Getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to wedding reception lighting.

You are planning the most amazing day of your lives, you have spent a small fortune to achieve a romantic ambient wedding reception. You have seen all the incredible Pinterest weddings, with thousands of candles and festoon lighting and it is your dream to achieve this at your own wedding for a fraction of the cost.

If you want this dreamy atmosphere to shine through in your wedding photographs there are a few key things that are essential to bringing your wedding reception to life and having stunning wedding photographs.

Having adequate lighting in key areas of your reception is vital. A few fairy light strings will just not cut the mustard in today’s wedding venues. They tend to have high ceilings and low lighting and vast spaces for dance floors and lounge areas, they are usually beautiful and have minimal lighting to give that cozy feel. 

When you have cozy (dim) light at your reception it can create a bit of an obstacle for your photographer, we deal with low lighting by ensuring we have the right equipment for low light receptions. Powerful lenses, fast cameras and flash. However, using a flash will give us enough light, it will also detract from the ambient lighting you have so tirelessly selected.

Here are some tips to getting the most out of your reception lighting:

1. Focus your lighting budget, however small, on the key areas such as the dance floor and bridal and guest tables.
2. Steer away from multi coloured or multi-toned lighting for example, if you are using warm white lights make sure to continue this throughout the venue. Mixing warm and cool light temperatures will show in your photographs. Keep the colour temp cohesive.
3. DJ party lighting is great and can add awesome party vibes to the dance floor yet avoid this during your first dance as this can look particularly unflattering in your first dance photographs, save this for party time. Choose a lovely warm soft lighting option for this, its romantic and looks great in your photos.
4. DJ Uplighting is an effective way to save money and add a lot of warmth to your wedding reception I suggest warm white or soft colours so that it is not too overwhelming.
5. Ensure you have adequate lighting for the venue, measure out the space above tables, dance floor etc. and cover that area. Go for LED bulbs in any fairy lighting as these are significantly brighter.
6. If you have your heart set on Edison bulbs and can’t afford to deck out the entire venue, a great idea is to compliment these with some twinkle lights or festoon lighting strategically placed above tables.
7. Having candles? Double what you think you may need. Candle light is beautiful, however, it is central and does not travel far or fill up the room. So if you are having candles its best to go for the long burning (12hours plus) candles, also gathering them together in groups is a fantastic affordable way to increase lighting and make a statement.

Remember in film days you would get beautiful grain in photographs? Even though we are in a digital age, we still get “grain” otherwise known as noise in digital images when there is low lighting. This cannot be avoided if there is not enough light unless a flash is used. Having more light at your reception will result in clearer images. Grain can be beautiful and we often use it deliberately to add drama and moodiness to images, however this is something you need to consider when planning your day.