Why Colored Bulbs Matter for Marquee Letters
One thing clients don’t always realize is how much the bulb color can change the look of the exact same marquee letters.
Our standard soft-white bulbs give you that classic marquee glow, while colored bulbs for marquee letters can completely change the feel of the display. We’ve used color to match corporate branding, school colors, wedding palettes and event themes, and sometimes we’ve mixed colors within the same display.
At My Big Letters, we rent oversized 7ft and 4ft marquee letters, numbers and symbols throughout Nashville and Tennessee. Our marquee letter rentals in Nashville can be set up with standard soft-white bulbs or upgraded with red, yellow, blue, orange, purple, pink or green bulbs.
We recently created a display for AGRiP using blue and yellow bulbs, which completely changed the look of the letters compared with our standard soft white.
We also decide in-house whether LED or incandescent bulbs make the most sense for your setup, so that’s not something you have to figure out yourself.
Warm White vs Colored Bulbs for Marquee Letters
When you’re comparing warm white vs colored bulbs, the biggest question is usually whether you want the letters to blend naturally with the rest of the event or become part of the color scheme themselves.
Our standard bulbs are soft white. They’re clean, classic and easy to coordinate with just about anything.
Colored bulbs make more of a statement. They can tie the letters into school colors, corporate branding, balloons, florals or another major part of the event design.
But colored isn’t automatically better.
For the technology company we recently worked with, we made all of the letters white. Even though color was available, the all-white display was the better fit for the look they wanted.
On the other hand, the AGRiP setup looked completely different because we divided the bulbs between blue and yellow. In that case, using color was part of what made the display feel connected to the event.
The venue matters too. A bright daytime event, a well-lit ballroom and a dark reception can make the exact same bulb color look very different.
Photography is another thing we pay attention to. Some colors reflect more strongly onto guests standing close to the letters, and outdoor photography is one of the reasons we may choose incandescent rather than LED bulbs for a particular setup.
Marquee Letter Bulb Colors
Our marquee letter bulb colors include red, yellow, blue, orange, purple, pink and green, along with our standard soft white.
You don’t need to decide what type of bulb goes into the letters. That’s something we handle when we’re preparing your event.
From the client’s side, the decision is much simpler: What color do you want the letters to be?
Here’s what we’ve found with the different options.
Red Bulbs
Red is bold.
It works especially well when red already plays a major role in the event, whether that’s a school color, company branding, Valentine’s Day, Christmas paired with green or a romantic proposal setup.
Red can also be pretty intense when someone is standing directly beside the bulbs for a close-up photo.
Yellow Bulbs
Yellow has a warm, energetic look without being as neutral as soft white.
It works especially well when the rest of the setup already includes yellow or warmer colors. We’ve used yellow alongside blue in the AGRiP display, where splitting the two colors across the letters gave the setup a completely different look than using one color throughout.
Yellow can also work well for school events, summer celebrations, birthdays and designs with warmer balloons or florals.
Blue Bulbs
Blue tends to work really well for corporate and school events.
It feels clean and polished without being overly bright, and it can stand out nicely against white, black or other neutral surroundings.
For AGRiP, blue was paired with yellow rather than used by itself. That’s also worth keeping in mind when choosing colors: you don’t necessarily have to make every bulb in the display the same color.
Orange Bulbs
Orange is an easy choice here in Tennessee, especially when you’re working with Tennessee Vols orange and white.
For UT-themed events, game-day celebrations, alumni events or anyone wanting that classic Tennessee look, orange bulbs paired with white can immediately tie the marquee display into the rest of the setup.
Orange also works really well for fall and Halloween events, but around here, orange and white will always make us think Tennessee.
Purple Bulbs
Purple gives the letters a richer, more dramatic look and works particularly well in darker event spaces.
We’ve used purple on a large corporate project for an AI company where we lit up “26” using purple and fuchsia pink together.
That setup is a good example of how mixing two colors can work when the colors are intentional and tied into the event design.
Purple is also a strong option for proms, galas, school events and milestone celebrations.
