Uplighting and other wedding reception lighting FAQ

Tamara Merri
May 27
5 min read

Updated: 3d

What is uplighting?

Uplighting is the supplemental lighting that helps create an atmosphere most commonly found during wedding receptions. These lights are often in portable boxes spread around the room that cast lights upwards along the wall / ceiling. The lights may be a solid color that is in theme with the wedding, may transition smoothly through different colors, or can be paired with music to change with the beat. Uplighting is often paired with other supplemental lighting like light bars and disco strobes.

wedding reception dancing photo with uplighting — Green uplighting

How does uplighting influence the atmosphere of a wedding reception?

Uplighting can help create or enhance a theme or vibe for a wedding day. Since uplighting is provided most often by bands or DJs, I asked my friend DJ from Black Diamond Event Productions to shed some light on how uplighting influences the atmosphere of a wedding:

“Proper lighting that complement the venues architecture and color scheme at the right moments is a night and day difference rather than just relying on natural or overhead lighting. Professionally designed atmospheres with lighting as a focal design element can draw emotion from the crowd at all the right times, such as a sudden flash/blinder during the final dip and kiss of the first dance, or at the end of well-lit peer toasts/speeches when room then transforms from bright to a moody purple for a more intimate dinner, or vibrant and upbeat chase patterns during the buildup of a rock or EDM track. Chances are you’ve never been to a concert or nightclub without lighting and visuals because professional lighting and music go hand in hand."

He's not wrong!! The difference between dancing at a wedding reception in a room with no lights (or worse, overhead lights that are on the whole time) is a totally different experience than dancing when there are lights flashing, ebbing and flowing to enhance the experience.

Not only does uplighting influence the atmosphere of the event but enhances the overall guest experience as well.

wedding reception dancing photo with uplighting and LED foam sticks — Red and purple uplighting

How does uplighting enhance the guest wedding experience?

The guest experience is important to keep in mind when planning your wedding! I asked my friend Marissa, a local wedding planner, her take on uplighting and the guest experience:

“Uplighting has the power to completely transform a space and elevate the guest experience. It brings warmth, depth, and energy into a room — creating an immersive atmosphere that feels intentional from the moment guests walk in. Whether it’s a romantic glow during dinner or a vibrant ambiance on the dance floor, uplighting helps define the mood and makes every moment more memorable.”

For me personally, I feel like with the changing lights during the dancing portion of a wedding I can escape into the mood more and not be so worried about my silly dance moves!

To help create even more of a party vibe, many couples choose to include other glowy party elements like LED foam sticks, glow bracelets / necklaces, light up glasses, and other accessories. I find that the more things there are to do on the dance floor besides only dance, the more people there are on the dance floor! So if your goal is to have a packed dance floor all night at your wedding, I definitely recommend investing in uplighting and some other elements to get people feelin the vibe.

Not only does uplighting enhance the atmosphere and guest experience, but it influences photos as well!

last name projected onto wall at wedding reception with blue uplighting and candles — Blue uplighting

How does uplighting influence photos?

Uplighting and other supplemental lighting makes photos more fun! In order to fully illustrate how uplighting influences photos, I first need to talk a little about how I photograph receptions. While uplighting may be present throughout the reception, during the dancing portion is when it is key for influencing photos.

I always use flash for receptions. Sometimes I'll use off camera flash and sometimes I'll fire the flash that is mounted on top of my camera. These create two distinct looks.

fun dancing photo at wedding with hanging white christmas lights and flash — Off camera flash. No uplighting.

What is off camera flash?

Off camera flash is when there are flash heads on light stands that are in different areas of the dance floor. Generally, I put two flashes diagonal from each other, close to the wall. Then I'll also have a flash on my camera. So that creates three different light sources. This is necessary to create a well lit photo, but one that still has depth. Since they are flashes, the light is only on for a brief moment when the photo is being taken. Off camera flash is great because it doesn't matter how close or far I am / my camera is from the subject. The flashes are in place to properly light up what I want the viewer to pay attention to.

first dance photo under twinkle lights — Off camera flash with orange uplighting

What is on camera flash?

On camera flash is when a flash unit is mounted onto the top of a camera. You can change the direction of the flash by swiveling the flash head. This allows you to change the lighting dramatically whether the flash is pointed directly at the subject, if it's bounced off the ceiling walls, or if a modifier is attached to soften the light. This works well to illuminate a subject closer to you but doesn't help to property light up the whole scene with dimension like off camera flash does.

couple slow dances on the dance floor at wedding — On camera flash with no uplighting but light bars are along the ceiling

How does flash and uplighting combine to influence wedding photos?

With off camera flash, I can adjust my settings so that I can illuminate the whole scene along with the uplighting colors. I generally use this for first dance photos / speeches. This is great when I want to keep the atmosphere of the event but also focus on many different elements of the scene or for large group photos.

large group photo at a wedding holding a flag that says "amherst" — Off camera flash. Purple uplighting.

With on camera flash, the subjects closet to my camera are illuminated while things further away are darker. This allows the uplighting / any other supplemental lighting like twinkle lights to appear brighter. This really makes the vibe of the room show up. I like to use this flash for dancing photos. It is especially pronounced with a shutter drag.

wedding couple dancing at wedding — On camera flash. Purple uplighting.

A shutter drag is when you slow your shutter speed down. Usually, slowing the shutter way down makes a photo blurry. However, when the flash is fired it freezes everything in place. So the result is you get light trails from the slow shutter but an in focus subject because of the flash. It's so fun to use this for dancing to enhance the party look! Plus, a shutter drag is essential when trying to capture the colors of foam sticks and other light up accessories.

fun dance floor with LED foam sticks — Shutter drag to capture the foam sticks. On camera flash.

If your venue doesn't have any supplemental lighting (twinkle lights, dimmable chandeliers, sconces), I definitely recommend adding in some lights. I personally think uplighting and other colorful strobes are super fun but I understand the cost of weddings adds up. When you see a quote for lights you may choose to pass on it but uplighting is more than "just a light"... it is a party enhancer and atmosphere creator!! Check out more examples below of receptions with and without uplighting or other supplemental lighting.