Lighting at the Washington reception

So we're starting to get serious about the Washington reception. Kellen's mom and I spent a good chunk of Thanksgiving talking about ideas, and Nanny has recruited one of her friends (who has a florist and catering business, and who has done two previous generations of weddings on that side of the family!) to help. I'm really excited about where everything is going, with the hydrangeas and the dessert table.

One of the things I've been trying to figure out though is what to do about lighting, since it will be outdoors.

Last night, we were watching the movie 500 Days of Summer, and I really, really, really loved the lighting in the wedding:


I'm not sure how doable this is, but I really love the overall look. Here is a closer look at the bulbs used:



Looks like a mix of the little twinkle lights inside the fabric, and then the really large bulbs are used going between the poles and on poles where there isn't fabric.

I also like the luminarias:


*siiiigh*