Weddings are all about detailing. The more you pay attention to the details, the more put-together, classier and more fun the entire do looks. Usually wedding couples and their families go through everything microscopically be it the backdrop, cake, flowers, monogrammed invites, clothing, jewellery, why even the bride’s suitcase, except one big thing – lighting!
So, here’s some lighting 101. Lighting is the single most important décor element at your wedding. If your venue is something like En Sesha Mahal, Royapettah, Chennai, most of your lighting concerns will already be addressed by the wedding venue itself. However, if your marriage hall is not the En Sesha Mahal, DK Mini Hall or the roof top party space, Raghu Roof Top Garden, you better bring in the lights. The En Sesha and its halls are creatively lit to deliver soft lighting / mood lighting in a way that will deliver more than a touch of glam to your wedding/reception.
Among the first points while choosing lighting is that, it needs to be functional and fun. Lighting is not just about brightening up the space; it adds life to the venue, makes your photos outstanding, and influences your and your guests’ mood.
Whether your wedding style is classic, rustic, romantic, modern or, edgy, choosing, planning, and installing the right lighting detail will give you the opportunity to better showcase your wedding theme/design vision. Take a moment to think about your priorities and create a lighting plan around it. Make a budget if you need to – just like you did when choosing the wedding hall.
Walk the entire wedding venue with your decorator and photographer. Most lighting situations cause stress to photographers due to lack of preparation for the scene they are shooting in. Choose the decoration and flowers prior to choosing the lighting. This will enable the decorator and photographer to understand the colour combinations they need to work around. Will you be seated or standing? What kind of lighting does the rest of the room need in order to yield memorable candid photographs?
Assess the room for creative light placements. Placement makes all the difference. Adding lights not just as boring fixtures that provide light but as creative hangings can add value in terms of both lighting and decoration. Consider chandeliers, LEDs behind glass or frosted glass, lighting behind curtains or drapes, adding a lit up tree, other installations, lighting around the photo booth… there are so many ways to add light to a marriage venue.
Lighting the mandap is a skill in itself. Most photographers will ask for yellow lights to be added since it will render a very warm and rich colour to each frame. Concur on vantage spots with the photographer and decorator.
Lighting is a process and takes trial and error to see what fits and what doesn’t. So keep at it, till it looks right to you.