Utah has some of the most gorgeous wedding venues in the world and it’s probably got something to do with its epic mountain scenery from the snow capped peaks, high elevation aspen groves, flowing rivers, and wooded pine forests. Besides being great for weddings, Utah also has amazing national parks like Capitol Reef Park, Zion National Park and the Bonneville Salt Flats which make for unique and otherworldly elopement destinations. I often have brides come to me wanting to know what are the best venues for their Utah wedding. I thought it would be helpful to create a blog post listing all of the venues I have shot at in my career and what I liked or didn't like about these venues. Most of my critiques will be from a photography perspective but I'll include any little tidbits (whether good or bad) about each venue that I may find helpful. Also, please keep in mind that some of these weddings took place many years ago so the photos you see may not be a good representation of the photos I produce today. The following photos aren't intended for portfolio purposes but to give you honest critiques of what it was like for me to shoot at these venues.
Take a look and see if you can find the venue of your dreams. *EDIIT* This blog post is a work in progress. I've shot at over 40 different venues in Northern Utah in the last ten years and its taking me quite some time to get them all listed so please bare with me as I keep updating this post. ASPEN LANDING
I cannot say enough nice things about Aspen Landing. Where do I even begin? Well let me start off by saying that its kind of hard to take a bad picture at Aspen Landing. The grounds are impeccably kept with a working water wheel surrounded by lush flowers and tons of greenery. One of the things I love most about this venue is the ability to have your wedding ceremony or reception either indoors or outdoors. A few years ago I showed up to a wedding at Aspen Landing and the bride was frantic because it looked like storm clouds were rolling in. Huge gusts of wind were toppling over chairs and decorations. The quick thinking bride dodged a huge bullet that day by instead opting for the ceremony to be set up inside. Thanks to the quick working staff, this was all done within 20 minutes of the start of the ceremony. Check out these photos and see if Aspen Landing is the perfect venue to host your Utah wedding!
ARBOR MANOR EVENT VENUE AND GARDEN
I've done quite a few weddings at Arbor Manor which is best known for its beautiful and newly renovated ballroom with its gorgeous grand staircase. It also boasts decently sized dressing rooms for both the bride and groom. The well trimmed gardens feature a quaint gazebo which serves as the background for all wedding ceremonies that take place at the venue. The garden also contains a small grove of large trees which unfortunately cascades unforgiving light onto the bride and bridal party as they're walking down the aisle. When light shines through trees, it creates unflattering spots of light and dark on people that I think some brides are surprised by when they see their wedding photos. For this reason, I highly recommend that you conduct your wedding closer to sunset when the sun no longer shines through the trees. Or even ask the venue manager if you could place your ceremony in a different position where the sun is at your back or even factor out the sun altogether and conduct your ceremony inside.
I've tried to work around this issue every time I shoot a wedding at Arbor Manor but there is simply nothing to do other than to accept it for what it is. I did however find that the light and dark spots look a little better when converted to black and white so for this reason, I also include black and white copies when I deliver the final photos to the bride and groom.
But don't let this deter you from booking your wedding at Arbor Manor because it has so many other redeeming qualities and a lot brides tell me that its a very affordable venue. The venue also underwent new management a few years ago and the owners are super nice as well as honest and always willing to go above and beyond for their clients. Here a few photos of the same wedding with the sun at their backs. What a difference!
AMERICAN FORK AMPHITHEATER
If you're looking for a gorgeous and amazingly affordable place to conduct your wedding, then the American Fork Amphitheater is the perfect fit! The grounds are lush, spacious, and incredibly beautiful. But as with any outdoor location, lighting is either going to make or break your wedding. If you shoot in the late afternoon/early evening, you're going to get much more flattering light than if you shoot earlier in the day. The amphitheater itself offers an amazing background for your wedding photos. The stone steps give it an old world feel and are wonderful for posing your bridal party and tiering large family groups. I also really enjoyed the birds eye view of all the festivities. This allows me to use my telephoto lens to get amazing candids of the wedding guests mingling and dancing. For this particular wedding, which took place in the dead of summer, the light was incredibly harsh. So whenever I could, I put the sun at people's backs and tried to get as many shots in the shade as I could. This is definitely not a venue for a novice photographer who hasn't learned yet how to work around harsh light,
CANTEBURY PLACE or LA CAPELLA AT CANTEBURY
Again, another wedding venue that makes it truly hard to take a bad picture. Nestled just outside of Salt Lake City in a little Utah town called Bountiful. One thing I love about La Capella at Cantebury is you could drive past it and not even know it was there. It's tall trees and lush gardens keep it hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the heavily trafficked road just outside it's front doors. It also offers and elegant ballroom and dining room and the gardens outside make a wonderful backdrop for all your wedding day portraits. My best piece of advice though, if this a venue you have already booked, is to find a photographer who is knowledgeable in off-camera flash. The inside, while beautiful, offers very little natural light so you'll need someone who has the expertise to compensate otherwise you'll risk receiving blurry and unflattering photos of your wedding.
COULTER HOUSE | EVENT CENTER AT MILL POND FARMS
Coulter House is a rustic wedding venue located off the beaten path in a town called Stansbury which is located about 20 minutes west of Salt Lake City, UT. Built in 1851, Coulter House and the adjoining farm are the epitome of rustic chic with all the amenities a today's bride would want coupled with the old-world feel you get from a property with so much history. Coulter house features a full kitchen, reception hall, quaint dressing rooms for the bride and groom, as well as a large outdoor area perfect to host your reception and absolutely gorgeous enough for all the wedding day photos. My 2 favorite features are the Grand Piano located next to the foyer and an old barn just outside the outdoor reception area. One thing to keep in mind when booking this venue is that the Bride's dressing room is quite small. For some brides, a large dressing room is crucial so you may want to factor that in when choosing the right venue.
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