The Festival of Lights

In honor of Hanukkah Dave inspired me to write a post on lighting.

Do you know how celebs look great in photos?  It's because they're lit well.  Lighting can make a difference in the way you look in a photograph and can also help the mood in a ceremony and reception space.

Ask your location manager what lighting is provided by the venue - dimmers, pinspots, etc...  And then talk to your florist about what additional lighting you may want to bring in via a lighting company.

Of course bringing in a lighting company will add to your budget, but asking won't cost you a thing so get all the information and then make a decision.  It might not cost as much as you think and to cover the additional costs you can pull money from another area of the wedding budget to cover it.

Destination Wedding: Setting the Scene

I am still getting used to being back in New York. We had the best time at the wedding in Barbados. The next few posts will be about the destination wedding I just attended. I didn't bring a camera (I need to buy one), so I'm waiting for our friends' pictures to get e-mailed to me.

The wedding took place on an estate the couple rented, and they let the environment around them help set the scene.

For the ceremony guests sat in the center of a manicured lawn, surrounded by palm trees, feet from the shore.

To help guests cool off before the wedding, bamboo fans were placed on each chair. A tag with the couple's names and wedding date were attached to the handle with ribbon. These were great for both cooling off and as a shade to protect my shoulders from a sunburn.

Since the wedding took place in the late afternoon, the bride rented chandeliers that were placed in the tents and over the yard for lighting. The ceremony area was used for dancing and relaxing after dinner.

Depending on what gets sent to me tomorrow, I'll write about some of the other wedding details or parties that took place over the long weekend.

Thanks to Sanford and Adrienne for this photo.