang the light strings according to the design, span them taut from the fixing points and lay the power supply safely. Then we test the whole thing, check that all the small lamps burn and that the strings hang neatly and taut, and adjust the brightness until the atmosphere is right. That check on site ensures the picture is polished and that nothing fails during your event.

During the event we can make the lighting move along with the evening, brighter at the start and softer later, or we set everything fixed. For a managed production we combine the light strings with the rest of the atmospheric and show lighting, driven from a single plan.

If you only want to collect and hang some light strings yourself, individual rental without support is available through SpeakerVerhuur.nl, the webshop of Speaker Verhuur Amsterdam. If you are after a managed result where the design, the safe hanging and the power are arranged, HuurAV takes the design, the setup, the testing and the operation entirely off your hands. Request a no-obligation quote.