Designing a wedding is about creating a perfect moment, or a collection of moments. It’s about finding a way to celebrate your love for another person, but at the same time, it’s also about creating a perfect moment. This is an extremely rare time where all of your loved ones will be together in the same room. You’ll have spent a huge amount of money on decorating your venue, you’ll be dressed smarter than you ever have been before in your life… even your hair and makeup will be professionally handled!
In other words: you need to make the absolute most of this opportunity and that means wedding lighting it correctly.
Unique Wedding Lighting Ideas in Austin, TX
Good lighting can make a huge difference in any scene. Just ask any videographer or photographer. They will tell you that excellent lighting is actually more important than the quality of the camera when it comes to creating a beautiful and cinematic look!
In short then, if you hire a wedding photographer but your scene is poorly lit, then you won’t have the amazing photos you could do. On the other hand, lighting can help to make your photos truly pop, thereby give you a stunningly beautiful “picture perfect” memory of the day. This literally changes the way you remember the day, making it seem as magical in your mind as any moment in a Hollywood blockbuster!
And of course, this also impacts the way you actually experience the day itself: everything will look more amazing in person thanks to your creative lighting. Without further ado then, what are some ideas you can employ to create the perfect and unique wedding lighting on your special day? Read on and let’s explore the options.
Island Lighting Is One Unique Wedding Lighting Idea
One great way to create an attractive lighting effect is to create “islands” of light. This can also be referred to as “oasis lighting.” The idea is essentially to create “bubbles” of light in an otherwise dark environment.
For example then, if the lighting your main dining area is relatively low, you can then add additional light sources on the tables, and on various other elements. A plant might be lit from the bottom for example, or you might use some fairy lights. This can have a stunning effect, as it creates a feeling of depth and perspective. Those patches of light will each stand out of the darkness, which not only makes the area more visually interesting but also helps to draw attention to filters and elements that you want.
This also makes a brilliant backdrop: a photograph with a bokeh effect applied will turn those patches of light into attractive blurred out sparkles that create visual interest without distracting from the focus of the image.
Flat Lighting
While having this kind of oasis of light effect can be perfect for where you are going to eat in the evening, or for the reveal of your after-party venue… it’s also a good idea to have flat lighting as an option where possible.
Flat lighting means lighting that is consistent across an area and that doesn’t have extremely dark and light contrast (the bright sun is not ideal for flat lighting).
The reason that a photographer likes flat lighting, even though it can be a somewhat dull effect on the day, is that this gives the photographer the most control over their image. When you have a very bright light, this necessarily creates very dark shadows. Those dark shadows result in information that is lost to the photographer, meaning that they can’t edit the images to look brighter without creating odd patches of light grey or strangely over-saturated colors.
With flat light, your photographer will be able to take the images and put them into editing software and then make them pop and look truly professional and stunning. So, while you might not want flat lighting as your main effect, finding venues, where you have this option (perhaps thanks to lots of spotlights around the room), can be smart.
Colored Lighting
Returning to our evening venue though, another great option is to include some color in your lighting. This doesn’t have to be dramatic, but it can do a fantastic job of changing the mood and creating a different vibe for your occasion.
For example, using warm and soft lighting can do a whole lot to a scene to make it feel cozier and more romantic. Conversely, if you want something to feel magical, then using evening colors (blues and purples) can work wonders.
Natural Lighting
Finally, don’t forget the importance of natural lighting. Of course, you are somewhat at the mercy of the weather and nature when it comes to this aspect, but you also need to think about how you can capitalize on what lighting you have. For as much as a good photographer might bring their own lighting rig, this will often end up looking to harsh and high contrast. Conversely, natural lighting will often look soft and create attractive shadows.
A big open window that you can gather by then or an outside gazebo can help to create more lighting options for your day. Likewise, think about the amount of natural light that is getting into your environment: something like a big mirror can help to maximize the impact of what lighting you have.
If you consider all these aspects when designing your venue, then you can be sure that your wedding will look and feel as good as it can do.
Complete Weddings + Events in Austin, TX
Our team of professional wedding photographers looks forward to capturing your special moments on this incredibly special day. Contact us by emailing Jeremy@CompleteTX.com and learn how you can experience our mission of providing extraordinary special event services that deliver joy for generations! Complete Weddings + Events, Austin’s leading provider of event and wedding photography, videography, lighting, coordination, DJ services & photo booth rental.
Kevin Paladino
Chief Vision Officer / Owner
Complete Weddings + Events: Central Texas