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Monday, March 24, 2008

Professional Lighting...Is It Really A Must Have?

Over the last five or so years having professional lighting done for receptions has becoming increasingly common and now it's a virtual must-have for many brides.

I'm really kind of torn on the issue. On one hand I've seen really boring and horrible spaces transformed into wonderlands and I'm truly amazed at the difference it makes. And the conventional wisdom says that a bride can spend less on other decorations like flowers and get more bang for her buck with lighting. Not to mention the visual impact it has on your guests.

The other part of me feels like it's just one more thing that's been added to the "must have" list for brides and if you can't afford it then it's just one more thing your wedding is "lacking." And as much as I'd like to tell myself that brides will skimp on other decorations the reality is many will feel pressure to have amazing flowers AND lighting.

We're not going to have professional lighting done..mainly because we don't have the extra couple thousand to spare, but our space is also quite small and because it's already so beautiful it really doesn't need to be transformed into anything else.

For those brides out there who can't afford professional lighting I thought I'd include the below photos from Night Notes and Wine Spills, the photography blog of Ben Chrisman. Isn't it amazing what you can do with simple candle light???

What are your thoughts on lighting? Are you having it for your wedding?

All photos below credited to Ben Chrisman.




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4 Comments:

Blogger Blair Van Bussel said...

As much as I adore the way the lighting really makes the room pop (especially in a room that could use a boost) , it’s not absolutely needed. With my tight budget, I would rather feed them than I have pretty lighting ;) . If you have the funding, I would highly recommend it. We are using tons of candles though!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 11:53:00 AM  
Blogger sedona bride { destination wedding photographers } said...

Ben Chrisman is a mast at photographing in natural light. He's an amazing photographer. I must say from a photographers point of view that having extra lighting such as some up-lights or hanging lanterns and candles can really really add a lot of warmth and depth to your reception. It gives us photographers a lot more to play with and be creative with. Add as much lighting as you can budget as it makes for beautiful images!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 6:28:00 PM  
Blogger Melissa said...

I would say that now a days people save a giant portion of their budget for a good photographer and a good videographer. If the memories that you get to take with you are very important to you, then extra lighting will enhance what you already paid the big bucks for. There are several ways that you can do your own lighting, free to cheap. Ask friends if they have any of those construction type lights that you can borrow. They are not pretty, so you'll have to hide them behind other objects. These work great for up lighting. A simple up light or two can dramatically change the entire space and all you did was borrow some lights.

Life Stage Videography

Wednesday, March 26, 2008 7:58:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As a wedding purist, I'd have to say my favorite types of lighting are cheak and natural. First, there's a lot to be said for the natural lighting that exists at sunset. My fiance and I are using that beautiful (and free!) lighting for our outdoor ceremony by purposely scheduling it to begin at 6 p.m. As for the indoors, I'm a big candle kind of girl and I think to more randomly you space it, the more romantic and beautiful it will appear.

My two cents!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008 2:05:00 PM  

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