When planning an outdoor wedding ceremony, it’s very important that you take the lighting into consideration.  Direct sunlight should be avoided if possible, as it will create harsh shadows in your photos and you, your guests and/or your bridal party could be looking directly into the sun throughout the ceremony.  It could also be extremely hot in the summer, especially for the guys who will be wearing suits.  On the flip side, too much shade can also be an issue – especially close to sunset and under dense tree cover.

As a photographer, I am always looking for good light first + foremost.  The background comes second because without great light, the background is pretty much obsolete.  Unfortunately, most people don’t realize this and so they focus on the background of their ceremony location, without really taking into consideration how the lighting will impact it.

To illustrate my point, here are three very popular outdoor ceremony locations in Charleston where the lighting is consistently difficult – the oaks overlooking the Ashley River at Magnolia Plantation Carriage House, the Avenue of Oaks at Legare Waring House, and under the oak at the Creek Club at I’On.  All three of these venues have gorgeous backgrounds, BUT the ceremony lighting in these specific spots just isn’t ideal at all.

At Magnolia Plantation Carriage House, most clients opt to have their ceremony facing the river.  However, if you’re looking at it from a photographic perspective, this really isn’t the best option.  In this location, the groomsmen are usually in direct sunlight while the rest of the wedding party is in dappled light or full shade.  This dappled, uneven lighting makes it extremely hard for your photographer to capture a well-exposed photo of the ceremony.  Additionally, your guests are sitting in direct sunlight – which can be extremely uncomfortable, especially in the summer!

At the Creek Club at I’On, the lighting situation is just as bad.  The entire wedding party is in dappled lighting, and in this case, the bride + groom’s heads are under the shade while the rest of their bodies were in direct sunlight.  This is basically your photographers’ worst nightmare in terms of lighting and I was cringing the entire time because I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do to create evenly lit, beautiful photos of the ceremony.

The Avenue of Oaks at the Legare Waring House is a super popular ceremony site, but the sun sets behind the main house which means the sunlight streams right through the trees and onto the couple and their bridal party.  These hot spots are not very flattering and a lot of the time, the bride and/or the bridesmaids are being hit with direct sunlight through the tree branches.  That dappled lighting is not fun…

Fear not!  In all of these cases, there are better options for the ceremony in terms of lighting!  Simply turning the ceremony to face in the other direction would’ve made a HUGE difference.  As a general rule, the sun should be BEHIND and/or to the SIDE of the couple + bridal party.  There should also be some way to diffuse the light coming from behind the bridal party + couple, whether that be a tree, altar draping, etc.  This way, your photographer will be shooting into the sun and everyone in the ceremony will be backlit – which is so much more beautiful in photos!

Check out these ceremony photos (and one bridal party photo) taken at what I consider the “ideal” ceremony locations at each venue mentioned above – the large oak tree at Magnolia Plantation Carriage House, facing the marsh at the Creek Club at I’On, and the Wedding Tree at Legare Waring House.  These photos show what the ceremony photos could look like if the lighting conditions are taken into consideration when choosing a ceremony site.  In all of these cases, the photos were shot with the sun behind the subjects – and do you see the difference?!

I want to emphasize that this post was written in an effort to educate clients + wedding planners about the impact that lighting can have on an outdoor wedding ceremony – and NOT to criticize or scold anyone for their choice in a ceremony location.  As a photographer, we always do the best we can with whatever lighting situation we are given.  However, I do feel that it is my job to explain and show clients how much lighting can impact their photos – and I hope these photos give you a good point of reference.

The main function of this post is to illustrate how much of a difference your ceremony lighting can make!  If you’re planning an outdoor ceremony and want beautifully lit ceremony photos, it’s probably best to consult with your photographer in terms of the best location and time for the ceremony.  We live and breathe light – and we see things differently than most people when it comes to lighting.  Consulting with us will definitely give you the best insight for great photos!  And this holds true for wedding planners as well.  Planners, please feel free to consult with us about the best time and/or location for the ceremony!  We are here to help and want to set everyone up for success… and fabulous photos!