The perfect surroundings make for a memorable wedding, and the memories that the photos you take will last for years to come. Landscaping for the perfect wedding photo shoot will pay dividends later when you look back on your very special day. Creating the perfect landscaping environment for stunning photos takes some planning, but with the right advice, you can make the wedding of your dreams appear just as magical and surreal in your photos as your imagination dictates. Here are some ideas to get your landscaping ideas moving for your perfect wedding and to enhance your beautiful wedding photo shots.

It doesn’t matter what sort of blooms you have at your wedding if the landscape isn’t well tended and alive with growth that’s neat and tidy. For all seasons, having a landscape with a strong backbone is essential and makes the entire scene. Evergreens in the forms of shrubs, hedges, and focal points will make a high-class wedding event and really show in your photos. Relying on the basics, like the Wedding Ring Boxwood to edge beds and some upright Irish Junipers for structure will do you the most good. Try planting some evergreens in large containers so they can be moved.

The best landscaping will obviously center on the types of plants that grow well in your area, but there are classic plants that many enjoy in a wedding. The first classic one should always consider- roses. Wild smooth rose (Rosa rugosa) can grow beautifully in all climates, reaches good size in a short amount of time, and has a long bloom window where it blooms heavily - right around the most popular time for weddings (in June). Use this dark pink wild rose behind the altar or by the patio for a romantic beautiful effect. The heavy scent of this rose will also be a wonderful part of your ceremony, and will look great in the backdrop of photos.

If you’re hoping for an archway covered in romantic plant growth, try wisteria. It’s a classic romantic vine, and is lovely even when it’s not in bloom. But, in spring, this wisteria puts on a heavy show of heavily laden purple racemes of blooms that have a sweet scent. Many wonderful spring weddings have happened under wisteria vines in full bloom. It’s a must!

To fill in pops of color or play down the beautiful hues of the pink rose and purple wisteria, try interspacing annuals in urns for the ceremony that match or play off of the entire wedding palette. Petunias with their large dreamy petals make wonderful accent and filler flowers- and if you look carefully they come in all colors. From black to white and everything in between with variances to boot, spilling or mounding out of urns or spreading along walkways or out of any container, petunias fill in the gaps in your wedding landscaping wonderfully. There are also wonderful white blooming impatiens for shadier sites where you need them.

The landscaping can easily be an overlooked aspect of beautiful wedding shots, but it shouldn’t be. Your wedding photos should encompass the beauty of not only the bride, groom, and the rest of the wedding party, but it should encompass the beauty and care of the place the wedding happened in. The landscaping doesn’t have to be complicated or elaborate to be beautiful in photos. So what will you create in your landscaping for your big day? How do you picture the scene ad backgrounds in your wedding photography? 

Check out our Pinterest page for ideas on a backyard outdoor wedding.