At the time of writing this we are currently in the middle of our 11th wedding season! During that time we’ve seen a myriad of trends come and go. Some are great, some… not so much. We’ll skip any examples as not to offend anyone 🙂 Over the past 2 years, and especially recently, we’ve seen one trend in particular that we absolutely love. Uplighting.
If you aren’t familiar with uplighting it’s basically the placing of small, colored LED lights around the reception room to add mood lighting. Typically this is done by your DJ. It sounds like a small thing and seems pretty simple but it makes such a HUGE difference, not only in the ambience and mood of your reception but… IN YOUR PHOTOS! Nothing can take a bland room and turn it into a fun, exciting place to photograph like some expertly placed uplighting. Whether it is to highlight some existing architectural details, or just add some interest to an otherwise bland room, we have yet to see a reception that has not benefited tremendously from quality uplighting.
The color options seem to be pretty broad. From a subtle amber that blends well with the existing incandescent light of the room to a dynamic blue, pink or green, we’ve seen many choices. Our favorites are the ones that stand out and really pop. A good DJ who knows what they are doing will even be able to change the color of the lights on the fly to really pump up the party on the dance floor.
Speaking of good DJs and quality uplighting, we in the State College area are lucky to have two real pros. Eric Stoner with Nittany Entertainment and Alex Nepa with Local Motion Entertainment are both consummate professionals and we’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about both companies from our brides.
One other note about uplighting, and kind of an important one. While the uplighting itself instantly increases the look of the reception venue, it definitely takes a skilled and experienced photographer to show it at it’s best. So whether we are photographing your wedding or not, go for the uplighting, and make sure you have an awesome photographer to show it off.
Below are a handful of photos we’ve shot recently featuring some beautiful uplighting.
From Toftrees Le Papillon (uplighting by Nittany Entertainment):
From The Penn Stater (uplighting by Nittany Entertainment):
From The Nittany Lion Inn (uplighting by Local Motion Entertainment):
From The Ramada (uplighting by Nittany Entertainment):
