Bellissimo is a manicured garden wedding fifteen minutes from downtown Salt Lake, but it photographs like somewhere much farther away. Boxwood hedges, a stone gazebo, climbing roses, and the Wasatch rising straight out of the back of the property. The light comes late and warm against the mountain, which is the hour we build the couple's portraits around.
We shoot Bellissimo as a garden-first day: details and getting-ready first, then portraits worked through every alley and arbor on the grounds, the ceremony at the gazebo, and a reception that slides into golden hour with Olympus going pink behind the tables. The greens are saturated by design, so our edit stays honest and lets the garden carry the color.
The garden peaks from late May through September, when the roses and the boxwood are full and Mount Olympus holds the evening light against the back of the property. We build the couple's portraits for the last hour before the mountain's shadow reaches the gazebo, work the rose alleys and the arbor while the light is still high, and let the reception slide into the pink that comes off Olympus once the sun drops. A tighter garden like this rewards a little more time, more corners and more arbors, and we keep the edit honest so the greens carry the color rather than the slider.
Bellissimo Gardens is part of our Salt Lake City wedding photography coverage. Planning a day here? Our guide to Utah wedding light by season and our honest look at what wedding photography costs in Utah are the best place to start.
