Outdoor Weddings, Things to Consider

I have a wedding shoot this afternoon, outdoors at Maison Beliveau near Blacksburg. I've never been there but I'm looking forward to it.

I'm a fan of outdoor weddings, in general - assuming the weather cooperates. My last outdoor shoot was at Valhalla Vineyards in Roanoke County. It's an excellent venue for a wedding under 100 guests. It's at the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain (I think) and offers stunning views... and lots of wind. Especially on the stormy day of May 9th. Thankfully the weather cooperated for just long enough that the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Obviously, when you decided on an outdoor wedding you're hoping the weather will cooperate. That's out of your hands. But there are some things you can control, such as the positioning of the bride and groom in relationship to the sun.

The sun offers great natural light that your photographer and videographer (hopefully me) will enjoy to work in. But if the bride and groom have the sun behind them (from the prospective of the guests) it will offer a terrible back lighting issue. Back lighting is big problem that most wedding coordinators do not take into consideration, but should.

First, if the sun is behind the couple, all of the guests will be squinting for the entire ceremony. As the couple, would you rather squint or have your entire group of invited family and friends?

Secondly, when the couple is overly back lit, the iris on the video camera has to open up to have proper exposure on the bride and groom. That will leave an over-exposed background that will be "blown out" or too bright. With the sun on your face, the iris can be turned down and the exposure will look good on everything in the shot.

Now, your photographer may not mind back lighting as much as me. They may say it looks great for certain shots where the couple is silhouetted. That effect is great for a few stills, but terrible for a full length wedding ceremony. Your photographer has the ability to move around and get all kinds of different shots - and they should. I can't move around without missing things. And you're not paying me to miss things.

Back lighting is also an issue at indoor ceremonies performed in front of, or near large windows. Again, natural light is great, but not when it's behind the bride and groom.