Introduction:
Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. Therefore you should always pick the perfect venue, even if you have to bring in the utilities such as the power. Don’t be put off by having to start from scratch; that’s where we come in and help you every step of the way. Our team are here to guide you through your planning. We do this by working with you, your venue, suppliers and wedding planner. This ensures a seamless and reliable supply of power throughout your big day. In this post, we will give you our easy guide to powering your wedding.
No two weddings are the same. For this reason our team will build a bespoke package for you when it comes to generators, electrical cables, electrical distribution, electricians and management.
1) Generators
Step 1 in our guide to powering your wedding is picking a generator that cover your power needs. There are a few things to consider in your initial planning that will help when picking the right generator. Who/where needs power? Begin by asking yourself who/where is likely to need power and how much of it they’ll need. This will help to provide us with the building blocks we need to be able to calculate the best size of generator for you.
Below is an example wedding we have put together as a guide (you may require far more or less power).
Please bear in mind the power loads may change depending on your needs and suppliers. For example, consider if your catering company are just warming/cooling food or if they are cooking with multiple ovens. The latter would require more power. Another thing that can reduce the power needs is using LED lighting or solar lighting.
In this example above, we as professionals know that a 30kVA generator, a commonly available size, can handle up to 24kw. So in this case that would be the generator to go for. It means that with the power demand changing throughout the day, itwill still be able to manage the load. Even when everything is in full swing!
2) Fuel
The next thing in our guide to powering your wedding is to think about is for how long the generator will run. This will determine how much fuel is going to be needed. Most generators have a base fuel tank fitted within their canopy. However the size of this can change a lot between different manufacturers. For example, a ‘Denyo 30kVA’ has a base tank of 82 litres and uses 5.9 litres of fuel on a full load, so as a rule, the fuel held in this generator will last for roughly 14 hours.
Remember that a few power supplies might need to be running before the event. For instance, your caterers will need to be there a day before your wedding and maybe the day after. Also you might want to heat up your marquee before the guests arrive. This could mean the running time of your generator could be up to 72 hours. This may need you to bring an extra fuel tank, to avoid needing a refuel during the wedding.
Another thing to consider is the fuel consumption will be determined by the loads put on the generator over time (a bit like when you drive a car, speed determines how much fuel you use). In our experience, the average fuel usage comes in at around 2 litres per hour on whilst on standby. This then increases to nearer 5 litres per hour when the wedding is in full swing.
3) Distribution
So now you’ve got the power and fuel sorted, you are wondering how we are going to distribute the power to where it’s needed. This happens by the way of cables. The best way to go about this is to have different cables powering different services, protected individually using a distribution (distro) box.
There are two different types of distro box – individual and global. An individual distro box has multiple outlets, where it is protected by its own RCBO protective device. This means that the circuit is protected and if a fault occurs in one supply, it’s individually isolated. For example, if the disco lights get wet and ‘trip’ then the kitchen keeps cooking and the bar keeps serving!
A global distro box has one RCD and multiple MCB’s, meaning each outlet is protected but only individually against overload. In the case of an earth fault, ALL outlets will be isolated, meaning that until the fault is repaired or isolated then there is a total loss of power. This is not something you would want at your wedding of course!
We therefore recommend going with an individual distribution box to prevent this – anything else, even if it’s more cost effective, is not worth the risk. One additional thing worth noting when planning your venue, is to get the distro box as close as possible to the higher power load needed (usually the kitchen/caterer) and think about where the cable run to each area.
Conclusion:
Congratulations! You have completed our guide to powering your wedding and have worked out the power you will need for your wedding! The generator will supply to the distribution box, the distribution box supplies each area that needs power, and the whole event powered!
If we use the example given earlier in the post, the equipment needed to be hired would be:
- 1x 30kVA generator
- 1x 63A 3 phase cable to supply the distro box
- 1x 63A 3 phase distro box, with 1x 32A outlet and 9x 16A outlet
- 1x 32A cable
- 9x 16A cables (length dependent on the site layout
Additional options: Extended fuel tank, cable ramps, outdoor lighting, chandelier’s and more!
We hope this guide has helped, as we understand how stressful planning a wedding can be. We want to make sure your day runs smoothly and the power meets your needs. Power doesn’t have to be confusing and hopefully this has shed some light on it all. Your next step is to get in contact with us and allow us to get involved with your special day and work alongside you.
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