About this vendor
You have a vision for your wedding day that is unlike any other—at ILLUME Lighting + Event Design, we have the tools to build it. We are a Pittsburgh-based team of designers, fabricators, and event experts dedicated to the "bespoke" wedding experience.
While many decorators rely on what's in their warehouse, our Decor Fabrication team can create custom backdrops and installations tailored specifically to your aesthetic. When you pair our custom builds with professional lighting design and elegant draping, the result is a cohesive, stunning environment. From the first sketch to the final on-site management, ILLUME is here to make sure your wedding is as seamless as it is spectacular.
Details
Decorations & Accents
- Aisle Decorations
- Backdrops
- Candles
- Centerpieces
- Ceremony Accessories
- Design
Invitations & Paper Goods
- Paper Goods
- Signs
Lighting
- Candelabras
- Chandeliers
- Lanterns
- Lighting Design & Setup
- String Lights
- Uplighting
Rentals & Equipment
- Draping
Awards and Affiliations
4-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2025.2024.2022.2021.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.062 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
One of the best vendor experiences. Kristin and Chris were so easy to work with and they created the perfect vision for my Rock n Roll
Wedding. Everything looked amazing!
Illume Lighting + Event Design did incredible work creating stunning décor for our wedding at The Wintergarden. They created two different centerpieces for our wedding along with f...
aux floral arrangements and flameless candles and everything looked absolutely beautiful (if you're hesitant on faux flowers, trust me, these ones looked gorgeous!!). I would highly recommend them as they made the process seamless and truly made my vision come to life -- it was all and more that I dreamed of!!
ILLUME provided draping services for my wedding ceremony, and I was very pleased with how it turned out. I was initially worried because our venue did not have a backdrop for the d...
ramatic reveal of walking down the aisle. However, ILLUME was able to put draping that could be pulled open as the bridal party processed. They also included a nice detail for the bride, by having a secondary divider behind the curtain to make sure nobody could see through before it was time.
Working with Kristen at Illume Lighting was a fabulous experience from start to finish. If you are an older bride or someone who values their time and sanity, take my advice: do no...
t DIY your decorations. Illume saved us immense time, stress, and even money, coming in under my initial budget while delivering a high-end look.
Kristen was incredibly intuitive and understood all of my requests for our venue, Shakespeare’s. She suggested brilliant ideas that complemented the space perfectly. Even when I had a total change of heart regarding my centerpieces just one month before the wedding, Kristen didn't miss a beat. We hopped on a video call where she showed me different options, and we landed on the candelabras. They were stunning and matched our color scheme and the venue's vibe flawlessly.
What really impressed me was how they handled the unexpected:
The "Save": A machine breakdown meant our seating chart couldn’t be printed as originally planned. Kristen and her team adjusted without hesitation. Kristen was so sweet and actually nervous to tell me, but her transparency and quick problem-solving made it a non-issue!
The Logistics: Their online portal is very user-friendly for handling contracts and payments, which made the administrative side of the wedding a breeze.
If you want a decorator who is professional, creative, and genuinely cares about your day, I cannot recommend Kristen and Illume Lighting enough. They turned our vision into reality and made the process completely seamless!
Chris and Kristen made our ceremony and reception space look so beautiful. All the lights and draping they added to the space made everything come together. The biggest thing the d...
id for use was make our seating chart. That was a huge weight off our shoulders. They used our color scheme in every aspect of their decorations. Everything they did was stunning!!
Extremely happy with the experience of working with ILLUME. they were communicative, professional, and everything was exactly as described. Great experience
ILLUME was fantastic to work with! The team brought my vision to life and handled all the heavy lifting. The venue was absolutely stunning, and their pricing is super competitive. ...
I highly recommend ILLUME for your special day — 10/10!
Working with Kristin was a pleasure! She took our ideas and brought them to life. Our daughter's wedding was at Linden Hall and ILLUME is the exclusive provider of decor in the t...
ent. After seeing their amazing work I can understand why. The tent alone is beautiful but the addition of soft and elegant draping, uplighting and lush greenery made the space absolutely magical! So happy we could work with Chris and Kristin to make our daughter's wedding perfect.
