Utah weddings are often known for dramatic mountain views, neutral color palettes, and beautiful outdoor landscapes. And while I absolutely love photographing those kinds of weddings, there is something so refreshing about a wedding that feels completely different.
Krista and Elias’ wedding at Highland Gardens in Highland, Utah was exactly that.
A lush, greenhouse-inspired wedding venue filled with greenery, tropical plants, and natural light, Highland Gardens feels almost like stepping into another world. Especially in January, when Utah is freezing, snowy, and very much in the middle of winter, walking into a venue this green feels almost surreal.
And for a photographer who loves colorful, vibrant, romantic wedding photography, it was such a dream.
Krista and Elias love romantic and timeless photos, but they also love the colorful, creative images I’ve shared throughout my work. I think Highland Gardens was the perfect combination of both. The venue can feel elegant and classic, but it also gives you so much room to bring in color, personality, and a little bit of fun.
You can learn more about Highland Gardens and their event center on their official website. The venue’s indoor garden space includes live tropical greenery, water features, and a glass-roofed greenhouse atmosphere, making it especially unique for a Utah wedding.
Traveling to Utah for Krista & Elias’ Wedding
This wasn’t actually my first time working with Krista and Elias.
I had already photographed their engagement session earlier in the year when I traveled to Utah to work with them, so by the time their wedding day arrived, we already knew each other pretty well.
Their engagement session was another opportunity for us to create the kind of romantic, timeless photography they love, and it made their wedding day even more fun because we already had that connection.
You can see more from their engagement session here on Instagram.
I also knew that they loved some of the “little people, big landscape” images I’ve shared on Instagram, so I already had ideas in the back of my mind for how I could incorporate that feeling into their wedding gallery.
They had seen some of those images before their wedding, and I love when couples come to me with specific things they’ve seen in my work that they want to recreate in a way that feels personal to them.
You can see some of my favorite little people, big landscape photography here on Instagram.
A Wedding in the Middle of a Utah Winter
The wedding took place in January, which in Utah means freezing temperatures, snow, and definitely not the lush outdoor wedding setting you would typically associate with garden-inspired wedding photography.
And then you walk into Highland Gardens.
Suddenly, it’s green.
There are plants everywhere. The light is filtering through the greenhouse. There are tropical leaves, water features, and greenery surrounding you. It feels completely disconnected from the winter weather outside.
That is one of the things I love most about Highland Gardens wedding photography.
You don’t have to sacrifice color and greenery just because you’re getting married during the winter.
The venue’s greenhouse setting creates an environment that stays lush and vibrant year-round, making it especially unique among Utah wedding venues.
And for my editing style, it was basically a dream.
Why Highland Gardens Is Perfect for Colorful Wedding Photography
One of my favorite things about Highland Gardens is that it doesn’t force you into one specific wedding aesthetic.
You can photograph a very elegant, timeless wedding here.
You can photograph something colorful and editorial.
You can photograph something romantic and soft.
Or you can do all of those things in the same gallery.
That versatility is a huge part of why I loved photographing Krista and Elias’ wedding.
I tend to gravitate toward colorful wedding photography that still feels timeless. I don’t want a gallery to look trendy for six months and then feel dated. I want the colors, emotions, and images to feel beautiful years from now while still having personality.
Highland Gardens gave me the perfect environment for that.
The greens were already incredibly rich, which meant I could let the natural greenery become part of the color story rather than trying to tone everything down.
Krista’s Veil Was Made From Family Wedding Veils
One of my favorite details from this wedding was Krista’s veil.
Her mom and grandma actually handmade it using pieces from both of their wedding veils.
So this wasn’t just a pretty accessory. It carried pieces of two generations of her family with her into her own wedding day.
Krista told me she wanted a special photo with her mom and left the creative vision completely up to me.
I absolutely loved that she trusted me with that.
Because of the story behind the veil, I wanted the image to feel intentional and artistic rather than just like another mother-daughter portrait.
I’m so proud of what we created together.
It became one of those photos where the meaning behind the image is just as important as the image itself. You can see the veil, you can see the relationship between them, and you can feel that this was something that had been carried forward through their family.
Those are the kinds of wedding details I love photographing most.
Not just because they’re beautiful, but because they actually mean something.
Wedding Details at Highland Gardens
After spending time with Krista and her mom, I photographed the rest of the wedding details and created their flat lay images.
This is another area where I really love being able to bring my own creative style into a wedding.
Because the venue was already so lush and colorful, I didn’t want the details to feel disconnected from the rest of the day. I wanted the flat lays and detail photos to feel like they belonged to the same colorful, romantic world as the rest of the gallery.
The greenery at Highland Gardens made such a beautiful backdrop for photographing all of the smaller details, and the natural environment gave me a lot of opportunities to play with composition and color.
A Temple Ceremony & An Emotional Celebration
Krista and Elias had their ceremony inside the temple before heading to Highland Gardens for the rest of their wedding celebration.
Once everyone arrived at Highland Gardens, the day shifted into the reception portion of the celebration with dinner, speeches, and all of the events that followed.
This transition worked so well for the overall feel of the day. The ceremony was meaningful and traditional, while Highland Gardens gave the rest of the celebration a completely different atmosphere.
And then came the speeches.
One of the Funniest & Most Emotional Speech Moments
The speeches were incredibly emotional, and are always one of my favorite parts of a wedding day to photograph.
Elias ended his speech to Krista by quoting Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.
And Krista’s reaction was priceless.
There are some moments where you don’t need to direct anything at all. You just need to recognize what’s happening, be ready, and press the shutter.
That was one of those moments.
