The Salt Lake City Temple is a wedding destination and venue for thousands of couples every year. Members of the LDS Church are sealed and married inside temples in sacred ceremonies that are treated with utmost reverence and respect. You can find out more about what goes on inside temples here. Photography is not permitted inside the Temple under any circumstances, so all photography takes place on the outside of the temple and around the grounds. Here are the main things to know when photographing a wedding at the Salt Lake City Temple:

The Salt Lake City Temple is a wedding destination and venue for thousands of couples every year. Members of the LDS Church are sealed and married inside temples in sacred ceremonies that are treated with utmost reverence and respect. You can find out more about what goes on inside temples here. Photography is not permitted inside the Temple under any circumstances, so all photography takes place on the outside of the temple and around the grounds. Here are the main things to know when photographing a wedding at the Salt Lake City Temple:

Parking

The SLC Temple is located on Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake city. Parking surrounding the Square is sometimes tricky. The best options are parking at City Creek Mall to the south, which is free for the first two hours and $2 for every hour after. The JSMB has parking on the South side for $10 for the day or free with validation if your wedding is happening there. The last best option is parking at the Conference center on the North side of the temple for $10 or for free if you get a parking validation from the Temple waiting room front desk. Keep in mind, entering the Temple should be done in a church outfit and done with reverence and respect.

Exit Photos

Because photography is not permitted inside the temple, getting images of the couple exiting the temple becomes one of the main shots of the day, (similar to the first kiss in a traditional ceremony). The Salt Lake temple has completely separate door for brides and grooms to exit from. It is located within the fence, kitty corner from the north east corner of the Temple. Inside the door is a small room for photographers to wait inside for their couples. The windows are tinted but aren’t totally one way windows so people on the outside can see in through the windows. There is a water fountain inside this small room and a worker where you can check how much longer until your couple will be ready. Remember again that this room is part of the temple and should be entered with reverence and respect as well. You are not permitted to go down the stairs without a Temple recommend. Be sure to avoid sitting on the benches closest to the door otherwise you will be in other couple’s exit shots when the door opens.

How Long is the Wait

Each Temple operates a little differently and thus the standard sealing time fluctuates. The Salt Lake Temple generally takes 60-90 mins for the couple to exit after the sealing time on a standard weekend. I arrive 45 mins after the set sealing time. On weekdays, I arrive 30 mins after the sealing time and expect 45-60 mins of waiting total.

Family Portraits

This temple has 4 amazing staircases on the exterior of the temple. There are two facing east and two facing west. The Salt Lake City Temple experience a very high volume of weddings during certain parts of the year, and on most weekends. It is a standard photographer policy to only use the stairs for 20 minutes if there are other wedding parties waiting. On high volume days, such as weekends in the summer, please instruct your bride and groom ahead of time to plan on waiting a while. It is a professional curtesy to communicate with photographers either in front or behind you to make sure to respect the sacred temple grounds as well as each and every wedding party. Taking smaller family pictures against the walls and not the stairs is a good way to not waste time and a great option! Remember that the Temple is a sacred place and asking people to cheer is inappropriate. You can achieve this same photo by asking them to silently cheer!

In case of Inclement Weather

It’s always best to have a backup plan incase of inclement weather. If it is raining or extremely cold, I generally shoot family portraits later in the day at an indoor location, or under the awning at the Joseph Smith Building. The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is located South East from the temple and is a popular reception venue. The first floor doors on the East side have covered entry ways that don’t have much traffic. When its raining, I bring the small family groups under there to shoot the smaller group pictures as a last resort option.

Must Have Salt Lake City Temple Portraits

There are several iconic portrait spots at the Salt Lake Temple that are standard images that every bride desires. Here is a list:

• The famous podium, located to the East of the temple, overlooking the front of the temple and the lawn.
• Stair pictures, located on the east and west sides of the temple.
• The temple doors, located at the top of the stairs on the East and West of the temple.
• The temple door handles for hand or ring shots.
• The Olive tree bench, located at the South West corner of the Temple.
• The Reflection pond, Located outside the fence to the East of the temple.
• The inside stalls on top of the stairs.

Unique Information on the SLC Temple

Temple Square is a central location for the city and hundreds of people work nearby. There is always a lot of foot traffic so you will generally have people in the background of your images. The only way to avoid this is to bring an assistant or shoot at times of the day where not many people are out. There are also a lot of tourists that come to Temple Square in the summer.

The fountains located on the far East side of Temple Square turn on at the hour for 15 mins.

The temple grounds are closed on Sundays and Mondays and for a few weeks of the year for cleaning. Make sure to check closure dates each year.