It's no doubt that we live in a beautiful area. With the shores of Sandusky and Port Clinton giving beautiful views over the bay, to the nice open fields heading into Norwalk and Monroeville, or the wooded hills surrounding Milan. Surely, we all would love to get beautiful photos on our wedding day in these areas. However, with the hectic schedule of a wedding day, it can be hard to find the time to squeeze in some of the wonderful locations we've written about. However, that doesn't mean that you can't achieve beautiful wedding photos right on your wedding venue! This list is just a few examples of some of the best wedding venues in Sandusky, Huron, Norwalk, and more that have excellent environments for photography right on-premise.
Sawmill Creek has been a staple in the area for many years. The best thing about Sawmill, besides being recently renovated, is that they have enough amenities for just about everything right on the property! With a golf course, a private beach area, gazebo, bridge, and of course the massive resort, which includes small garden areas, there are so many options for places to take photos right around your venue!
Sandusky Yacht Club is, of course, right up on the shores of Lake Erie. This makes it ideal for a couple that wants photography with a beachy waterfront setting. There's a beautiful garden out back along with plenty of gorgeous windows for portraits indoors, making this a great option for a few snaps right at the venue.
Plum Brook is up there to be the prettiest golf course in the area. With plenty of trees, grass, hills, bridges, and other amenities, it provides plenty of opportunities for fantastic photos.
Located in Castalia, just outside of Sandusky, this venue is one of the most gorgeous places we've had the pleasure of shooting at. With a beautiful driveway that's flanked by trees, a creek in the back, and the sprawling, open property, there are endless possibilities when using this location for your wedding photography.
As per the name, this is a sister location to Millsite Lodge, located just down the road. Equally as beautiful, it is a fantastic, more rustic place for your wedding photographs.
In our opinion, Kilkerrin is one of the most underrated venues in the area. With a large barn, fields, and a large pond on the premises, it has everything you need for a great venue for both a ceremony and wedding photographs. See our blog post about it here.
The BGSU Firelands Campus has two locations that they do weddings, the Cedar Point Center as well as the Firelands Arboretum. Both of these locations are within a few minutes walk of each other and there are incredible opportunities at each for wedding photography. With ponds, flowers, trees and bridges, you can knock out all of your wedding photos right inside the arboretum. It's by far our most used spot for photos.
If you love rustic, Palm Tree Barn really is the perfect setting. Located on a spacious property with a large barn and plenty of trees, wood, a neat siloh and even some props, like a truck, it has a little bit of everything for the couple that wants something simple and rustic. You can check out some of our work on it here.
Right down near Cedar Point, Lyman Harbor is one of the premiere venues in Sandusky, known for it's spacious halls. It also has one of the best views in town, and the harbor makes a fun and relaxing place for some couples shots, and the large glass windows provide some great window light for indoor group shots.
Only available to Milan Residents or family members of Milan Residents, this massively underrated venue is one of the classiest looking places in town. To boot, it's directly across the street from the Milan Town Square, giving you a great place to go and take some classy photos. See the video we shot here.
There is a chance that you may not want to do your wedding photography session at your venue. Perhaps you'd like to go somewhere else! In that case, check out our list of some of the top places to take photos!
Sandusky, Ohio is one of the most beautiful little towns in Ohio, and if you're currently planning your wedding, it may be difficult to decide just which corner of the city to head to in between your reception and ceremony to have wedding photos taken! This list is simply designed to help shine some light on some of the top photo spots in Sandusky for where to take photos, along with some example photos that we at OneUp Creative have taken in these areas. This list is meant to be for the top areas in Sandusky, but we will also have lists for Huron and Norwalk coming soon!
Jackson St. Pier is one of the top choices because it's right in the middle of the Sandusky Shoreline. Recently renovated, the pier offers an excellent view of Cedar Point and Lake Erie, along with nice areas for photos, including benches and a large, grassy area. Two things to consider when selecting this area is the fact that the pier can sometimes be windy and it doesn't have much shade, so you may have to talk with your photographer on the best solution to shoot in harsh sunlight.
