As an Orange County wedding photographer, I have shot weddings at many locations in and around the county and they have all in their own right been really great. However, thinking about the wedding locations I have photographed, I would say that my favorite five wedding venues are the following.
- Bowers Museum - very spacious and beautiful outside garden
- Sherman Library & Gardens - gorgeous, elegant, and intimate
- Occasions at Laguna Village - breath taking ocean views
- Tivoli Too - intimate but spacious, beautiful at night with twinkle lights under the stars
- Hacienda - Spanish style, very pretty, choice of ceremony inside of Spanish casa or outside in spanish garden
Bowers Museum
A wedding photographed at the Bowers Museum is amazing! The Bowers Museum makes either the outdoor or modern indoor wedding options really spectacular. The beauty of your wedding photographs are enhanced by the garden setting in either the Margaret and Cleo Key Courtyard, the contemporary John M. Lee Court with floor to ceiling windows which frame the stunning garden, and or the graceful sculptures and serene fountains of the Huang Courtyard. Wedding photos are bountiful and down right fun to take at the Bowers. One bonus for larger weddings is that there is ton of room if you have a big wedding party. As part of the site rental they also have an in-house caterer, plus chairs and tables to help make the planning of your wedding a little easier.
Sherman Library & Gardens
Shooting a wedding at the Sherman Library & Gardens is a wedding photographer’s dream. It is nirvana for botanists who just so happen to be getting married! Your wedding ceremony and reception will be surrounded by foliage, spiny cacti, exotic flowers, tiled patios, a greenhouse, arbor-shaded walks and fountains, and a fern-covered waterfall with orchid accents that will make a lasting impression. To capture on film this type of serene setting is simply incredible. It allows me so many opportunities to create an artistic story with the natures beauty. For an outside wedding, the Sherman Library & Gardens has a really quaint and beautiful wisteria-covered arbor on the Tea Garden Patio and an adjacent Pepper Tree Patio that is shaded by a large leafed pepper tree. For indoor wedding and receptions the Central Patio Room has cathedral ceiling, gray wood beams, skylights and a large white-brick fireplace and terra-cotta tiled floors. Wedding photographs look great from here.
Occasions at Laguna Village
In the opinion of this Orange County wedding photographer, Occasions is unbelievable! A few descriptive words for a wedding here is: stunning, breathtaking, dreamlike, magical, wonderful, and perfect. Your wedding photography will never be better with the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. The beach front wedding photographs will simply come alive with the crashing of each wave and the romance of the setting sun. Simply beautiful! Your wedding photography will be worth its weight in gold at Occasions.
In my next article we will look at Tivoli Too which is an intimate but spacious venue that is beautiful at night with twinkle lights under the stars as well as the Hacienda – a Spanish style that has a beautiful Spanish garden and casa.
Until next time, Michelle Noel www.michellenoelphoto.com
