Lighting is a very important factor when you’re planning a wedding. I’ve already talked about ceremony lighting here: “Let there be light!” – Ceremony Lighting Tips
When deciding what type of wedding you’d like, keep lighting in consideration. If you’re planning an outdoor wedding, and the reception is going to go into the evening, think about how you’re going to light the toasts, dance floor and cake table.
Below is a prime example of an indoor, evening reception with primo lighting. Allison and Tyler had a large ballroom at the Doubletree in Modesto, and the room was mostly very dim. It was genius planning to have spot lights on the bridal party table, the cake table and the dance floor.
It made it possible for me to shoot photos without flash, and more importantly, for the guests to be able to see what was going on during the toasts, cake cutting, special dances, and the great choreographed dance the girls did for Tyler.
Below, Crystal and Joe’s wedding is a great example of how a daytime wedding can be very elegant. At the Monte Blue in Tahoe, they rented the Tuscan Suite. It was beautiful with large windows that ran the length of the living room. With the curtains open, plenty of light was provided for photos. The result was evenly-lit photos that look very natural. (See Crystal and Joe’s wedding here: Crystal & Joe ~ Rockin’ Tahoe)
Below we have a shot of Rochelle and Cory’s bridal party table. Their timeline was planned perfectly because it didn’t get dark until it was time to dance. As you can see, there was grand natural lighting for ceremony before, and for the toasts during dinner.
As it was getting dark, the special dances began. They had soft lighting in the form of paper lanterns and some lighting from the DJ. I was able to get good photos of the dances with flash, but not with much ambient or available light. The resulting photos are great, and there was enough lighting for the guests to enjoy the dances.
