Lighting and Decorating The Reception Venue

sandbagger18

I am having a daytime (1:30 pm) August wedding. We are on a tight budget and are going to use a local skating rink for the reception. It has been used for several other weddings, big parties, dances, and community events, but functions as a skating rink otherwise. The problem is that it is too dark. I'm worried that it won't be good for pictures. How do I brighten it up a little bit and make it feel like a nicer venue? I want it to feel classy enough, but I don't want the decorations to feel too fancy for the location. My colors are royal blue, pink, and light blue.

sandbagger18

They can, but they are pretty dim. 

tortoisebride

You should probably talk to your photographer. They'll have a better idea than you about what exactly they need, and they'll also probably have been to a bunch of different weddings in a variety of venues, some dark. 

Maybe do some uplighting? Not in crazy colors unless you're into that, but it'd be a good way to get light into the space without blinding people.