Let there be light!

Having our wedding in my parent's backyard has a few added quirks to deal with. I have already posted about needing restrooms for our guests and how we are responsible for everything, even food (no catering manager to complain too - bummer!). One additional thing that I have had to think about is lighting. With an indoor venue that isn't something you have to worry about. Even major outdoor venues have already planned to have lighting for you. Not so much in my parent's backyard.

Originally I was just gonna throw white Christmas lights at the problem. That should fix it right? Nope, not really ... you need a power source for those. The added draw on the power from the house could easily trip a breaker. The last thing I would want is for the DJ to start playing and everything go dark because we tripped the breaker. In fact the DJ has already asked that he be on a dedicated power source so that he doesn't have problems with his equipment.

{source}

We can use some christmas lights ... but it will need to be done selectively. I have already started to incorporate candles into my centerpiece design, so that will help with the lighting at the individual tables. That still leaves the tent and the dance floor. Enter Mrs Tiramisu and her wonderful and informative posts about lighting her tent. Her tent was much bigger then we will be having, but the process is still the same. We will be making LED Thowies and using various sizes of paper lanterns to acheive this look


{Mrs Tiramsu's photos}

It makes me smile just to see them all hanging in the day light!

I did some searching on ebay today, my go to source for supplies. Here is what I found
200 10mm White Diffused LED Bulbs $30.00
2 x 100 Lithium CR2032 Cell Button Coin Battery $34.00
both have a free shipping offer!!
Total $64 for 200 throwies = $0.32 each!!

I am still pricing lanterns and trying to figure our what size I will need. Once I find the cheapest source I will buy my supplies and get to work. They don't look too hard to make.

Have you found any inspiring ideas at the hive??