Life, the Universe and Everything in Your Wedding

Cara and I are off to shoot a wedding In Negril Jamaica this weekend and it got me thinking of all the great places we have shot this past season and how the dynamics of families and the creativeness of it all can lead to some unique ceremonies and best of all receptions. I gathered some useful considerations for those of you who are still planning or are just looking around. There are always things that pop in my mind when shooting a wedding that I have always wanted to ask... so here they are.

Where do you get your wedding reception ideas? How do you decide between a formal dinner and a buffet? Do you really want to create a seating chart for 200 people? Do you want to embrace the pomp and the circumstance of the receiving line? Where do you look for your wedding reception ideas? The answer to that is a simple one.

You look to your own life, the life of your soon to be spouse and you find the a happy middle ground that satisfies you both. The wedding reception is the first major event hosted by you and your new spouse. It’s a function that celebrates your marriage and invites all of your family and friends to celebrate alongside you. The reception is as much for your guests as it is for you. In fact, in many cases your wedding reception will continue after you and your new spouse leave it to head out for the honeymoon.

Wedding reception ideas come from mixing both the drama and the fantasy in our lives. Think of a romantic setting that you’d like to share with your wedding guests and create it. If that means creating a beautiful outdoor setting with tents and paper lanterns that mix both natural and quiet illuminations as well as dramatic shadows; then that’s what you do.

Your wedding reception ideas might include a brightly lit room with colorful decorations, loud music and lots of group dances or your ideas have to come from who the two of you are individually and who you want to be together. It’s the first couple of paragraphs in the new chapter of your lives. So create the setting you want to be seen in and you want to enjoy in and that’s where your wedding reception ideas come from.

Team f8