Canon removing the center pin was a purely tactical move to lock users into their own Speedlite ecosystem. I dealt with this exact headache helping a friend at a low-light gallery event last year. We had a bunch of older manual strobes that were basically paperweights because that T7 shoe is missing the physical trigger pin. For your $150 budget, the Godox TT685II-C TTL Flash for Canon is the most logical choice. It uses the side pins for digital communication, so it works perfectly with the T7. Technically, youre looking for E-TTL II compatibility. The TT685II handles that well and gives you a recycle time of roughly 2.6 seconds on a full discharge. If you can find a deal, the Godox V860III-C Li-ion Flash for Canon is sometimes around that price point and uses a lithium battery instead of AAs. I prefer the lithium packs tho because they dont fade as the night goes on... AAs always seem to die right at the wrong time. The ghosting issue happens because the built-in flash is a tiny, direct light source. Any of these external units will solve that because they let you bounce light off the ceiling. The TT685II has a full 330-degree rotation. Just keep in mind that since the T7 is an entry-level body, you really need a flash with its own dedicated processor to bridge that missing pin gap. These Godox units have specific firmware for the 2000D/T7 series to ensure the sync actually happens so it wont fail you at the wedding.

Man, that missing center pin drama is honestly the worst thing Canon did to the Rebel line! Since you're on a budget but need total reliability for a wedding, you really gotta look at the Canon Speedlite EL-100 Compact Flash. It's literally built for this! Because it is official gear, it uses the digital data pins to sync perfectly even without that physical center contact. Here's why this little guy is fantastic:

• It handles E-TTL II metadata which means it calculates exposure automatically... huge lifesaver in fast wedding environments!
• It packs a solid Guide Number of 26m at ISO 100 for indoor venues.
• The head rotates 180 degrees so you can bounce light off the ceiling to avoid that ghost look. Tbh, for 150 bucks, staying with the native brand is worth every penny just to avoid the sync anxiety. Its super lightweight too so you wont get tired carrying it!

Regarding what #1 said about Canon removing the center pin was a purely tactical move, it really is a headache. I was at a wedding where a guest had this exact issue. You basically need a flash that communicates through the electronic side pins. dont get generic ones.

• Yongnuo YN568EX III for Canon
• Canon Speedlite 270EX II The Yongnuo works perfectly without that pin and stays under your 150 limit. Its a solid choice.

Just found this thread and ngl I think some of the advice is making this way more complicated than it needs to be. I went through this exact same thing at my sisters birthday party last year and it was a total nightmare trying to figure out which third party models actually talked to my camera. I ended up just grabbing a genuine Canon flash and honestly I’ve been so satisfied with it. No complaints at all. I respectfully disagree with looking for specific budget workarounds for something as big as a wedding. Here is my take:

• Staying with the official Canon gear is just way more reliable when it counts.
• You dont have to stress about the missing pin because the brand name stuff is designed to work with their own digital tech.
• Everything is plug and play so you can actually enjoy the wedding instead of menu diving. Just get any modern flash from the Canon brand. You really cant go wrong when you stay in the family and the peace of mind is worth the extra few dollars for an event like this.