Pink Bulbs
Pink can go in a lot of directions depending on what you put around it.
It works for weddings, bridal showers and birthdays, but it can also look very corporate when it’s being used as part of an actual brand palette.
For the AI company event, fuchsia pink was mixed with purple across the “26” display. It didn’t read like a traditional pink party setup at all because the surrounding event and second bulb color changed the entire feel.
That’s why we don’t think of a particular bulb color as belonging to only one type of event.
Green Bulbs
Green works well for school colors, holiday events, nature-inspired themes and companies or organizations that already use green in their branding.
One thing we’ve noticed with stronger colors like green is that placement matters for photographs. If someone stands very close to the bulbs, some of that color can reflect onto their skin.
LED vs Incandescent Bulbs: We Make That Decision for You
This is probably one of the easiest parts of the process for our clients because you don’t actually need to choose between LED and incandescent bulbs.
For most indoor events, we typically use LED.
For outdoor events, we generally use incandescent bulbs.
We’ve found that LED bulbs can sometimes create a flicker effect that shows up on cameras, particularly with certain outdoor setups. Incandescent bulbs help us avoid that issue.
We look at where the letters are going, whether the event is indoors or outdoors and how the display is likely to be photographed or filmed. Then we make the bulb-type decision in-house while we’re preparing the letters.
So if you request blue bulbs, for example, you don’t need to tell us, “I want blue LED bulbs” or “I want blue incandescent bulbs.”
Just tell us you want blue.
We’ll take care of the rest.
At this time, My Big Letters does not offer color-changing bulbs. Our bulbs also do not sync with music. We use steady-color bulbs so the display stays consistent throughout the event and photographs well.
Which Colored Bulbs Photograph Best?
There isn’t one colored bulb that’s automatically going to photograph best at every event.
A lot depends on the room.
This is also why we ask about the venue and whether the display will be indoors or outside before we prep the bulbs.
We look at things like whether the event is indoors or outdoors, how bright the venue is, the time of day, what backdrop is behind the letters, whether there’s uplighting nearby and how close people will be standing to the display.
Pink and purple can look especially strong in darker spaces. Blue tends to photograph cleanly against neutral surroundings. Yellow and orange add a warmer look.
Red can be dramatic but may cast more color onto someone standing right beside it. Green can do the same thing.
Soft white is still the easiest option when the client wants something neutral and predictable.
The AI-company “26” is a great example of when stronger colors made sense. Fuchsia pink and purple were part of the look rather than something we were trying to hide from the camera.
For another corporate event, keeping all the letters white made more sense.
That’s why we don’t choose based on a rule like “blue photographs best” or “pink photographs best.” We look at the actual event.
Using Colored Bulbs for Corporate Branding and Special Events
Corporate events are probably one of the clearest examples of how much the bulb choice can change a marquee display.
A simple company name, set of initials or anniversary number can feel completely different once color is introduced.
We’ve had three recent corporate setups that show just how different the same marquee letters can look depending on the bulb choice.
For AGRiP, we used half blue and half yellow.
For a large corporate event for an AI company, we lit up “26” in fuchsia pink and purple.
For a technology company, we went in the opposite direction and kept all of the letters white.
All three were corporate setups, but there wasn’t one bulb treatment that would have worked equally well for all three.
That’s usually how we approach branding. We can coordinate the marquee bulbs with company colors, packaging, event graphics or other elements in the room, but sometimes the cleaner choice is to leave the letters soft white and let the rest of the event carry the brand color.
My Big Letters works with corporate event clients and schools throughout Tennessee to figure out which approach makes the most sense.
We can usually get reasonably close to a brand palette with the bulb colors we carry, but we don’t promise an exact Pantone match unless the client has seen and approved the actual shade.
And again, our bulbs stay steady. They do not pulse, flash or sync to music.
Choosing Colored Bulbs for Events: Weddings, Schools, Birthdays and Themed Parties
When we’re choosing colored bulbs for events, we don’t look at the letters by themselves.
We look at what’s going around them too.
