Beyond Aesthetics: A Photographer’s Honest Guide to Wedding Decor & Ambience
Planning your wedding decor? This guide shares photographer-approved tips for wedding lighting, venue setup, and decor choices that elevate your photos. Whether you're getting married in a grand venue or in your home, this guide helps you create an ambience that not only feels magical but photographs beautifully.
Let’s be honest—weddings are chaotic, beautiful, unpredictable things. We’ve shot pSangeet where the only light source was a disco ball and one purple spotlight, Reception where fog machines went rogue, Outdoor events mid-storm—and still walked away with photos that told the story, beautifully.
But when you get the space, the decor, and the lighting just right—that’s when the magic deepens. Not just for the photos, but for how the day feels.
This guide isn’t a checklist of demands. It’s a nudge, a gentle lens from our side of the camera. Because if you're already pouring your heart into planning the decor, this can help make sure it shines in your photos too.
1. What Your Venue Can (Quietly) Do
Natural light is a gift. If your venue has big windows, open lawns, or even a patch of diffused sunshine—we’ll use it.
Colored drapes or walls (especially bright red, green, or blue) can tint everything, including your skin.
Tight spaces? We’ve worked in living rooms and rooftops. But if you have a choice, look for places that give you breathing room for key moments.
2. Let’s Talk About Light
Light changes everything—mood, emotion, memory.
Warm > Cool: Yellow, golden, soft lighting = timeless. Blue and purple LEDs may feel flashy and awkward in photos.
Even lighting for rituals: Whether it’s a mandap, stage, or nikaah area—ask your decorator to avoid single-side or top-only lighting. Balance is key.
Color mixing? Imagine yellow halogen + red LED + green strip lights = faces in Photoshop for days. Add flickering chandeliers for cinematographer’s nightmare.
3. Styling the Space Where It All Happens
Your ceremony space holds your most emotional frames.
Keep the clutter away from the backdrop. Tall florals or signage look great, but not if they block faces or crowd the moment.
Mattes > Gloss: Shiny surfaces reflect flashes. We’re fans of textured fabrics and muted colors—they age beautifully.
Ask: where will we stand, where will our families sit, and what’s behind us? If that’s thought through, you’re golden.
4. Choosing Decor Colors That Love the Camera
If your decor palette feels cohesive to you—it’ll usually work.
Monotones and soft contrasts photograph beautifully.
Avoid neons and harsh primary combos unless the look is deliberately dramatic.
Plants are great—but if your stage is all green, it might give your skin a slight Hulk vibe. We can correct it, but good planning saves time.
5. Your Photographer is Part of the Team
We don’t just land up and shoot. We walk in as part of your crew.
Want to share your moodboards or Pinterest pins with us? Please do.
Venue walkthroughs or videos help us prep lenses, lighting setups, and backup plans.
And if we gently suggest dimming a few lights or shifting a table—it’s never to interfere. It’s to help your story breathe a little better in the frame.
Common Things That Trip Up Great Photos
Not dealbreakers—but if avoidable, you’ll thank us later:
Bright spotlights aimed straight at your faces.
Disco lights during key moments like the first dance or pheras.
Shiny backdrops that reflect camera flashes.
Again—if it’s there, we’ll adapt. That’s what we’re here for.
6. Outdoor Events? A Few Quick Tips
Morning sun can be harsh—if you’re doing a day event, pre-11 AM or post-4 PM are kinder to the face.
Evening events? Lean into warm ambient lighting—fairy lights, lanterns, even candles.
Poolside haldi or mehendi? Try not to sit with your back to the sun. That’s when people start squinting like they’re facing an interrogation lamp.
📢 A Note You Can Share with Your Vendors
If you're a photographer, this is a simple lighting note you can pass on to planners, decorators, or venue managers. No pressure, just a polite nudge toward better visibility and cleaner frames:
1. Sangeet Stage Lighting
Please ensure there are face lights set to warm white or white during performances and speeches. This helps us capture expressions and movement clearly.
Feel free to add ambient or decorative lights for mood, but the face lights make all the difference.
2. Pheras Lighting
We'd love a pair of soft, warm face lights at the mandap—not overhead, not backlit—just gently lighting the couple and their families.
If that’s tricky, we can bring in our own lights. But that usually means placing someone on the mandap to operate them, which we’d rather avoid so the space stays intimate for the couple and their guests.
In Summary: Don’t Overthink, Just Align
This guide isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention.
Even a little bit of thought into lighting, layout, and colors can go a long way.
Want to talk through your decor plan with us?