My vision would not have come to life without Illume! I had a huge vision, and they DELIVERED. I asked for over the top Tuscan garden vibes for my wedding day, which included vines...
galore, cream & off white faux florals, super tall faux floral centerpieces and candelabras, bud vases with faux florals, floating flameless candles, a custom backdrop with my new last name, floor to ceiling sheer drapes with fairy lights, faux ficus plants, pillar floral risers with faux floral clouds, and a faux floral and greenery mantelpiece. When I saw the room for the ceremony and reception, the venue coordinator had to pick up my jaw because it dropped to the floor! I was truly blown away. My advice to anyone planning an event is do not be afraid of faux florals and greenery. Kristin and Chris at Illume made everything look so beautiful! If you are considering custom draping, candles, lighting, and gorgeous faux florals, Illume is for you!
Photo credit: Kristi Telnov Photography
If you would like to have a carefree day, I strongly suggest that you hire ILLUME Lighting + Event Design. They took my vision and made it a reality at a reasonable price. As a per...
fectionist and "control freak," I knew I needed someone to decorate for me, so I wouldn't overthink it. They were very helpful, knowledgeable, punctual, and friendly.
Chris and Kristin were both so amazing with very quick responses, easy to reach, and very pleasant to work with! They were very professional and their work made our venue look amaz...
ing! We did the partial coverage ceiling draping and it was so beautiful and all our guests loved it 😊 couldn’t be happier with our choice to work with ILLUME!
Kristen and Chris of Illume did a great job providing lighting and some unique entry decor for our wedding. They were extremely responsive and easy to work with and had great recom...
mendations for our venue. They worked seamlessly with our florist and venue personnel and in the end helped to create exactly the romantic theme I wanted. They were also reasonable in terms of cost. I would highly recommend checking with them for lighting and decor needs!
When I began planning my wedding, I was searching for more than just a decorator; I needed someone who could keep me organized and truly bring my vision to life. That’s exactly wha...
t I found with ILLUME Lighting and Event Design. They transformed a pole barn, which had never hosted a wedding before, into an rustic elegant setting beyond my wildest dreams.
From start to finish, Chris and Kristen ensured that every detail was perfect. They went above and beyond, custom crafting elements that truly amazed me, to even embracing more of a wedding planner role. Their creativity and dedication throughout the entire process were incredible. They took on my unique ideas with enthusiasm and never once said that anything was impossible. They genuinely bent over backwards to make my vision a reality.
Along the way, these once-strangers became like family to me. Their commitment to bringing my dream to life is something I can’t fully express in words. I am forever grateful to have them apart of our day. I wholeheartedly recommend ILLUME to anyone looking to create a stunning and unforgettable experience. Their talent, professionalism, and commitment to excellence made my day absolutely magical!
The Illume team was great to work with. They made the process simple and did a great job of making my vision come true.
Illume was a pleasure to work with on our daughter's wedding. They responded promptly to my emails and phone calls and answered all of my questions regarding our order. Their loc...
ation was very convenient for picking up and dropping off our order. I would definitely recommend their services.
We worked with Illume for our wedding on 9/7/2024. They provided ceiling draping/lighting, linens, chivari chairs, charger plates, a custom last name sign, and a custom seating cha...
rt. Kristin and Chris were great to work with in all aspects. Every question I had was answered promptly and clearly. They were able to create exactly what I was looking for for our seating chart! Our last name sign was unfortunately damaged during the set up process (not their fault) and they offered to make us a new one as a keepsake free of charge! Their online portal also made it very easy to keep track of the proposal and payments. We would highly recommend working with illume!
Kristen and Chris from Illume we so awesome to work with. They did our drapery and backdrop behind the head table and both looked Amazing. I gave Kristin a picture of what I was ho...
ping for the backdrop and after talking to her, she said she was going to try to get it as close as possible with how the fabric was falling that day in the area we had to work with. When I showed up that day, she absolutely nailed it. Could not have been happier with Illume.
We chose ILLUME to do ceiling draping for my daughter’s wedding at Succop Conservancy. Kristin was terrific to work with! She answered all questions promptly and did an amazing job...
at making our vision come true! They transformed a very nice pavilion into a lovely, elegant wedding reception space! We were beyond thrilled- especially the bride and groom! I would highly recommend ILLUME for all of your draping and event needs!
I hired Illume after the realization that I would be a complete mental wreck if I attempted to DIY my wedding decorations. This was the best decision I could've made (besides accep...
ting my husband's proposal). Kristin and Chris were great to work with - I provided a concept and they executed flawlessly, communication was timely and professional, and the proposal was detailed. I walked into my venue and was stunned by the transformation.