I’m including the photo of Krista’s reaction because it perfectly captures why I love photographing weddings the way I do. You can plan the flowers, the timeline, the outfits, the venue, and every little detail, but you can’t manufacture someone’s genuine reaction to the person they love quoting their favorite movie and childhood crush during their wedding speech.
Those are the photos that make a gallery feel alive.
Romantic Couple Portraits at Highland Gardens
After dinner and speeches, we took some time for couple portraits.
This is where I really got to lean into the combination of romantic, timeless photography and colorful wedding photography that Krista and Elias love.
Highland Gardens is such a fun venue for portraits because the greenery gives you this incredible natural backdrop without requiring you to leave the reception venue.
Instead of feeling like you’re taking photos in a typical Utah reception center, the images feel like they could have been taken inside a lush garden somewhere completely different.
And because the venue is so green, my editing style really came alive.
I love rich, colorful images where the greens actually look green and the colors have depth without becoming overwhelming. I want the photos to feel vibrant and alive while still having a timeless quality.
That was especially important for Krista and Elias because they wanted their photos to feel romantic and classic.
We were able to create both.
Some images felt very editorial and intentional, while others were more relaxed and candid. I always want my couples to have that variety because your wedding gallery should feel like a story, not a collection of poses.
A Special Moment With Krista & Her Mom
We also took some additional photos of Krista with her mom, including the images featuring her handmade veil.
This was one of my favorite creative opportunities from the entire day.
Krista had already given me the trust to take the idea and run with it, and I knew I wanted to create something that felt more artistic than a standard mother-daughter portrait.
The final images are some of the ones I’m most proud of from this wedding because they combine everything I love about wedding photography: emotion, story, beautiful light, intentional composition, and a meaningful detail.
The veil itself already had so much history.
My job was just to create an image worthy of that history.
The Reception at Highland Gardens
After portraits, there was a break before everyone came back together for the reception.
And this is where the day really started to turn into a party.
There was the cake cutting, bouquet toss, dancing, and all of the classic reception moments, but this was definitely not a quiet reception.
It was a HUGE party.
The energy completely changed once the dance floor opened, and I loved being able to photograph that transition.
This is another reason I love having a venue like Highland Gardens as the backdrop. Even when the reception gets wild, there is still so much visual interest happening around you.
The greenery, plants, lights, and people all become part of the photos.
A Colorful Utah Wedding Reception
The dancing was exactly what I want reception photography to be.
Fun.
Messy.
Loud.
Colorful.
People completely forgetting that they’re being photographed.
Those are some of my favorite wedding photos because there isn’t much I need to manufacture. I just need to be paying attention.
I’m looking for the friends pulling each other onto the dance floor, parents dancing, people laughing, unexpected reactions, huge dance moves, and all of those little moments that happen when everyone finally lets go.
The best reception photos aren’t always the perfectly composed ones.
Sometimes they’re the ones where everyone is a little blurry because they’re moving, someone’s laughing with their head thrown back, or you can practically hear the music coming through the photo.
The Highland Gardens Wedding Send-Off
Eventually, it was time for the send-off.
And after everything that happened throughout the day, it felt like the perfect ending to an incredible wedding.
From the temple ceremony to a lush greenhouse reception, emotional speeches, a Pride and Prejudice quote, handmade family heirlooms, colorful portraits, cake cutting, a massive dance party, and finally the send-off, Krista and Elias’ wedding had so much personality.
It was romantic and timeless.
It was colorful and vibrant.
It was elegant and fun.
And most importantly, it felt like them.
Why I Love Highland Gardens Wedding Photography
There are so many Utah wedding venues that are beautiful, but Highland Gardens really stands out to me because it gives couples something different.
Instead of having to wait for spring or summer to get lush greenery, Highland Gardens gives you that atmosphere even when there is snow outside.
Instead of choosing between an elegant wedding and a colorful one, you can have both.
Instead of having to travel somewhere tropical for a greenhouse-inspired wedding, you can find that feeling right in Utah.
And as a photographer, I love venues that give me room to create.
My editing style is naturally colorful and vibrant, and I love photographing spaces where I don’t have to fight the environment to make those colors work. Highland Gardens already gives you so much beautiful color and texture, which means I can lean into it.
For couples who love romantic, timeless wedding photography but don’t want their images to feel flat or overly muted, this venue is such a fun fit.
Utah Wedding Photographer | Highland Gardens Wedding Photography
Photographing Krista and Elias’ wedding was such a good reminder of why I love traveling for weddings.
I had already traveled to Utah for their engagement session, came back for their wedding, and got to photograph a couple who trusted me creatively from beginning to end.
That kind of relationship is one of my favorite parts of being a traveling wedding photographer.
I don’t want to just show up on your wedding day and take pretty pictures.
I want to know what you love about my work.
I want to know which photos you’ve saved.
I want to know what matters to you.
And then I want to take all of that information and create something that feels like you.
For Krista and Elias, that meant romantic and timeless images with rich color, vibrant greenery, emotional moments, and plenty of personality.
And Highland Gardens was the perfect place to bring all of that together.
If you’re planning a wedding at Highland Gardens in Utah, I would absolutely love to photograph it.
I also photograph weddings throughout Utah, Arizona, California, and destinations across the country. If you’re looking for an Arizona and Utah wedding photographer who loves colorful, romantic, timeless images and wants your gallery to feel personal rather than cookie-cutter, I’d love to hear from you.
Inquire about your wedding to check my availability, view my wedding photography services and pricing, or explore more of my work.
You can also follow me on Instagram @torielisabethphoto to see more colorful wedding photography, destination weddings, engagement sessions, film photography, and behind-the-scenes moments from my work.
I can’t wait to hear your story.
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