Neons for special occasions and Christmas — order before December

Why a neon makes a good gift and decoration

A neon has three qualities most gifts and decorations lack: it glows, it is personal, and it stays. Wording with names, a date or a phrase that means something to the recipient hangs for years afterwards and every evening reminds them where it came from. It is also a decoration that ends up in photographs by itself — it ends up in pictures from the wedding, the birthday, the venue at Christmas.

We make neons both as advertising and as interior decoration — for special occasions, for the home and for venues. This article explains what to choose and why October is a good month to decide.

We write from the experience of a workshop that has made glass neons entirely in-house since 2000 — from design, through tube bending, to installation — and LED neons for interiors when deadline and budget come first.

Which occasions people order neons for

The most common are weddings, milestone birthdays and anniversaries, the opening of a venue or business, and Christmas decorations. For one such occasion we made a red “50” with a wine glass — a simple sign, legible from the far end of the hall. The phrase “Kochaj życie” (love life) — white neon inside a green bottle-cap outline — is an example of wording that can stay on the wall for good.

A separate group is company neons for an anniversary, the opening of a new branch or a Christmas window — where the neon is decoration and signage at once.

Glass or LED — for one night or for years

This is the first decision and the most important one. LED neon is the cheaper, faster alternative, recommended for interiors only — good when the neon is to work during one event and perhaps hang in a flat afterwards. Glass neon is craftsmanship: a tube bent by hand and filled with noble gas, with a deep glow that lasts for years while keeping its full colour.

If the neon is to be a gift that stays for ten years, or a venue decoration for every Christmas to come — choose glass. If budget and deadline are tight and the neon should glow at one party — LED will do the job.

Wording, symbol or logo

Short things work best: two names and a date, one word, a symbol. A heart in red glass tube is one of the simplest and most universal shapes — legible, universal, fitting a wedding and a bedroom alike. A phrase like “love life” needs more characters but still fits on one wall.

For a company logo or an unusual typeface we need a vector file; for wording it is enough to give the text and pick a typeface from the ones we suggest. From that we prepare a design and a visualisation before production starts.

A neon for a wedding

A wedding neon is one of the examples we give in our contact form. Usually it is the couple's names, the date or a short phrase behind the top table, on the photo wall or above the dance floor. The neon is then part of the hall decoration and, after the wedding, a keepsake that hangs at home.

Practical notes: a neon needs power at the mounting point and something solid to hang from — on a wall, a frame or a backdrop. It is worth agreeing with the venue where the socket is and whether hanging on walls is allowed. For a single event LED is sensible; if the neon is to stay for years, glass.

It is also worth warning the photographer: a neon in the frame needs different settings than the rest of the hall, and it is usually the shot that ends up on the album cover.

Christmas decoration for a venue or a company

In restaurants, shops and offices a Christmas neon works in the window, by the entrance or in the zone where guests take photos. Unlike a string of fairy lights it does not vanish in the crowd of other ornaments — it is one strong point. It can be seasonal, like a Christmas phrase, or permanent, like a logo in neon that in December merely gets festive surroundings.

For a street-facing window the right choice is glass neon; we recommend LED neon for interiors only, deep inside the premises. A decoration can be taken down after Christmas and stored for the next year, if it is designed as a removable element.

A neon for the home — where and how to hang it

At home a neon most often goes into the living room, the bedroom or the home office — above the sofa, above the bed, on the wall behind the desk. Three things to check before ordering: whether there is a socket nearby, whether the wall allows secure hanging, and what width will look natural rather than overwhelming.

Indoor LED neon runs on low-voltage power and is energy-efficient. Glass neon in a flat is possible too — then it is an object for years, with a different glow, and worth seeing in the workshop before deciding, because in photographs the difference between glass and LED is smaller than in person.

With a glass neon in a flat it is worth leaving the installation to us — the tube is delicate, and the power and fixing have to be done securely.

If the neon is a surprise gift, two things are worth checking beforehand and discreetly: the width of the wall and where the socket is.

Why October, if the neon is to glow in December

Glass neon is craftsmanship made to a specific order — you do not buy it off a shelf and it is not made in a day. Add the design, the visualisation, possible corrections and installation. In December there is the least time for the design, the visualisation and production.

Anyone with an idea for a neon under the tree or a Christmas window should write to us in October. Then there is still room for a calm conversation about shape and colour, not only the question of whether we will make it in time.

How ordering works

The quote is free and carries no obligation. From the wording, symbol or logo we prepare a design and a visualisation before production starts — you then see how the neon will look on the wall, in the chosen colour and size. After approval the neon is made in our workshop near Warsaw.

The finished neon can be collected in person or installed by us — in a venue or a wedding hall as well. Clients who want to see how a glass neon is made are welcome in the workshop.

What to prepare for a quote

The more detail you give upfront, the sooner we come back with a visualisation and a price.

• —The wording, symbol or logo — for a logo, ideally a vector file.
• —The occasion and the date by which the neon should be ready.
• —Where it will hang: a flat, a wedding hall, a venue, a window — and whether power is available there.
• —The approximate width the wording should have.
• —The glow colour or colours.
• —Whether the neon should stay for years or work at one event — this decides the technology.