Downtown Edmonton Wedding Photos: Let’s Talk Pros and Cons

If you have been following me on the ‘gram (do people still say that?), you know that I love to talk about my love for downtown Edmonton wedding photos. Seriously, I love a good field as much as anyone in Alberta, and there are certain things that make downtown wedding photos a little annoying. We in Edmonton do not like traffic lol. So much so, that many of us would rather pop out of the city for an hour of highway driving before we would go to pick up something in our city’s centre. I get it. But before you write off downtown wedding photos completely, I wanted to bring you some pros and cons (as told from a wedding photographer perspective – of course!).

Spoiler alert: I am going to be telling you the pros are more compelling than the cons

Pros of City Wedding Photos

The Industrial Wedding Vibe

Listen, there are some serious industrial vibes in downtown wedding photos that pretty fields just can not deliver. I always think the best wedding photos are ones that really reflect YOU as a couple as well, so if you and yours love to spend time in the city, why not take your wedding photos downtown? 

Location Variety for your Wedding Photos

Another thing I love about downtown? There are so many different backdrops right next to each other so you can get a variety of settings without moving too far. You can take your wedding photos on the roof of a building and then beside the building walking down the street. The options are endless and fantastic.

The Lights! 

When you leave the city, you are either getting dark photos or you are bringing your own lighting. Go walking during blue hour in downtown and you will find so many pretty twinkle lights set up on trees and buildings that make for the dreamiest wedding photos. 

PS: BLUE HOUR is essentially another term for dusk. There’s light enough to shoot but the sun is completely gone. You can expect more pinks and purples in your skies and hopefully get a glimpse of that moon!

 

You can frequent a favourite local cafe WHILE taking bridal photos

May not be the biggest thing to you but it completely wins it for me. There really isn’t any photo that can’t be made better by adding sips of delicious coffee in between. If you are up for it, we can even take wedding photos inside the coffee shop (you know: candids of you living your best life buying coffee in a wedding dress).

Cons of Downtown Wedding Photos

Driving and Parking Downtown for Wedding Photos

You knew this one would come up right? Driving and parking downtown is always tricky which is why so many couples hesitate to head downtown for their wedding photos in the first place. Fortunately I have a solution: rent a limo to really make it an experience (and keep everyone together). At the very least, take as few cars as possible. This is one con that can’t be avoided necessarily but definitely should not be a deal breaker.

Getting from One Location to the Next is More Difficult

If you or your driver is not familiar with downtown, getting lost (or getting stuck on a one-way going the opposite direction) can be an issue. I recommend visiting your chosen spots ahead of time with whoever is driving you so you know they know where they are going. Of course, it also helps if you work a little extra time in your timeline to account for the occasional wrong turn! The only thing worse than running late is the STRESS of running late, am I right?

That is literally it so don’t let some traffic and one way streets stop you from considering our downtown for some of your wedding photos!

Planning your Wedding Photos

I hope this leaves you feeling INSPIRED to start planning your Downtown Edmonton wedding photos (I tried to leave it as unbiased as possible but I am clearlyyyy a fan). Don’t forget, the same as when you are planning your wedding timeline, your shot list, and all of that fun stuff with your photographer, you can ASK them about their favourite photo locations. I have a few favourite spots downtown I would love to share with you. Or truthfully, whatever your dream aesthetic is, I got you. If you are ready to start chatting about wedding photography, you can check out my packages and pricing here, or contact me here and we can just skip to the fun parts.