This is one of my favorite wedding reception photos at St. Clair Ballroom. One of the wedding guests found the bubble machine the couple had used for their grand exit from the church earlier that day. The guest was dancing through the crowd, leaving a trail of bubbles wherever he went.
So when I turned and saw the groom putting the bride down, and the bubble machine wielding guest right behind them, I called "do it again!" The groom was only too happy to oblige, and lifted his bride into the air. The off camera flash illuminated the dance floor, guests, and the bubbles.
St. Clair Ballroom is one of those Cleveland venues that photographs beautifully once the party really gets going. Those big warehouse-style windows behind the dance floor pick up the downtown skyline at night, and the room is carpeted throughout, with just a dark wood dance floor set down in the middle — likely brought in by the DJ — that gives that one section of the room a completely different feel once the lights come down for dancing. It's a room built for exactly this kind of happy chaos — guests packed in close, everyone reacting in real time, nothing staged.
Technically, this shot only works because of the off-camera flash. Available light on a packed dance floor at night gives you almost nothing to work with, so I had several off camera flashes positioned off to the side to freeze the moment and give it that punch of contrast — the bubbles catching light against the dark windows, the guests mid-cheer, the bride and groom sharp in the middle of it all. Timing was everything here too. I didn't ask them to pose for this; I just recognized the moment building a second before it happened and called out to make sure I didn't miss it.
It's one of those photos that captures exactly what a great reception feels like — a little spontaneous, a little ridiculous, and full of people who are genuinely thrilled to be there.
Wedding reception photographed at St. Clair Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio by Lindsey Beckwith.
Location: 100 St Clair Ave NE 4th floor, Cleveland, OH 44114.
Keywords: Downtown Cleveland wedding, St. Clair Ballroom.