Balloon colors, florals, linens, backdrops, uplighting and even the color of the wall behind the letters can make a difference.
My Big Letters often combines marquee letters with balloon décor, flower walls, arches, backdrops and other marquee letter add-ons.
The goal is for the bulb color to work with those pieces, not compete with them.
For more inspiration, take a look at these creative ways to use light-up letters for events in Nashville and across Tennessee.
Weddings
Most of our wedding clients still lean toward soft white because it’s timeless and works with almost any wedding palette.
Colored bulbs can work really well when color is already a strong part of the wedding design. The main thing is making sure the bulb color feels intentional and ties into the rest of the setup.
For more event color lighting ideas, take a look at our Nashville wedding lighting ideas to see how marquee letters, uplighting and surrounding décor can work together.
School and University Events
School events are one of the easiest places to use colored bulbs because the color choice is usually already there.
If the school colors are blue and yellow, purple and yellow, orange and white or another combination, the marquee display can pull those same colors into the setup.
Proms, homecomings, graduations, senior nights and award events all work well for this.
And just like our AGRiP setup, you don’t necessarily have to choose only one color. Depending on the design, we can use more than one bulb color in the display.
Birthdays and Themed Parties
Birthdays and themed events give you a lot of freedom with color.
Milestone numbers like “21,” “30,” “40” or “50” can use a color that matches the rest of the party rather than defaulting to white.
Orange can work for Halloween and pink or purple for certain birthday themes.
The biggest thing is making sure the letters still fit into the overall setup instead of becoming a completely separate color story.
Colored Bulbs vs. Uplighting Around Your Marquee Letters
Colored marquee bulbs and uplighting aren’t the same thing.
Colored bulbs change the letters themselves.
Uplighting puts color onto the area around the letters, such as the wall, backdrop, draping or balloon installation.
Sometimes we use one. Sometimes the two can work together.
A client might choose soft-white bulbs in the marquee letters and use color through the uplighting. Another event might use colored bulbs while keeping the surrounding lighting more neutral.
There isn’t one combination we automatically recommend.
We look at the venue, the other décor and what the client wants the main focal point to be.
Upgrade Cost for Colored Bulbs and How to Request Them
Soft-white bulbs are included with our standard marquee letter rentals.
Red, yellow, blue, orange, purple, pink and green bulbs are available as an upgrade, typically ranging from $25 to $50 depending on the number of letters and bulbs required.
A longer phrase takes more bulbs than a shorter one, so the amount can vary depending on the actual display.
When you request a quote, just let us know that you’re interested in colored bulbs and which color or colors you have in mind.
You don’t need to specify LED or incandescent. We’ll determine that based on the event space and setup.
It’s also better to tell us about the color in advance rather than making a last-minute change, since bulb availability can vary.
What to Know Before Choosing Colored Bulbs for Events
The first thing I’d look at is everything that’s already happening in the venue.
Are there big windows?
Is the event mostly during the day or at night?
Is there already colored uplighting?
What color is the wall or backdrop behind the letters?
What’s happening with the balloons, florals or linens?
All of those things affect how a colored marquee display is going to look.
Photography matters too. If guests will be standing directly beside the letters all night, very saturated colors can reflect onto skin more than soft white.
For corporate and school clients, another question is how closely the bulbs need to match a specific brand or school color. Sometimes getting close is perfectly fine. Other times, the exact shade matters much more to the client.
And if you’re stuck between colors, send us the event details and what the rest of the setup looks like.
This is the kind of decision we help clients with all the time.
Rent Marquee Letters With Colored Bulbs in Tennessee
Colored bulbs are one of the easiest ways to completely change the look of our marquee letters.
We’ve used everything from mixed corporate colors to completely white displays, so there really isn’t one combination that works for every event.
Tell us the look you’re going for, and we’ll help with the rest. We also make the LED-versus-incandescent decision in-house based on your event space, so that’s one less thing you have to think about.
Ready to see what will work for your event? Explore our marquee letter rentals in Nashville or send us your event details for a custom quote.
