A detail that can often be overlooked is lighting. While it may not seem like the most important element of your decor, it sets the mood for your reception. It goes without saying that you should avoid any overhead florescent lighting. If that’s all your venue has, ask them if you can bring in candles, string lights, or chandeliers. The lighting at your venue may already be exactly what you want, but if not, there are some ways you can improve the ambiance.
1. Hang a sheer backdrop against a plain wall with twinkle lights.
2. Rent or purchase chandeliers.
3. Drape white lights in a crisscross pattern with a simple chandelier in the middle.
4. Hire a professional light technician to create a spectacular design that fits with your theme/style.
5. Hang string lights from four posts to create a tented feel.
One of the first wedding-planning questions you’ll have to answer is: Should we hold our ceremony outdoors or indoors? There are several pros and cons to holding your ceremony in an outdoor space vs. indoors, so it’s important to weigh your options before making a decision.
Outdoor Ceremony
Pros: Whether it’s a beach, a garden, a vineyard, or a farm, an outdoor ceremony space is all about natural beauty. Usually there’s no need to add much decoration to an outdoor space, which can help bring costs down.
Cons: You’re at the mercy of the elements and will need to have an indoor space or tent at the ready in case of inclement weather. You’ll need to do your part to make sure your guests are comfortable (check out this post about helping your loved ones beat the heat). And you’ll have to consider your own wedding-day look as well – a long veil and and down hairstyle can get easily mussed on a windy day.
Indoor Ceremony
Pros: No backup plan necessary! Your guests will be shielded from inclement weather; plus, no worries about the ladies’ heels sinking into the grass or the hem of your dress getting covered with sand.
Cons: You’ll need to work with the decor of your chosen space. A beautiful house of worship requires minimal additional decoration, but a blank slate-style venue, like a loft space, may require lots of brought-in furniture, flowers, and lighting.
With all of the ideas you can acquire when planning your wedding, how do you choose your style? With Spring here and summer weddings quickly approaching, here are four style ideas we love for a warm weather/destination reception:
About the Shoot: “A little off of the beaten track, Potato Hill Farm near Augusta, Kentucky is a charming place. The farm’s owners purchased it as a weekend escape and have been renovating and adding to the farm’s growing menagerie. Current residents include numerous chickens and Gus and Alfred—the sweetest donkeys ever! The farm is sustainable and even had a solar powered chicken coop! Having first visited Potato Hill on a crisp and sunny spring morning, I knew I had to do a photo shoot there. The natural simplicity, the lush green hills, and the rush of the stream that runs through it were intoxicating. We decided to shoot late on an April afternoon and after days of rain, the sun decided to grace us with its presence. While a farm wedding can take on many looks—from rustic to charming, I felt that the surroundings spoke for themselves, so we kept it simple and elegant. Vintage white and flax linens, recycled French glassware, and seasonal flowers, greens, and moss complete the table design. Flowers included hydrangea, garden roses, eucalyptus, stock, lavender, anenomes, and cabbage. Our model, Katie, wore her own wedding dresses (yes—she had purchased two!) and all of the jewelry is costume from her collection. Looking at the photos (by the amazing Brenda Pottinger), my favorite part of the shoot is the flower necklace we made for Gus—I think he felt pretty special – he kept it on all day!
(We had to include this as the last photo…we’re huge dog lovers at WeddingWire!)
About this Shoot: “The idea behind the shoot was to capture all the elements that make Prince Edward Island (PEI) so special and to encourage couples looking for a destination wedding to consider PEI in their plans. The shoot was a combined effort of several local vendors including an event coordinator, photographer, décor designer, stationary designer, cake designer, makeup artist, hair stylist, florist, jeweler, and clothing, all from Island businesses. The shoot also featured a young couple originally from British Columbia who after visiting PEI, chose to move there and are now calling PEI home. The shoot emphasized how easy and accommodating a wedding on PEI can be. Like most destination weddings, a PEI destination wedding can be very cost effective with travel, wedding and honeymoon all in the same destination. And on PEI, there is so much to see and do that the whole destination, including family and friends travelling with the couple on their special day, can be entertained throughout their trip. Combined effort of the following vendors.”
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