Without additional lighting, the crowd would have been in complete shadow...
As your wedding photographer, it’s my job to capture great pictures of once-in-a-lifetime moments. No matter how low the light is, no matter how fast the action happens, I have to get fantastic photos. It’s not your responsibility to make it easy on me.
However - especially with super fast action photos like the bouquet and garter toss, there are a few small, simple things you can do to help ensure that your photographer gets the best pics possible.
1) If you have an event/venue coordinator, tell them in advance that you want the photographer to be alerted 15 minutes before each major event.
Honestly, this is something that most good coordinators will do anyway, but getting these instructions straight from the bride or groom definitely gives them added weight, and having just a few extra minutes to set up lights, etc. can make a huge difference in the quality of your photos.
...and without additional lighting ALL of this would have been pitch black!
2) Ask the photographer where s/he would like you to stand.
If your photographer has set up special lighting to capture the moment, then where you stand will determine how well you (and your crowd of single ladies and gentlemen) are lit. Since good light is necessary to stop action - and since most reception venues are quite dim - this is extremely helpful.
3) Fake them out first!
Pretend that you’re really going to throw the garter or bouquet and then, on that first count of three, don’t actually let go. You get some pretty hilarious reactions from the crowd, and it gives your photographer two chances to truly capture the moment. Since most lenses that work well in low light venues have reasonably shallow depth of field (a.k.a. things in the background are blurry), this lets the photographer focus on you during the first (fake) throw, and then go after the crowd when the throw actually happens.
Plus, it's really just plain fun.