Overall, I'm happy with the work Illume provided for my wedding. I was married at Linden Hall, and they are the only tent decorator allowed at this venue. The drapery and lighting ...
looked beautiful, however, based on our initial meeting, I expected more lighting than what they actually provided. We discussed having twinkle lighting under the sheer drapery, and we didn't get it. I also requested full coverage of the tent ceiling from our very first call with Kristin, and it was not until I reached out months later with a question that Chris expressed that what we had in our proposal was not full coverage, so we had to add more on. They did provide a memory board for me that was based on an inspiration photo I sent them, which I greatly appreciated because they used something they had to create the board I wanted. However, Kristen told me she would send proofs of the text prior to the wedding and never did. Their communication could use some work, but I was happy with how the tent ended up looking.
Kristin and Chris were truly amazing and SO easy to work with! I feel lucky that I was able to work with them to create my dream vision for my wedding day. It was a joy to have mee...
tings to come up with the perfect decor to fit my perfect day. I really wanted an espresso martini bar. I told Kristin the goal, and she came back to me very quickly with a solution, "Chris wants to build you an espresso martini bar" It was better than I could ever imagine!! They are so willing to work with your ideas and I love that about them! Thank you for everything Kristin and Chris!
Kristin & Chris were the best to work with and truly turned our wedding vision into a reality. Everything that we talked about came to life and they were very flexible to work with...
. Our previous decorator fell through and ILLUME seamlessly handled it all they even found a florist & chair rental company. They brought my bouquet and the chairs to the venue for us. They did everything from set up to tear down. They took so much stress off of me for that day. I HIGHLY recommend them to anyone looking to rent decorations and have them make your vision a reality as well.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Working with Kristin and Chris at Illume was the best decision my husband and I could have ever made! After searching for a lighting or decorating company that ...
could transform our vision and stay within our budget, we found Illume, and WE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HAPPIER. Kristin helped calm our nerves and really took our vision and ideas above and beyond our expectations for our wedding. From hanging some of our personal neon signs, perfecting the placement of our centerpieces, transforming the space with hanging candles, wisteria, and greenery, creating a beautiful background arch, and providing beautiful purple up-lighting; we were truly awestruck when we walked into our reception! Kristin was so easy to communicate with and they both did such amazing work. The only regret we have, is that we can't do it all over again and use them again, because it truly was magical! I cannot recommend Illume more! They truly transformed our reception space into a beautiful, enchanted forest. THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)
Hire ILLUME Lighting and Event Design and you won’t be sorry! I had one planning meeting with them and we ironed out all of the details of what I would need for the day. I told t...
hem I wanted drapery and swagging for our back drop at the ceremony and they created a beautiful back drop! They were also quick to respond to any questions I had throughout the process. Best of all, I had not one worry about the rentals at all. (Not my photo- it’s from my florist but had to share!)
They made my Pinterest dreams come true with twinkle lights over the dance floor and an awesome backdrop for our venue! They were so easy to work with!
Working with Kristin and Chris at ILLUME was a seamless process! I had originally intended to DIY a lot of the decorations for my wedding, so I came to them with my request a littl...
e late. I was nervous about finding a company that could create my vision with time ticking down. From the first call with Kristin, I knew it was a great fit. She was excited about my vision and had great ideas to supplement it.
Walking into the venue for the first time was the most "took my breath away" moment I had all weekend. It turned out lovelier than I imagined in my mind and brought up tears. I'm so happy I chose to work with ILLUME. (In the photos you can see the sweetheart table backdrop, entrance draping around the doors, and wrapped pillars, in addition to the sweetheart and cake tablecloths).
The set up and tear down was professional and they worked well with the venue's availability. It was so seamless I almost didn't see them at all! But luckily I caught them at the very end :)
Thank you Kristin & Chris for creating a simple but absolutely stunning soft elegance for our reception!
We absolutely loved working with Kristin & Chris. They were very responsive, and shared examples of what our wedding venue could look like. It was definitely helpful. The last week...
leading up to our wedding, the venue made unexpected changes where Kristin & Chris had to rearrange their schedules and make quick decisions on how to make our vision work with the changes. With such positive and professional attitude, they really put me at ease. They really went above and beyond and I'm grateful for their support. The drapery, greenery, and lights were amazing and really changed the whole feel of the room. Many compliments from the guests! We highly recommend!
I couldn’t have asked for a better lighting team to work with. They made my wedding vision come to life and I am so grateful for them.
Krsitin and Chris and the team are wonderful...
easy to work with and the nicest people you will ever meet.
Thank you guys again!
