How Wedding Monogram Lighting Works (Top Ideas)

Do you want to see your names light up your event like a searchlight?

Display

your name

anywhere…

How you do it is by shining lights at your wedding with an indoor monogram projector. The easiest way to describe custom word lighting is a gobo disc that projects light to show names on dance floors & walls.

this is the best guide online for wedding monogram lights

There are many types of monogram projectors available. Gobo monogram lighting first starts with a design.

What is a Monogram

At this point, you are probably wondering, ‘what’s a monogram’? A monogram is a digital logo created to help brand your event. It is a combination of names, initials, & dates as a unique design.

This branded design is then used on printed physical objects to make your wedding feel more cohesive. There are many monogram types. You can keep it simple or more ornate.

the type of monogram gobo you design may have benefits

What we love about using a monogram in lighting is that your name is a visible design in your photos. Renting a gobo projector is just one more way to help tell your story during your dances & speeches. Learn more about our digital monogram creation service.

Wedding Monogram Ideas

Now let’s go over monogram design examples. In the photo below we have (27) FREE wedding monogram templates. Our most popular designs for monogram projectors are 7, 20, & 24.

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

It is very important to make sure your font is legible for your gobo projector. The template should not have everything in cursive.

Cursive can make it too hard to read when aimed at the floor or wall. This is why we recommend using a simple font along with a cursive font.

less is more with monogram lights, we suggest using dates only on printed objects

You do not want too much wording in your gobo design. We recommend something simple like having wedding monogram initials only for a projector. Avoid using dates in lights. Instead, use your wedding date on a photo booth strip.

Monogram Projector Design Tips

So you know about design options & how to reduce clutter. If you are renting a light for your wedding, you need to think about the design orientation for your monogram projector. This is especially true when you are aiming it on a wall & not your dance floor.

think of your walls when choosing a billboard or vertical design

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

A billboard design is longer from left to right. This gobo works better in banquet rooms with low ceilings. A custom wedding monogram that is more vertical, looks better on tall walls with windows (because they have narrow sections of the wall in between).

There is a little bit of wiggle room with the zoom and focus on the projector light. To help determine the size of your visible monogram on a wall, use our throw distance calculator below.

The above chart gives the visible monogram size depending on the distance it is set up from the wall. Measure the distance of the wall you can aim at. Use this chart to help determine if your gobo should have a billboard or vertical design.

How Do Monograms Work

It’s time to answer the question of how to set up monogram projectors. Many event vendors offer monogram lights for weddings to aim at floors and walls. This includes the gobo disc that makes the image.

You can rent these gobo projectors from wedding DJs, lighting companies, florists, & event venues. Vendors don’t usually offer a DIY option & will charge you for setting the projector up.

There are (2) different kinds of monogram gobos for lighting. This includes printed gobos & steel gobos. Ship Our Wedding® provides printed transparencies for custom name gobos and steel gobos for break-up patterns in stock.

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

Ship Our Wedding® high-resolution printed transparencies are used inside of an LED monogram projector. This service is done in-house meaning there are no shipment delays and it helps keep you under budget.

Our same LED monogram projector is used for steel gobos. It does not get hot and has a cheap affordable price. We have over (80) break-up patterns in stock to help match the theme of your party.

we place a small disc into the projector light, you adjust the gobo focus with knobs

Some other companies project names onto walls & floors using old-school source 4 or ellipsoidal lights. This creates a bright light with a metal gobo disc to show the logo image. These lights are not LED so they require a lot more power.

Cons for steel gobo lighting:

• need up to 750 watts of power

• gets hot up to 410 degrees

• the projector can burn hands

• easily blow circuits

• metal gobo has a design cost

• metal gobos may have sharp edges

• up to a 1-week turnaround

These specialty monogram projector lights need a metal gobo designed for the event. That service is outsourced to large companies like Rosco, Apollo, or Gam.

Design with Wedding Monograms

So you have the monogram designed for your projector light now what? What other things can you do with your monogram than aiming your gobo on floors and walls?

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

Use name gobo monogram images everywhere throughout your event. There are so many fun & creative wedding ideas to tie your theme together.

Ideas & uses for monogram designs:

• wedding invitations

• save the dates

• getting ready attire

• wedding program

• signature drink menu

• printed signage

• table numbers

• wedding seating chart

• photo booth footer

• foam glow sticks

• wedding favors

There are so many places to use the monogram at your wedding. It doesn’t have to be the same design. For example, you might use the date below your monogram on your invites and just a simple monogram on a wedding program.

How Easy is a Monogram Setup

A wedding monogram light is either set up on a table with brackets, set up on a stand, or hung with a clamp. The main goal is to get your monogram elevated so that the gobo light cannot be interrupted by the shadow of a guest walking in front.

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

If you are using an LED wedding light projector for a wall, you might not be concerned about setting it up on a stand. If it is out of the way of getting knocked over and you are okay with elevation then you can aim it from a table.