Share photos, references, or even doodles—we’re happy to help you make it photo-friendly.
Because while we’ll make it work no matter what, we love it when you make us part of the plan.
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My Dad, the Believer and the Vehami Gene
From superstition-fuelled mornings to a garage full of green soap, I remembers my father—the most wonderfully vehami man I knew. A story about quirks, quiet faith, and the love we inherit in the smallest ways.
Growing up, I've always had my own little superstitions. If I didn't have a good day at school—maybe I got scolded or faced tough questions on a test—I would start analyzing my entire day. Did I miss brushing my teeth for exactly 45 seconds? Did I put on my clothes before wearing my earrings? Maybe I wore that hairband I secretly believed to be unlucky. After careful analysis, I'd decide what needed to be fixed for a better day and just move on.
The Paratha and the Toothbrush Dilemma
This influence was unknowingly brought upon me by my father—I had subconsciously adopted it from him. One morning, I woke up and went straight to the kitchen. He was awake, making parathas. I was thrilled because I loved his parathas (who wouldn't? He’d finish an entire jar of ghee making eight parathas!). Eagerly, I grabbed a plate and began piling on parathas with dahi and white makhan. But my dad interrupted: "Muh haath dho lo, brush karlo pehle."
Future me is disgusted at the memory—it had been less than 50 seconds since I'd woken up. But at that time, I had this belief that morning tooth brushing was ruining my day, and I absolutely had to put food in my mouth immediately after waking up. I explained exactly this to my dad. He was puzzled, not to mention slightly disgusted. Abandoning his paratha, he followed me to the dining table, asking me why morning tooth brushing was causing problems.
So I shared a recent incident—I had casually revised some history chapters, and coincidentally, we had a surprise test the next day. On that day, I'd forgotten to brush my teeth in the morning and instead brushed after school. Seeing the good result, I stuck to it. Next day, my friends and I broke someone’s scooter mirror playing, and we didn’t get caught. The day after, our PT teacher skipped me when making students run warm-up rounds. Clearly, the habit was working!
(I know—future me is shaking my head right now.) But at that moment, my dad listened joyfully as I explained this strange belief system. Smiling, he told me, "Tu mere jaisi hai, mujhe bhi veham hote hain." That was the first time I heard the word—veham. I had veham, and my father was possibly the most vehami person you'd ever meet, at least back then.
The Soap of the Stars (and My Father's Brand Loyalty)
He had always been obsessed with green toiletries—from soap bars to shampoos to hair oils. If it was green, he'd buy it. He particularly loved Green Lux soap. One day, Hindustan Lever decided to discontinue it. Our neighborhood grocery owner, Bunty Uncle, urgently sent whatever stock he had left—half a carton—to my mom. My mom called my dad at work, delivering the devastating news.
My father, without hesitation, went straight to Sabun Bazaar after work (yes, a legit place in Ludhiana! which now has everything except saban) and bought every Green Lux soap he could find. We had a garage downstairs, large enough for two cars. For the next decade or so, it was stacked high with Green Lux.
After about fifteen years, the stash finally started to dwindle. We’d followed the news, listened carefully to soap distributor gossip—no signs of revival from HUL. Dad had no choice but to experiment with new green soaps. Over the next two months, he methodically tested every green soap in the market: Cinthol, Hamam, Medimix, Nirma, Rexona, Margo—each one given a week to prove its worth. Did yarn sales increase? Were bad debts cleared? Did commissions rise unexpectedly? How well did the yarn dye turn out?
Eventually, Rexona emerged victorious. Soon, packs of four Rexona soaps appeared regularly in our bi-monthly grocery orders. Apparently, it was even better than Green Lux. Then one day, Liril soap hit the market with its captivating TV ad, quickly becoming popular among girls at school. I convinced my mother to order one, nervously using it, hoping it wouldn't spoil my luck. Thankfully, nothing happened. After some more experimentation, I concluded soaps weren’t my veham.
Growing up, I managed to shake off most of my childhood superstitions—carefully testing each one through balanced months of "off and on" days. But some quirks stuck, like never passing sharp objects directly by hand or bathing with my lucky towel the day before an important shoot. These little habits still remind me warmly of home and the vehami ways we shared. My father was a believer—in his work, in his potential, and in everything he passionately cared about. These little rituals weren’t just habits; they were his quiet ways of keeping the things he loved safe. And maybe that’s all it ever was—his way of holding on to hope, in the only way he knew how. I think of that now, every time I catch myself doing something that makes no sense on paper but feels like insurance from the universe. Happy Father's Day to the most wonderfully vehami dad!
