Wedding Venue: A Photographer's Perspective

The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs Arkansas allows for an outdoor wedding and an indoor reception. The reception area has large windows covering 3 of the 4 walls creating perfect lighting.

Your wedding should be a day you remember forever! After all it's the day you sign up to spend the rest of your life with that special someone. Years down the road you will still snuggle up with your loved one and took at your cherished wedding photos! It is for this reason I have some tips about choosing a venue from the eyes of a photographer.

As a wedding photographer I get a behind the scenes look at a lot of weddings. Although I've only been a wedding photographer for 2 years, I have made a lot of observations about what works best, and what seems to cause problems. I recently proposed to my girlfriend, so I am now especially interested in planning that wonderful day to remember forever. I definitely don't know it all, but I hope my observations will help you as you plan for that super special day. This post in particular will focus on choosing the right venue. If I see an interest in this post I will write more wedding related posts.

The Carriage House in Springfield also has a great lit reception hall and the ability to get married outside.

In choosing a venue there are several things that are often overlooked:

     A. Temperature -- Today it has become super popular to get married outdoors. I love this, as it makes for great pictures, but there are some things to consider. Choose a month with cool weather. I can't tell you how many drops of sweat I have photoshopped off of brides and grooms. On those 100+ it isn't much fun for anyone to be outside all day - especially in a wedding dress.

          I - Spring/Fall: you may want to consider getting married in the Spring or Fall. Both seasons will be cooler, however, the Spring does bring a much greater chance of rain.
          II - Dawn/Dusk: if you do want a summer wedding consider having the wedding early in the morning or during the final hours of the sunlight. These hours are MUCH more tolerable and will allow you guest to have a much better time.
          III - AC: if you do have an outdoor summer wedding consider having an air-conditioned reception. This way you and your guests can escape from the heat to enjoy each other's company.

     B. Venue Owner -- I'll just be honest ... I've met as many frustrating ones as I have good ones. There are two common things I see. First, some venue owners seem to think the day is about them. I've seen them micro manage every little detail throughout the day. I've seen them turn lights off to save power (needed for reception), move decorations to a place they thought was better, second guess decisions made by the bride/groom, and be really snotty to family members. Secondly, there are many venue owners who think they were also hired as a photographer. I have had a venue owner run out with her camera only to disrupt a couples "first look" (I had to photoshop her out of all the pictures). I have had a venue owner jump between me and a bride during a private shoot (without asking) to take pictures with her phone. I have even had a venue owner walk half way down the isle to take her pictures, only to have many of my wide shots ruined. My recommendation is to talk in depth with the venue owner about your expectations that day. Ask them questions to see how flexible they are with lights, AC, and anything you may want to move. I would even ask them not to take pictures during the wedding (they have other duties). Talk to your photographer and see if he/she would be willing to give the venue owner a few high quality picture for their website.

The lighting for this outdoor wedding was wonderful and allowed me to capture "the kiss" without using a flash.

     C. Lighting -- One thing many couples don't think about is lighting. I've shot a lot of wedding in dark locations. While your photographer can use a flash, the pictures don't turn out nearly as well (unless you like the flash look), and the flash can be distracting to guests. It's great to have your wedding outdoors with natural light, but if you have it indoors considering choosing a venue with good lighting.

Ultimately the day is about the bride and groom, but choosing a good venue is important for the comfort of your guests, and even for good pictures. If you want to look through your wedding pictures for years to come and remember an enjoyable wedding and reception these tips could help you do just that.

Do these tips help? Do you married folks have any tips? Comment below with your feedback!