It might seem like a cliché, but there’s something magical about fairy lights. They’re small and delicate to look at, but when wrapped around a tree, a banister, a pillar, or even a building, they add something that leaves people in awe. Traditionally, they are associated with Christmas, notably with the adorned pine in the corner with presents underneath, and strands of blue, pink, green, and yellow lights embracing it. They may be flashing or they may be steady, but they are nevertheless hard to miss.
Versatility Beyond Christmas
It is not just the Christmas tree that benefits from the lighting effect, of course, with outdoor Christmas lights used to illuminate homes during the festive season. However, this is not the only time of year that these lights can be utilized. In fact, they can be used for any event and for almost any reason. Red lights can add ambiance to a romantic location, while multicolored strings of lights can bring cheer to a birthday party. When it comes to a wedding, arguably the biggest single day in a life, wedding lights can add more magic to the celebration.
The list of events that can be enhanced through the use of lights is almost endless. The reason is their ability to capture the imagination, even of an adult. The history of the lights themselves reveals that they were not invented for practical purposes in the first place. The owner of the Savoy Theatre in London requested that a set of miniature electric lights be made for a production of Iolanthe, by Gilbert and Sullivan, in 1882. Their purpose was to enhance the costumes of the fairies in the operetta, which ultimately earned them the name they have today.
Enhancing Weddings with Fairy Lights
When it comes to a wedding, it is normal to plan everything down to the smallest detail. Logistically, the whole event is often run with almost military precision, and the stress in the months leading up to the big day can be high. Increasingly, couples and wedding planners are opting to enhance the mood of the reception party to promote a more relaxed feel and allow the bride and groom to enjoy their evening all the more.
Lights are essential in creating that enhanced mood, with soft tones encouraging a calmer effect and helping to create a warmer emotion. These complement the event, but there is a selection of styles and colors to choose from to ensure the right effect is promoted.
For example, net and curtain lights provide glamorous backdrops for photographs during the party, while battery lights that are powered simply by a couple of ordinary pencil batteries, allow individual tables to sparkle throughout the night. Colors can range from warm white to a more contemporary shade of pink, ensuring that all individual tastes can be catered for.
The Role of Fairy Lights in Festive Decor
Of course, Christmas trees are synonymous with a sense of good times. Between the presents at their base and the colorful trinkets and streamers that decorate it, for most of us, there is an immediate association with family, friends, food, song, and happiness. The lights that adorn the tree itself play no small part in establishing that feeling. The same can certainly be said for the room in which it is situated, which is often decorated with lights stretching across window frames and over wall paintings.
Outdoors, the effect can be far greater, as outdoor Christmas lights include ropes and nets of flashing multicolored or clear white lights stretching around entire homes. Lights are also specially designed to mimic icicles, which can then be hung along veranda roofs or above window sills. The extent of the Christmas light decoration can be staggering, but for millions of families around the country, it adds to the excitement of preparations and the sense of celebration.
Fairy Lights for Every Occasion
Even so, there are fairy lights for parties of any type and description. From the university students who simply need to add something amusing to their campus room to the debutante who desires a curtain of clear white lights to add that extra elegance to a photograph background, there are lights for everyone. An anniversary party can be enriched with wedding lights, while sometimes no reason proves to be a convincing excuse to put up last year’s Christmas lights to add an extra sparkle to the day. It never has to be only for a Christmas tree.
