A Guide to Great Lighting on Your Wedding Day

When it comes to photography, nothing could be more important than light. The very way a photograph is created requires light to enter the lens and react with the film or sensor to create an image. Not only is light a crucial element to the physical creation of an image, it will also determine the feel and mood of every one of your photos. So, it’s worthwhile taking the time to consider the lighting for your wedding, here are just a few things to think about when planning your day.

Window light 

Walking into a space with big windows and plenty of natural light is one of our favourite lighting scenarios. The outside light filtering in is often very flattering and the resulting shadows create interest. Lots of natural light where you are getting ready is a real bonus, not only for us but your hair and makeup artists will thank you too. We love creating portraits with window light.

Outdoor ceremony lighting

If you are planning an outdoor ceremony, even shade is ideal. We know this is not always possible, so if you can't have even shade, try to avoid having the sun shining directly into either of your faces, where one of you may be squinting and the other in shadow. Dappled lighting can also be tricky. If your outdoor ceremony is in a sunny location, having the sun behind you is one of the best scenarios. It’s a good idea to visit your ceremony location close to your wedding date, even the day before and stand in position at the time of your ceremony to see what the sun is doing, then you can always adjust the angle the ceremony orientation to ensure the best lighting conditions possible.

Indoor ceremony lighting

When it comes to an indoor ceremony, the lighting is often already in place and it may not be possible to change it. The crucial thing to look out for is whether there is enough light where you will be standing. If you will be on a stage with access to stage lighting we suggest warm/yellow light as this will be most flattering for skin tones. Even if you would like to use coloured lights, it’s helpful to have some warm light hitting your faces as well.

Portrait time

The last hour before sunset and the following 15 minutes of dusk are our favourite time to make portraits. This is the time when the sun is most golden before becoming soft and pink and then the glorious blue of dusk. Googling what time the sun will set on your wedding day and factoring that into the schedule of your day is worthwhile. Of course, if the sun is hiding on your wedding day, clouds, rain, wind and shadows are cool too, we may just need to start portraits earlier as it can get dark quicker. This is also true for photos in urban locations where there are tall buildings that the sun can disappear behind.

Reception lighting

For your reception try to avoid fluorescent lighting, as fluoros can cause inconsistent lighting conditions and have a tendency to make skin tones look green-ish. Plenty of candles, strings of festoon lighting (aka night market style strings of light bulbs) or any warm lighting is perfect and creates a lovely ambience. Fairy lights can look pretty, but don’t emit much light compared to a festoon bulb. If using fairy lights we would recommend mixing in some strings of festoon lighting hanging overhead as well.

This is of course only a guide and ideal lighting conditions are not always possible. We can work with whatever lighting we encounter on the day and sometimes this leads to even more creativity in how we photograph. Either way there's no need to stress.