Shoreline Park is toward the eastern side of downtown, and is an excellent choice for some photos in the shade. This park has a little bit of everything, from nice bridges for group shots to beautiful views of the lake, shaded areas and easy parking. It's one of the most popular destinations for wedding photos in the area, and for good reason.
Washington Park is right in the heart of downtown, making it one of the centerpieces for many couples when getting there photos taken. The park spans a couple blocks around Columbus Ave, and has areas such as the Boy In The Boot fountain, The Grass Clock, the Gazebo, and plenty of other hidden gems. It's a great place to get a variety of photos all within a short distance of each other.
Peddler's Alley, also known to locals as Musician's Alley, has been one of the most popular destinations in the area for many years, due to it's unique, quaint, urban textures, along with it's unforgettable feature wall at the end. This location provides great shade most of the day along with good textures that makes for beautiful photos. However, the tight spaces in the alleyway can make it less than ideal for very large groups.
Osborne Park is a massive park with different trails that give tons of options when planning your photo session. From the grove of trees, to the extra wide path, to the open fields, there's plenty of options. However, one thing you won't find much of here is seating or water.
Sheldon's Marsh is one of the most beautiful locations to take photos. With a long, extra wide path, it's perfect for large groups as it's shaded and has plenty of texture. However, the biggest downside to Sheldon's Marsh is that two of its other top photo spots - the boardwalk and the beach, are all the way at the end, which is a decent walk away from the parking lot! This could be an issue if you're wearing uncomfortable shoes or are in a rush.
Battery Park can sometimes be looked over, but it shouldn't be! This park has a good amount of shade for photos in the grass overlooking the water, but is also only a stone's throw away from Springer's Warf Pier, which has one of the best views of Cedar Point that you can find in the city. If you want photos with coasters in the background, this is the best spot there is.
Schade-Mylander plaza is the main endpoint when you arrive downtown. Located right at the end of Columbus Ave., this large fountain could be considered the center of the downtown area. The fountain itself could be a decent backdrop for photos, along with the waterfront right across the street, and there are plenty of other nooks and crannies nearby that you can use for photos.
The Merry-Go-Round is one of the more unique and underrated places on this list. Inside the building has so many exquisite details to take photos with, and there's opportunities for unique close-ups. However, the space may not be ideal for large groups and there is one large catch - the light. The natural light in the space can be tough to work with, so you want to make sure you have a skilled photographer that can work with the environment.
Patina Creek rose to popularity extremely quickly for its unique colors and textures. The owners renovate and restore old furniture and hardware, and that is used to your advantage when you're looking for beautiful places to take photos. With gorgeous window light and plenty of different angle options, this place is an easy winner.
Sometimes, one of the best places to take photos can be right at your wedding venue! You check out our list of top venues at our Ultimate Guide to Weddings
We're so glad that Alysha & Joe asked us to join them on their wedding day to help capture some precious memories. Thank you so much!
Alysha & Joe had a gorgeous wedding in their home of Monroeville, Ohio. They were so excited to have their wedding at their home church, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, which Alysha has dreamed of since she was a child. They also had their reception at Ten Fifty Eight Event Center.
Alysha & Joe chose Ten Fifty Eight because they both come from large families, meaning that they knew their guest list would be on the longer side. Ten Fifty Eight had plenty of room to be home to all of their guests, plus Alysha likes the clean lines and crisp feel that Ten Fifty Eight had. In addition, they liked that the DJ, linens, and other things were included without having to go elsewhere to buy or rent them. And they loved the event-coordinators that Ten Fifty Eight provided.
The thing that Alysha & Joe were most excited for about their wedding day was the food. Sure, the Pork, Sirloin, and Alfredo, but specifically they were so excited for the dessert, which is pies from Der Dutchman! Talk about the perfect finish to your meal! And then late at night, they brought in pretzels with beer cheese and an ice cream bar, which is perfect for after the guests have had a few drinks and are feeling the munchies coming on. They each had signature drinks, Vodka Lemonade for Alysha and Kentucky Mule for Joe.
Of course, it always takes a team to make a wedding happen. Their team was epic!
