Cliff Lodge was such an amazing wedding venue! The staff was very accommodating and provided everything from hair and makeup to the wedding cake! We did the first look on the panoramic balcony at the Aerie restaurant (also where the rehearsal dinner was held). The ceremony then took place just outside the two-story Golden Cliff room where the reception was held. Cocktail hour was just outside the main reception area. This where the bride sabered a bottle of Dom Perignon. This was not just a bottle of Dom but the 2006 Lady Gaga rosé edition. She pulled it off effortlessly!

Dinner, drinks, speeches and dancing was then held inside the two-story Golden Cliff wedding reception room with beautiful design by Harvest Moon Events. There was even a photobooth provided by Big Shot Photo Group! Dj Erick Miner threw down on the dancefloor with a lively, personalized set even featuring video from the bride on his DJ video monitor. After the couple did a cold sparks exit, we all headed up to the Cliff Lodge Spa pool where the couple jumped in the pool! Cliff Lodge at Snowbird was such an amazing wedding venue, I can’t wait to come back!

By Jordan Varela - Utah Wedding Photographer

We’re back at Little Dell Reservoir in Emigration Canyon for a lovely engagement session filled with white snow and gorgeous Wasatch mountains! Right in between Salt Lake City & Park City Utah, Little Dell is a fantastic option to get your engagement photos done for your wedding. Especially in the winter! Utah was gifted with so much snow this year, we had to get creative with this engagement session.

Jessica, Tyler & I snowshoed from the parking lot down the ramp to get to even ground. Once we found a solid spot, I patted down the snow to make sure that slipping through the snow was minimal. How many wedding photographers do you know that will go to such lengths for their clients? Ha!

Once they kicked off their snowshoes (I kept mine on) we were off to the races! They were absolutely stunning on this cold & overcast day. The Wasatch Mountains were absolutely gorgeous and were a great reminder of why I moved to Utah! I am truly blessed to be a wedding photographer in such a scenic and beautiful state!

Located in downtown Salt Lake City underneath Café Molise, BTG is a wine bar with incredible interior decor. I was approached by a couple to do an engagement session here and was blown away by how photogenic it was. Featuring a wide array of wines from around the world, BTG is filled with wine bottles. We utilized the bar, booths, & wine cellar tasting room. After we had fun in BTG, we moved outside to get some great downtown Salt Lake sidewalk shots. Since this shoot, I have been to BTG & Café Molise many times! Sometimes it pays off to be a wedding photographer as your clients show you some of the best places in the city!

Located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, Liberty Park houses 80 acres of green grass, sports facilities, water features and a stunning Aviary. On the weekends Tracy Aviary is not only a large zoo featuring a wide array of different avian species from around the world, it is also a wedding venue. Built in 1852, and located inside the Tracy Aviary, Chase Mill is the oldest industrial building in Utah featuring a beautiful below-ground circular amphitheater and surrounded by luscious gardens perfect for a summer wedding.

With just a week’s notice, Talia & Max reached out to me in hopes of securing a last-minute time slot to be able to achieve their dream of doing a wedding engagement session in a lavender field, however all of the desirable afternoon slots were already taken. Therefore we opted to go for a 6am start time and were greeted with an absolutely stunning sunrise. Their love and passion was electric throughout the lavender fields despite the early morning commute.

Weddings Can be stressful. Sometimes when planning a wedding it feels like there are a million different moving parts ranging from bridal party attire, venue availability, guest seating, etc. What if instead you had a more relaxed backyard wedding with living room furniture instead of a more traditional wedding?

Parking Garage Wedding Engagement Shoot At Exchange Place Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah

When you normally think of parking garages not the best thoughts come to mind. Would you ever imagine a parking garage to be an incredible location to do a wedding engagement session? Especially with all the competition of amazing photo locations near Salt Lake City such as the Great Saltair, the Salt Flats, Park City, Antelope Island, and Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons who would’ve thought that an urban parking deck session at Exchange Place with a backdrop of skyscrapers would hold its own?

Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT