Festoon Lighting

[Pimp My Wedding]

Hello! I need some help pretty please! I'm adding festoon lighting on as an additional hire/installation service to my (quirky) Wedding Planning.
I have some clients already asking me for lighting for their wedding in 2 weeks.

Most of my weddings are barn weddings, so the lights will be installed around barn beams and along the edge of flint walls and barns

Can anyone give me a heads-up if I'm thinking along the right lines?

• Buy in 10-20m lengths (so I can connect them together when a longer length is needed) - I want about 80m in total
• 50cm or 75cm spacing between lights
• LED warm white clear LED filament golf ball bulbs
• IP55 rated
• Black rubber cable
• 3m extension to first bulb

Questions:

• What's the best way of attaching them around beams (where nails are not allowed) - large cable ties?
• Do I need wire rope to reinforce?

Can anyone recommend a good supplier? 

I've found two companies which I think look good:

Turnocks https://www.turnock.co.uk/festoon-weddings-and-parties/ 

The Outside Light Specialist https://www.tols.co.uk/collections/azur-range-connectable-festoon-lighting-with-15-bulbs-per-10m/products/connectable-azur-outdoor-fixed-cable-with-15-led-bulbs-per-10m?variant=42942576886011

 

The latter is half the price! Can anyone spot why?

Sorry for all the questions! Thanks in advance for any answers ✌️

[Brian]

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/PLPH10BC.html

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/PLPH20BC.html

[sandall]

https://www.lights4fun.co.uk/

In answer to your final question - the word "wedding" automatically doubles all prices.

 

 

[Bryson]

As someone who has done this several times, take your best guess for how long this will take you to install, then double it.  Suspending multiple things from overhead always takes way longer than you might think.

I favoured #8 sash cord in assorted lengths over cable ties...much easier to strike if you tie it in a bow.

 

[sunray]

16 minutes ago, Bryson said:

As someone who has done this several times, take your best guess for how long this will take you to install, then double it.  Suspending multiple things from overhead always takes way longer than you might think.

I favoured #8 sash cord in assorted lengths over cable ties...much easier to strike if you tie it in a bow.

 

I tend to use 4 or 5mm paracord. For this sort of work I never, never use cable ties, far too time consuming and environmentally unfriendly.

[kerry davies]

Black paracord is good, as are Lights4Fun and what Bryson says about time is right, you always need more, but why festoons? The wedding venue branch of our family use masses of sparkley-twinkley fairy lights in white, veritable flocks of uplighters and miles of ropelight with a very small fixed overhead rig over the dancefloor. Festoons they use for walkways around lakes, woodland and glamping pods. 

I have a thing about festoons after running 12 kms of the stuff through woodland over hill and dale in the rain but for me it is a tad "industrial" for a classy wedding. 

[themadhippy]

Bit small for beams,but for smaller stuff these bungys are great for holding cabling and lightweight stuff  up, much quicker to rig and derig  than  tying bows in para cord

 

[kerry davies]

Tarp bungees like those can be commonly found to stretch up to 18 inches but you can buy the bungee cord and make your own to whatever length you like. Hooked bungees are available in far more varieties. We used to have heavy duty home-made ones to hold a bundle of 10 x 2" ali tubes together.

God call, Hippy

[the kid]

21 hours ago, kerry davies said:

Black paracord is good, as are Lights4Fun and what Bryson says about time is right, you always need more, but why festoons? The wedding venue branch of our family use masses of sparkley-twinkley fairy lights in white, veritable flocks of uplighters and miles of ropelight with a very small fixed overhead rig over the dancefloor. Festoons they use for walkways around lakes, woodland and glamping pods. 

I have a thing about festoons after running 12 kms of the stuff through woodland over hill and dale in the rain but for me it is a tad "industrial" for a classy wedding. 

We were using 100m + years ago for weddings, the whole antique style lamp is really in STILL after however long its been about. "old" lamps have gone away (looking at you picklepatt et al) but the filament lamps are still going strong, and in the right place they look really nice, especially over a other room lighting options for barns etc.