Light And Your Wedding | Plan a Photo-Centered Day
Light and your wedding: being a natural light photographer, the sun is so important to my work and I strive to educate my couples on how to incorporate it beautifully into their wedding. Light can affect your wedding day in so many ways, and in turn, that can affect how your images look. Deciding on the time of day to get married and making sure there’s enough light during your wedding are all important factors to keep in mind when planning your day.
Ceremony Lighting
After you have spent the time looking for the perfect venue to say “I do”, it’s always a good idea to go back and stand at the altar during the time frame of ceremony. See where the sun will be hitting on your wedding day. Will you be standing in full sun? Open shade? Is the sun setting by then? Is the sun going to be in your eyes? Try and envision what your pictures will look like. Are you going to want the brightness of the full sun on your face? This is also the best time to talk to your wedding planner or a coordinator at the venue and find out if there are ways to rotate your altar.
Golden Hour Portraits
One of my favorite times during a wedding is to sneak my bride and grooms away during sunset to take bridal portraits during golden hour. I always recommend to my couples to add some time in during the reception and they never regret it. For about 15-20 minutes, it’s just us. It’s a little quiet time focusing on you as a married couple. It is always the sweetest time and the most fun pictures to take.
Reception Lighting
Reception lighting is always tough, especially in outdoor weddings. It’s getting dark outside, usually the venue is using string lights (which I adore, I love me some string lights). A good rule of thumb is, the more the merrier! The more light the better! And when it comes to the end of the night and you want to do a grand exit, I recommend a sparkler exit! (Outdoors only though!!) The sparklers add so much more light, especially when some guests take three or four each, it makes for some beautiful images.
The light in each of these scenarios are going to differ greatly depending on time of day, location, and time of year. Together we can plan the perfect timeline to get the dreamiest images of your wedding day!
Photos: Lauren Kovacik Photography
Florals: Sweet Pea Floral Creations & Sprig and Spring
Venues: Coto Valley Country Club, Wiens Weddings, Twin Oaks Gardens, Circle Oak Ranch
