As a wedding photographer who just recently got married, I know firsthand how difficult picking your wedding venue can be! However, most couples don’t know how important choosing your wedding venue can be for your photos. As you all know, I’m someone who 100% believes that your wedding day shouldn’t be based on photos, but when it comes to the important photos, your wedding venue is easily your number one factor.

In this blog post, I’ll discuss the 5 main things to consider when picking your wedding venue for photos and why they’re important.

• The aesthetic of your wedding venue will be the aesthetic of your photos.
• The lighting is more important than you think.
• What do the getting-ready spaces look like?
• Is there enough room for photos?
• Do they have a good rain option if it’s an outdoor venue?

The aesthetic of your wedding venue will be the aesthetic of your photos.

This is easily the most important thing to consider when picking out your venue. It is the backdrop for all of your photos throughout the day, so it’s important to ensure the wedding venue you pick matches the vibe you want to go for. If you want to go for an Italian vibe for your wedding, you’re not going to want to pick a venue that is a barn. I always suggest really looking over your Pinterest board (if you have one) to determine the vibe that you’re going for. Your photographer can only work with what they’re given at hand, and unfortunately, it can be very difficult to portray a certain aesthetic if the venue is the exact opposite.

The lighting is far more important than you think.

Now, this isn’t me telling you to make sure the venue has perfect natural lighting in every aspect—but this is me telling you to make sure the lighting matches what you like. If you like a darker/moodier vibe for your photos, then pick a venue with that. If you want your entire gallery to be naturally lit, then your wedding venue needs to have wonderful lighting everywhere (including the bridal and groom’s suites). If you love direct flash work, then find a venue that has some amazing dark spaces within it and so on. The lighting at your ceremony space is also incredibly important. While you may think a venue that has the ceremony set in front of giant windows is perfect – it can actually make photographing the ceremony a bit more difficult. Other things like dimly lit ceremony spaces (if you don’t want your ceremony with flash), ceremony spaces that are very tree-covered, candlelit ceremonies in dark areas, and ceremony spaces that are high up with water behind can be difficult / have a very specific look.

What do the getting-ready spaces look like?

Getting ready spaces are usually the number one area that I feel gets overlooked at wedding venues (especially the groom’s suite). Getting ready photos isn’t important to everyone, and if they’re not, then making sure that the suites are well-lit won’t be as much of an issue for you. However, I will still say that if you’re planning on getting ready at your wedding venue – make sure that the spaces are large enough and that the venue allows you into them early enough on your wedding day to fully get ready.

Is there enough room for photos?

This sounds like an obvious factor to consider, but you’d be surprised how many venues I’ve photographed weddings at that don’t have enough space for this. While it’s important to make sure that there’s enough room/variety for your newlywed portraits, it’s also important to make sure there’s enough room for bridal party/family photos as well. A major thing to consider is if you and your partner are going to do a first look, and if not, are you doing bridal party portraits prior to the ceremony? If so, it’s important to make sure that you and your partner can be properly separated for those photos. If you have a large bridal party (or family), make sure there is a good spot that has a backdrop that you like and where everyone can fit into the photo.

Does the wedding venue have a good rain backup option?

While there are so many GORGEOUS outdoor wedding venues – it’s very important to make sure that they have rain options. On top of having a rain option, it’s important to make sure that the backup option will still fit the aesthetic you’re going for. I know none of us want it to rain on our wedding days – but IF it does and you have to move inside, I’d hate for any couple to be upset with what the backup option is. I speak from experience; the first wedding venue we had chosen had no backup option for rain other than renting a tent. Though we were getting married in Joshua Tree, so we figured it wouldn’t be an issue. Thankfully, we ended up changing venues a few months out due to complications with the first venue, and the new one we picked did have a wonderful rain option. It rains less than 1% of the year in Joshua Tree, and it rained from 4 am to 9 pm on our wedding day. haha

As you can see, there are many factors that go into determining the wedding venue you end up choosing. Truthfully, I think a wedding venue can make or break your wedding day which is why I always suggest to my couples that they have a good grip on their vision before booking something. If you’re on the hunt for your perfect wedding venue in Nashville, here are some of my favorites.

If you need help when it comes to picking your wedding venue, or are looking for someone to capture your special day, I’d love to chat.

Reach out here.

x B