Easily set up DIY monogram on walls:

• power your projector light

• aim the light at a wall

• adjust the gobo focus knob

However, most of the time you will want to raise the height of your monogram light so the design is more visible during your event. We recommend using a stand with a plunger attachment. This takes minutes to set up and is a low-priced way to guarantee better results.

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

If your space has a balcony railing then you might consider mounting the monogram lighting for the wedding up higher. This is the best place for aiming at the floor. You will need the right style clamp. Nine times out of ten a 2-inch mega clamp will work.

whenever mounting gobo lighting above guests’ heads use a safety cable

Where to Aim a Monogram

You might think the best place for logo projection is on the floor. There are other places like your walls and even ceilings to aim a monogram. First, let’s cover the drawbacks of aiming your monogram on the floor.

Cons to a dance floor monogram:

• design warps from the angle

• hard to photograph floors

• disappears with guest dancing

• wood dance floors are dark

We cover later in the article why dark dance floors are not ideal. We are not saying that aiming light on your dance floor won’t look good. The way you create gorgeous photos of monograms on your dance floor is by having the light mounted correctly.

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

If you mount your light and notice it seems crooked you can fix the pattern alignment. All it takes is 1 minute to adjust the disc in the gobo holder. Just be careful you do not smudge the disc, lose the spring, or misplace the black washer.

This is easy with 2 story tall venues that have mezzanines. The light is high enough up that the angle doesn’t warp the design (meaning it is still easy to read on the floor). You can aim the gobo light with a stand & attachment from above to get the optimal angle.

the goal is to have the monogram projector directly over your dance floor

If a balcony is out of the question then you are stuck with mounting the light from the ceiling. If your venue has an airwall this can be done with special clamps. If your venue has an open ceiling with rafters you can achieve this look with a mega clamp and safety cable.

The issue with mounting a gobo projector to the ceiling is it is time-consuming. Getting on a ladder is a common wedding vendor pet peeve. You need a tall enough ladder to access the height and get power to the light. Just running & tucking extension cords in the ceiling can take over 1 hour.

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

This is why we recommend aiming the monogram design onto a large open wall near your head table. The projected gobo will be viewable from anywhere in the room and requires minimal setup time. Just set up on a stand and run power from a nearby wall outlet.

Lastly, what if you are having a backyard tent wedding without walls or a dance floor? It is easiest to set up your monogram projector on a stand & aim it at the canopy ceiling. This is a nice white surface that is perfect to aim the name design or company logo.

Surface Affects Monogram Lighting

Not every room is designed the same. Different venues have different materials for walls & floors. First, let’s start with your best-case venue style for monogram lighting.

Plain Walls: This venue has a room without any designs. The lack of wallpaper makes it easier to see a monogram in lights. Also, you want neutral-colored walls. Dark walls tend to absorb the brightness and reduce the effect of monogram lighting.

no wall options, consider aiming your name light onto a projector screen surface

Drapery Kits: Wall drapes create pleats that are ridges on the surface of the fabric. You want a flat surface to aim the gobo lighting. If you look at the monogram from the side it will look rippled and hard to read. Consider this projector limitation for backdrops & pipe & drape kits.

📦 Rent Monogram Gobo Projector (24% OFF)

Wood & Brick Walls: Barns and industrial buildings have a lot of character. However, they are also known for having dark attributes. Wood, brick, and stone may be too dark for using monogram lighting. We recommend using high-powered lights and not LED-based lights for aiming names onto these surfaces.

Monogram Lighting Prices

The cost comes down to how the monogram is made and if there is labor involved. Most vendors have to mark up the price of this projector rental because the gobo is made & designed by someone else.

Prices to rent monogram projectors from a vendor can start at $250. If your setup requires the gobo light to hang from a ceiling over your dance floor the cost can increase upwards of $500 if your setup requires a ladder.

The main reason gobo lighting costs more for a ceiling install is the labor to hang the lights. It takes time to use a ladder. Also, your lighting vendor will have to run power cables across the ceiling and down to a power outlet.

expensive projector monogram designs become cheap once you go DIY

No need to search for a monogram place near me. Ship Our Wedding® offers do-it-yourself monograms with online shipping. Since this is a complete rental kit the gobo design will already be pre-installed in the projector light.

What is great about going DIY is that you won’t have to pay the labor for a lighting company to set up your gobo design. No need to use a ladder, just rent a stand with a plunger. For the best results aim this light at a wall and not the floor.

Rent Wedding Monogram Lighting

That is everything you need to know about personalized lights for a wedding. Monograms are not just used for lighting design, they can help tie together your theme.

The design can impact where you can set up the projector light. Out of all the monogram styles available, we recommend a billboard design over a vertical design because your gobo will fit in more places.

ask us if you still have any monogram light setup questions

Whether you are setting up your monogram in a wedding venue or on draping for tents, we want you to know the best place to aim it. Gobos fit better on walls than floors. The surface material can affect how good your monogram turns out. Lighter plain surfaces work best.