September 24th 2022
Wedding Linden Hall
Kara and Brent Mansfield
When you plan your wedding, you want it to be perfect. From the big things all the way down to the little details. If there is anyone who understands the importance of that, it's K...
ristin from Illume! Kristin was not only professional and friendly throughout the planning process but she was prompt to reply to emails and was able to pick up on the important details that I was describing for the wedding décor and made it come to life. We had chosen to go with artificial flowers for our centerpieces and when I tell you that you would never know they were artificial, you truly wouldn't know that they were artificial. Illume only uses quality products and the pictures don't do their work justice. These floral were so life like, I even thought they were real. Kristin insured that the décor that she was bringing to the event would perfectly blend and flow with the décor that I DIYed myself. With how detail oriented I am, it was hard to "give up the rains" to someone else to assist with the décor for our wedding, but at the end of the day I'm only one person and knew that I needed the help to pull off all that I had in mind. After meeting Kristin I knew that I was in excellent hands. Illume has a wide variety of centerpieces and a lighting options which made putting everything together for our wedding easy and fun. If you are looking for someone who can custom create lighting and center pieces for your next event, Illume Lighting + Event Design is who you NEED to hire. I can't recommend them enough!
Illume did an amazing job with draping and music and other extras for the wedding! They even attended the rehearsal! It was very easy to work with them. I would definitely recom...
mend them for any event!
All around amazing company to work with! They were very friendly, professional, and responsive. They did a great job of working with us to bring our wedding vision to life. We wou...
ld highly recommend working with Illume!
We rented a greenery wall from ILLUME, and it was INCREDIBLE!! It was the backdrop to all of our guests' photos! They were so easy to work with, and they set up and broke it down--...
- we didn't have to lift a finger!! We even had a neon sign that they hung up for us. I would HIGHLY recommend using them!!! I would a hundred times over!!
Illume provided me a beautiful greenery backdrop for our sweetheart table. It was exactly what I was looking for! The greenery really made our neon sign and white florals pop!! And...
the whole process for booking Illume, coordinating set up, and clean up was SO easy!! The team was great to work with and we are so thankful for your help to make our day even more special!! Highly recommend!!
All around amazing! They brought my vision to life and then some. Would highly recommend!
Very professional, helped us along the way and accommodated us with our number fluctuations last min because of Covid. Always answered my emails and was always willing to help!
Illume went above and beyond to help me with my constant changes with our covid wedding! They were extremely responsive and ready to talk whenever I needed! They made this process ...
so less stressful and made it easy to rely on their talent to ensure our venue was beautiful! Would recommend this company and service to anyone! Great people, beautiful work and extremely professional!
I changed my wedding ceremony location from Heinz Chapel to an empty hotel banquet room two months before my wedding day due to the never-ending unknowns with COVID. I was devastat...
ed and unsure how I was ever going to make the room what I wanted it to be. I reached out to Illume and was immediately impressed with Kristen and Chris's professionalism and ability to bring my vision to life. They answered my emails quickly and in detail. They had so many decor options and colors to pick from and sent me pictures of the available items so I knew what I was working with. Kristen and Chris met with us over zoom to go over the details prior to paying. The two of the worked magic the morning of my wedding and made the boring room a perfectly decorated ceremony location. They even made last minute changes (without hesitation!) the week of the wedding when I reached out to add more lighting to the room and increase the draping size needed. I would highly recommend Illume for your decor needs for stress-free planning from friendly, responsible and a creative individuals. Thank you Chris and Kristin!!
We used Illume for our lighting and decorations of our dance floor for our reception. Everything was set-up beautifully by their team and prices were very reasonable. I would defin...
itely recommend using Illume for decor needs!
We originally contacted Illume for our wedding at the Science Center; we had every detail planned, but due to COVID19, we cancelled the venue and moved to a backyard wedding. Even...
though the venue changed to two tents, Chris and Kristin were still able to provide us our exact look (and then some)! They arrived on time for both the setup and tear down and were fast and reliable! Precovid, we had a consultation via the phone to go over our vision based on pictures that we sent. For the COVID Change up, we were able to have a video conference to go over all the changes. Illume was able to light up my parents backyard and still be elegant at the same time. We highly recommend Illume for your event needs!
This company is made up of the kindest and most considerate people that I've dealt with in a long time- that's not always easy to find!! Not only that, they were also very communic...
ative, reasonably priced and didn't tack on a bunch of other fees. I would definitely use them for another event and will definitely be recommending them to others in the future!!
