Wedding and event lighting has to be just perfect. Your photographer needs to use the available light for photos while incorporating photographer's lighting, but you also want the lighting to be just perfect for this event. Here are some guiding choices to help you select the best lights and lighting for your big day. 

Soft

Soft lighting is gentle on the eyes, especially after a very long day of getting ready for the wedding, and then getting through the ceremony, the pictures, the dinner, etc.. Your eyes will be very tired, you will be very tired, and you should avoid extremely bright lights to avoid the fatigue that comes with lighting that is too harsh. Keep your lighting choices soft, and you will help keep the fatigue away and keep the mood romantic. 

Romantic

Actual flames are romantic. Lit candles on tables, a fire in a fireplace at the venue (if applicable), and/or other open flame options are all romantic. If kids are coming to the wedding and the reception, you can use fake flame instead, like battery-operated candles, which mimic flickering, dancing flames without the potential for harm to kids.

You can also use lanterns, which have lockable little glass doors on them. Insert a tea light or a candle, and then use the lanterns on tables as romantic accents and sources of light for an elegant evening wedding. 

Hints of Color

Depending on the colors of your wedding party, you may be able to incorporate a little color into your wedding. If you chose shades of purple for your bridesmaids, try the deep purple and pastel purple strings of holiday lights, which are often sold around Easter and Halloween. With enough advanced planning, you can purchase several strings of these lights during clearance sales from these holidays and save the lights for your wedding/wedding venue. Other colors include multicolor (rainbow wedding), red, white/clear, blue, teal, green, orange, yellow, pink, and black lights. 

Lighted Florals or Lighted Greens

During different times of the year, you can purchase faux garlands of greenery or flowers that incorporate lights into their designs. If your wedding is a spring, summer, or Christmas wedding, you can use these garlands to decorate church pews or tables at the reception. More recently, lighted swags of faux fall leaves have become available, in case you have a fall wedding and would like to use those sorts of lights.