Wedding neon sign guide: wording, size, power, timing

A neon sign does a few jobs at a wedding. It marks the sweetheart table, gives the photographer a backdrop, and turns into a piece of decor for your home the week after. This guide walks through the decisions in order: the words, where the sign goes, the size, the color, how to hang and power it, what to pack for the day, and when to order.

If you would rather see everything for one setup on a single page, the wedding neon sign project lists the sign, mounting and power parts together.

Start with the words

Short wording reads best from across a room and in photos. Our designer takes up to three lines, but most wedding signs use one or two: your last name (“The Garcias”), your first names (“Ana & Luis”), a short phrase (“Better Together”, “Mr & Mrs”), or a phrase with your names on a smaller second line. For dozens of original lines sorted by spot, including last names, dates and English and Spanish ideas, see our wedding neon sign ideas.

Several favorites are already drawn as ready-made wedding designs, in warm white or soft pink script, from $99.99. For your own words, open the neon designer, type your text and pick a script font. Any font can be matched on the proof.

A tip from the workshop: keep details that change over time (a hashtag, the year) on a smaller second line or leave them off. A sign with just your names or a phrase is easier to hang at home later.

Where the sign can go

The sweetheart table is the classic spot, but it is not the only one:

• Ceremony arch or altar: behind you during the vows, then moved to the reception.
• Sweetheart or head table: frames the two of you in every dinner photo.
• Entrance or welcome table: greets guests next to the seating chart or guest book.
• Bar: a bar name or a toast phrase helps guests find it.
• Cake or dessert table: a short word over the cake.
• Dance floor, DJ booth or lounge: a brighter, playful line for later in the night.
• Photo booth: gives every guest photo the same backdrop.

One sign can do two jobs. On hanging cables or a clear base, with the battery box or a long enough cable, a coordinator can move it from the ceremony to the reception in a few minutes. Plan who moves it and when.

Pick the size

Width is measured left to right across the widest line. Each letter or space on the longest line needs about 2 in of width. That gives you the smallest width that fits; for a backdrop you will usually want more.

Spot	Typical wording	Good starting width
Welcome table, cake or dessert table	One or two short words	20 to 24 in
Bar	A bar name or a short toast	24 to 36 in
Sweetheart table	Names, last name, Mr & Mrs	About two thirds of the table width
Ceremony or photo backdrop	Names or a phrase	48 to 60 in
Dance floor or large wall	A short, bold line	60 in and up

For the sweetheart table, use the rule designers use for art above furniture: about two thirds as wide as what sits under it. A 6 ft banquet table is 72 in long, so a sign around 48 in wide suits it. An 8 ft table (96 in) can take 60 in or more.

Height matters too. Hang the sign so its bottom edge clears your heads when you are seated. Have someone sit in your chair while another person looks through a phone camera from where the photographer will stand.

For a flower wall or arch, tape a sheet of paper or painter’s tape at the width you are considering and take a phone photo from where guests will stand. The size guide and our neon sign size guide have more charts. For a cake table or guest book, a tabletop neon sign at 20, 24 or 30 in wide stands on a clear 8 mm base.

Warm white, white or a color

Warm white and white read best in wedding photos, and script fonts are the usual choice. A colored sign throws its color onto everything nearby. Pink neon will tint white roses, the cake and faces a little pink, which some couples love and others do not.

Some pairings that work:

• Rustic, barn or candlelit: warm white, which sits well next to wood and candle light.
• Garden and greenery walls: white or warm white on a clear board that disappears into the leaves.
• Black-tie or modern: white script on a black or mirror backboard.
• Colorful or party-first: soft pink, or color changing (RGB, extra cost) so you can switch from warm white at dinner to color for dancing.

You can mix colors in one sign at no extra cost, for example names in warm white and a small heart in pink. All 18 tube colors are in the designer; neon sign colors on and off shows how they look switched off too.

For photos, turn the brightness down with the dimmer that comes with every sign. At full brightness a sign can show up as white letters in phone pictures. Our guide to neon signs in photos and video explains why.

Hanging it on a flower wall, frame or arch

Every LED sign comes with the mounting kit you choose when you order. For weddings, these are the usual options:

1. Hanging cables from a frame or ceiling. The ceiling hanging kit has thin stainless cables with snap hooks that clip into the 1/4 in holes in the board. Slide the gripper to level the sign. Two cables suit most signs; four keep a wide sign from swinging.
2. Tied to a flower wall frame. Most flower walls are built on a frame or grid. Hang the sign in front of the flowers from the top of the frame, or tie it to the grid through the holes. Ask your florist whether the frame can take the extra weight.
3. No-drill mounts on a smooth venue wall. Many venues do not allow screws. No-drill adhesive mounts go on smooth, clean, dry walls, one per corner. Put them up early, since they need time before the sign is hung on them.
4. A free-standing base on a table or bar.

Ask your coordinator what the venue allows before you choose. Our guide to hanging a neon sign without drilling covers the details.

Power at the venue

Each sign runs on 12 V DC from a plug-in adapter that works on 100 to 240 V. Ask the venue where the nearest outlet is in relation to the backdrop.

• Outlet a few feet away: a DC extension cable (6.5, 10 or 16 ft) closes the gap. Use one extension rather than chaining several, and tape the cable along the floor edge or behind the drape.
• No outlet: choose the 8 x AA battery box when you order, at no extra cost. One set of batteries lasts about 4 to 5 hours, so give a fresh set to a friend or the coordinator for a long reception.
• Outdoor ceremony: the outdoor build is IP67 rated. The adapter and the battery box still need to stay dry.
• Fire rules: if a venue or fire inspector asks for it, we can make the backboard from flame-retardant polycarbonate instead of acrylic. Tell us before production.

Neon sign power options compares the plug, the battery box and extensions in more depth.

Your day-of checklist

Pack everything in the sign’s box and hand it to the person doing setup, with a photo of where it goes:

• The sign, the adapter, and the dimmer or remote
• The mounting kit, plus a small screwdriver
• The extension cable, if you need one
• The battery box with a full set of AA batteries and a spare set
• Painter’s tape and a few cable ties for the cable

Test the sign during setup, not five minutes before the ceremony. Set the brightness once the room lights are at their evening level, and agree who takes the sign home at the end of the night.

When to order

Nothing is made until you approve a free design proof, and revisions are free. Production days count from that approval, so a quick reply saves time.

Step	Standard	Priority	Express
Production after approval	15 to 20 days	10 to 14 days	7 to 9 days
Transit in the US	3 to 5 days	3 to 5 days	3 to 5 days
Total after approval	18 to 25 days	13 to 19 days	10 to 14 days

We suggest ordering six to eight weeks before the wedding. That leaves time for proof changes and for switching the sign on at home before the day. If you are closer than that, add rush production for each custom sign. If a date cannot be met, we say so before production starts.

After the wedding

Most wedding signs end up on a bedroom or living room wall. The same 1/4 in holes take wall standoffs that float the sign about 1 in off the wall, so you can add a standoff mounting kit if you used cables at the venue. If the sign will wait a while, wrap it in a soft cloth, put it back in its box flat and store it somewhere dry, with nothing heavy on top. The LED tube is rated for 50,000 hours, and every sign carries a 2-year warranty with free repair. For ideas at home, see neon signs for the bedroom.

For a full price picture, read how much a custom neon sign costs. When you are ready, start with your names in the designer and we will send the proof.