When covid-19 altered our original plans, I was devastated my original vision wouldn’t come to life. I told Chris and Kristin the new plan, which was a tent, folding tables, and my...
parents backyard. After so many changes, I had decided to give them full reign and they went over and beyond. They brought my downtown 300 person venue vision (but with a twist) to life! The whole night was spectacular and incorporated everything I loved and then some. Illume turned my parents backyard and a basic white tent into a gorgeous wedding venue. If you are looking for a vendor that cares AND someone that listens...these are your people! Don’t hesitate a second longer. They are seriously the best in Pittsburgh.
While we unfortunately had to cancel our wedding due to covid-19, working with Illume in the year leading up to it was wonderful. Their online platform provides access to everythin...
g at once and breaks it all down for you. They accommodated me changing my mind on the decor multiple times and were nothing but positive each time. When we did have to cancel for covid-19, they gave a full refund which is very rare. The work that they do is beautiful and speaks for itself, but the real win is how wonderful they are to work with.
Chris and the Illume team went above and beyond for my wedding day. They were totally open to trying new things that I had for my vision and absolutely killed it! Everything came o...
ut stunning and months later I still have people commenting on how beautiful the details were. Last minute we found out we weren’t allowed to hang chandeliers I had poured my heart and soul into making and I was devastated. Chris took over and came up with a completely new concept and hung them outside over the walkway into our reception- it was amazing! 10/10 would recommend Illume.
We had heard a lot of great things about Chris and his decorations from our vendor coordinator, and he definitely lived up to the hype! He gave great advice on our phone consultati...
on on what he thought would work well, and gave us options for us to choose from. His invoicing and contracts were all online and super easy to do, and made it very clear what each party’s obligations were.
About a month before, Chris checked in to make sure we wanted to change anything up before the event or had any questions, which was great to make sure we had what we needed.
We wanted our lighting to make the venue seem smaller and more intimate, and it did exactly that. We were really pleased with how it turned out, and got loads of compliments on the set up. It looked great! The best thing a vendor could do for us is give us the feeling we had nothing to worry about leading up to and on our wedding day. Chris did exactly that. Thank you!
Chris provides beautiful draping for my wedding. I had met with him once prior to my wedding, but he executed my vision perfectly. I sent him a picture of what I wanted and it was ...
beautiful. The morning of my wedding him and his team came in and set up everything and I did not have to worry about a single thing. I got so many compliments about the draping and I could not be happier with the results! Illume lighting + Design is very easy to work with because they are very responsive and work to make sure your vision is perfect. I would absolutely recommend them 100% for any draping and lighting you may need!
Chris from Illume did specialized lighting and drapery for our wedding in June 2019. He created this beautiful bistro lighting to replace the ugly industrial looking lights in our ...
space, as well as this amazing drapery that divided our room in two for ceremony and reception. I could not BELIEVE how spectacular the drapery looked for how little it cost! I was envisioning this little room divider, but it was a whole floor to ceiling lux extravaganza! Also helped us hang a customized neon sign I had made. Highest recommendation!
Chris from Illume was so nice to work with! He made sure our vision for the reception was completely captured. He had reasonable pricing and his work is EXCELLENT. We had a backdro...
p for our sweetheart table that was beautiful, an archway for the ballroom entrance, lanterns above the dance floor, and balloons to decorate the cocktail hour and cookie table. We were completely thrilled with how everything turned out! We would HIGHLY recommend Illume for your wedding or event!
Chris and Illume were awesome to work with. Their draping made the hotel ballroom have a magical feel to it. They were also amazing to work with.
Chris totally transformed our church hall (almost like a cafeteria) into a soft romantic space that truly set the tone. He was awesome to work with - he met with us in the hall tw...
ice and developed a creative vision - an airwall to cut off the empty space and make an inviting entrance; another airwall to hide the kitchen pass-through & door and ugly switches, etc.; a starburst ceiling with fairy lights He was very sensitive to our budget and really worked with us. The setup was meticulous, too - they made the draping fall just right. The room was breathtaking, no one could believe the transformation. . I'd hire him again in a heartbeat.
Chris was super easy to work and communicate with. The drapping was up and beautiful at our ceremomy site. I still can not believe how beautiful it looked. I recommend illume for ...
any draping needs for ceremony sites and reception decor. Thank you for making our ceremony site look perfect.
Contact
944 PA-519 Ste 2, Eighty Four, PA
ILLUME Lighting + Event Design