How to romantically light you winter wedding (with candles & fairy lights!)

Candlelit Wedding Inspiration With Pretty Fairy Lights – Lauren Pretorius Photography 7

With cooler weather, shorter days & and a more ‘indoor’ lifestyle, one might not instantly choose winter for their wedding date. But those who have (and winter brides soon to be!) know that there’s plenty of reasons & ways winter weddings can stand out from the rest.

This talented team of South African wedding vendors agrees! Embracing Cape Town’s moodier wintertime, photographer Lauren Pretorius and florist & planner Epanouir Flower Studio created a winter wedding dream scene, not only inspiring winter brides and grooms but showing couples year round how to romantically light their darker reception spaces.

From candles in varying heights & sizes, tea lights hanging in orbs from tree branches (such a creative idea!) and stylish drapings of fairy lights there is so much need lighting inspiration to use on your wedding day. Showing off this warm golden glow, the team paired their lighting styles with fashion, beauty & florals in shades of cream, taupe, nude & gold.

We’re also excited to share Alena Leena‘s wedding dress designs, one of the up-and-coming designers we spotted and fell for on our trip to Cape Town.

From Lauren Pretorius Photography

It’s been offseason but for this amazing group of talented industry professionals, winters are wet and dark – creating the perfect backdrop for something moody but inviting. The shoot was conceptualized as a night shoot, with the challenge being to shoot everything by candlelight in order to illustrate how beautiful shadows and translucent elements translate into a very romantic setting for a wintery wedding. It’s also ideal for people who love candlelight and would love their entire event to be lit by candles and fairy lights.

All aspects of the editorial contained some level of translucency to allow the candlelight to create its magic. From the stationery, partially printed on vellum paper, to the florals, with see-through seed pods and preserved foliage in muted colours, to the embroidered fabric of the dress and the delicate tulle of the veil.

The overall colour scheme was kept to the muted tones of ivory, cream, soft pink, beige and shades of brown – which allow the light to reflect so beautifully off all the textures but still keeps the tone of the event wintery and romantic. The bride’s makeup included combined natural coloured lips with more dramatic glittered eyes and bold lashes to ensure the bridal beauty stood out in the soft light.