Lighting Your Stage

A subject we haven't discussed yet is lighting, which is key to setting the atmosphere for you wedding.  It is vital you put some thought in how you want your venue lit and by what form of lighting.  I was working with a beautifully rustic canvas and had split it into 4 areas.  The courtyard was the reception area, the raised patio was the chill out area, the back lawn was the dining area and lastly, the orchard pool area was the party zone.  I therefore needed lighting to depict the usage.  I obviously had some help!  I used a company from Heraklion called Sound design.  Not only did they provide all the Greek dancers and band but they also did all the lighting and DJ-ing, Manoli was fabulous.  He came to meet us in the February and we walked around the grounds picking out which trees to accent with up lighters (common areas also need addressing in certain cases) and his vision was also on the same page as mine.  Some venues will direct you in what needs to be done whilst others will use some imagination, it really depends on what type of venue you have chosen.  Kindelis, which was my reception venue was so beautiful in its own right that very little dramatic lighting was needed.  Only really in the party zone where I used pink lighting instead of normal which looked great against the turquoise of the lit pool!  Uplifting was really all we did with the rest of the venue.  We up lit key trees and the the house so it stood out a little more and also we lit a couple of the pots as accents around the courtyard.  The photos are below so decide for yourselves what you think.  I loved it!

Photos by Annie Angelopoulou and friends

Once you have decided on your larger lighting then the fun part comes with the smaller details.  I wanted to have a lot of candles in the venue and also to have the Chinese lanterns which I adore.  Although, in relation to the Chinese lanterns, it was not exactly what I was wanting I had to compromise.  I had envisioned a sea of large and small globes but due to the vastness of the back lawn it was impossible.  They would have sagged too low and we were unable to put in supports as it would have been a) messy b) too much of a liability for the guests.  So in the end I had to make do with 2 strings of large white Chinese lanterns in the dining area coupled with very simple candles on terracotta dishes dotted about.  On the tables I used beautiful terracotta tea light holders which were made locally and I rented off the florist. Now I know I said hiring is hard but we found a wonderful florist who bought them all and charged me a smaller rate as she was going to re sell them in her shop.  I would like to add she was so kind she gave me about 20 of them to bring home and if I say so myself, they look gorgeous on my garden table.

Leading to the party zone from the dining area was a beautiful walkway covered with bougainvillea and roses.  This needed to be lit as at night it was very dark with little lanterns hanging from the pergola and larger ones on the floor, it was so romantic as well as guiding people to the next step in the wedding.  I  used the tea lights that I made all down the driveway as well.  It was magical to look down and just have candles twinkling in the trees.

In the party zone I had fuchsia Chinese lanterns to accent the up lit trees and back lit wall.  It just gave the area the added light that it needed and made it stand out from the rest of the venue.

photos by Annie Angelopoulou

My advice to you all is take some time to think about what you want from your wedding, what atmosphere and address the lighting accordingly.  It is well worth the time and trouble and can completely change a venue from beautiful to magical.

NY