While it might not be the first thing you consider when planning your wedding, your lighting scheme is definitely not something to take, well, lightly. Rishi Patel, Vice President of Sales and Design at HMR Designs in Chicago, shared some insight into the importance of lighting up your most special day.
Photo: courtesy of Kent Drake Photography
Seeing your wedding in different illumination
Lighting is much more than just a stylistic element of your wedding: it is a force. Just as music controls the mood and energy of a dancing crowd, lighting governs the aura and ambiance of the entire affair. Illumination and decor do indeed go hand in hand. This is true regardless of your color palette whether bold and vivacious or soft and subtle – lighting is essential to bringing decor and floral to life and creating the aesthetic of the environment.
With your wedding, there are generally 3 levels of lighting to consider:
- The ceremony: romantic and precise, should emphasize the aisle, the ceremonial space and the importance of the event.
- Cocktails and dinner: celebratory and tailored, should showcase the signature style you’ve created through your decor, floral, and focals.
- Revelry and dancing: fun and sensory, should create the perfect climate for letting loose and enjoying the party you’ve so thoughtfully put together.
Photo: courtesy of Tim Walters Photography
Photo: courtesy of Kent Drake Photography
Photo: courtesy of Kent Drake Photography
Don’t be afraid to have fun with light. Patterned projections can bathe fabric, walls and floors, creating varied and captivating settings to reflect each mood of your affair. Remember to consider lighting at the very initial stages of your planning process. As you select your venue(s),don’t forget the endless possibilities lighting offers to transform a space.
Photo: courtesy of Kent Drake Photography
Lighting: A Different Animal
While lighting is certainly a technical element, it is also very much a design element. Just because you have lighting fixtures doesn’t mean that you have lighting. Simply “setting up” your lighting is not enough. Make sure to have an event designer with an aesthetic eye work on coordinating your illumination so that it can achieve the full potential of its effect.
Photo: courtesy of Tim Walters Photography
Concealing lighting instruments is also quite the delicate balance, and benefits from a designer’s eye. The trick to successful illumination is that is both gracefully inconspicuous and spectacularly striking: lighting, like many things, is often most noticeable when it is not pleasant.
Photo: courtesy of Tim Walters Photography
A designer can help you assess the space and explore placement options as well as dressings (to cover hardware) and various modes of suspension. This will ensure that any comments about the luminosity of your affair only pertain to how magnificent it is.
Photo: courtesy of Kent Drake Photography
Illumination is Everything
An impeccably lit room reinvents that space, making it yours and yours alone for the time that you’re in it. So, as you fastidiously devote your attention to every facet of your wedding, be sure not to neglect the luminescent aspect. As you and your guests bask in your perfectly ambient glow, you’ll be so glad you did.
Photo: courtesy of Kent Drake Photography
