As a wedding photographer my favorite of Bend wedding venues will always have great light and some sort of epic outdoor space to take portraits. I also love venues with getting ready rooms free from a lot of distracting elements. All of these venues are on the bigger side and able to accommodate larger weddings. All of them have a wedding team on site to help coordinate (although I always recommend hiring a separate planner/coordinator).
I love photographing weddings at all of these Bend wedding venues. I would love talk about your wedding photography needs!
Black Butte Ranch Wedding
Black Butte ranch might take the cake for the most epic views of the Bend wedding venues. The 3 Sisters are the most obvious mountains but you can also see Jefferson, 3 Finger Jack as well as its namesake Black Butte. It also has a brand new reception space (lodge opened 2023) with neutral modern vibes. Guests can stay on site and make a whole weekend out of the wedding which I always love.
There is one dedicated getting ready room on site with large windows and white walls. You can decide to get ready offsite in one of the cabins as well- but these backgrounds can be hit or miss. Because of the huge expanse of the ranch, I love to do a fake getting ready with groom in front of the beautiful copper fireplace.
There are 2 ceremony sites to pick from at Black Butte Ranch – the Mountain spot and Aspen spot. Both are relatively close to each other (maybe 20 feet to the side). My personal favorite is the Aspen spot for a little bit of shade during the summer but truly, you can’t go wrong with either. Plan for a ceremony when the sun is not at its peak for better ceremony photos.
For the reception, the lodge is brand new and seriously beautiful. It has a striking black exterior and the interior mixes the dark wood with white oak and black slate. A wrap around porch is perfect for cocktail hour so your guests can gawk at the mountains. If needed, you could absolutely have your ceremony indoors.
Epic Photos: With the mountains in sight pretty much any way your turn, a large meadow and a pond the views here are incredible. The hardest thing about taking photos here is that that the sun can be very bright and often the best photos are about 5 minutes before and after the sun dips below the horizon which can be a little tricky for timing.
Sunriver Great Hall Wedding
With basically an entire town dedicated to tourism and the outdoors planning a wedding in Sunriver is a no brainer. The Great Hall is honestly jaw dropping and such a spectacular space for a reception or winter ceremony. The mountains are far away for photos but with beautiful meadows, trees, and bridges there are great locations nearby for wedding photos.
Couples usually get ready in one of the nearby hotel feeling rooms which has decent light and easy access to the outdoors. Because they are generally separated from the other person getting married it’s easy to jump out to take bridal portraits or bridesmaid photos without seeing the groom.
The ceremony site overlooks the river and is right outside of the building entering the Great Hall. On of the great elements of Sunriver Resort is that guests don’t even realize how epic the Great Hall is until they enter the reception.
What is now Great Hall actually was built in the 1940s as a WPA project and was Camp Abbot, a World War II Training Camp. It’s seriously a work of art. You will have to love wood to appreciate it but the high ceilings and beautiful craftsmanship give it a very elevated lodge vibe.
Epic Photos: With the river and golf course there are plenty of spots to take some beautiful photos around Sunriver. You can see Mt Bachelor but it does photograph as further off so you won’t get that “base of the mountain” type of photo. I love to go down the bike path slightly to the left to get to one of the cute foot bridges and for some different views than the ceremony site.
Brasada Ranch Wedding
Brasada Ranch, located in Powell Butte, Oregon, is on the newer side as it was built in 2007. With a huge property and what seems like hundreds of cabins – you can have a full wedding weekend and go golfing, enjoy the spa, or even ride a horse. Probably the most recognizable part of Brasada is the trestle bridge which runs across the property.
People usually get ready in one of the cabins or lodge rooms. The cabins do have darker finishes and can feel a little bit heavy. With easy access to some pretty trees and desert I usually opt for taking detail photos outside. The cabins are far apart with natural-ish landscaping so plenty of spots to take photos right outside the cabins. When you have your wedding there they also include transportation for the couple and wedding party.
There are several spots to have the ceremony – on the lawn directly outside of the barn or on the Range Restaurant lawn. Both have similar views – it’s more about capacity and if you want a second location.
For the reception, the barn has high ceilings and a fireplace that makes a beautiful backdrop for reception photos. I’ve seen couples configure tables here several ways but generally it’s large tables with the dance floor near the lawn.
Epic Photos: Brasada has varying backdrops and an expansive sky which makes for beautiful photos. If it’s a cloudy day on top of the trestle bridge is favorite view but I also love the pond. On the other side of the bridge there is sage brush and the more natural desert. Generally I like to start on top of the bridge, walk to the pond, and end on the desert side to meet transportation.
Tetherow Wedding Venue
Tetherow is another new venue founded in 2008. It’s the closest to town and has large vistas overlooking the golf course and the mountains in the distance. The property is expansive with large enough cabins you can probably stay with your family or wedding party. Because it’s so close to town it’s probably the most Bnnd wedding venue on this list.
Couples get ready in their cabins or hotel rooms which vary in style, size, and area of the property. From what I’ve seen they are all fairly neutral and avoid bad vacation art and furniture. They generally all have good light. The property is large so you can often take photos outside of your cabin – although you will have buildings in the background.
The ceremony lawn overlooks the golf course with the mountains in the distance. It is down several steps so when you envision walking down the aisle plan your shoes with going down steps. In winter the indoor space works well for ceremonies with a huge wall of windows. Tetherow has large doors to split the room in half so dinner tables can be staged and ready to move after the ceremony ends.
Cocktail hour is usually outside on the patio or in winter, inside in the large hallway space.
The reception space at Tetherow is large with high ceilings and a wall of windows – even with very large weddings it never feels crowded. It also allows for a larger dance floor and band setup if you’re looking to have a real party.
Epic photos: The most recognizable Tetherow photos are on the bridge which is a 10 minute golf cart ride away. There are some natural-ish landscapes around there as well for some diversity. Close to the venue there aren’t too many spots for expansive/epic views so make time to adventure to the bridge. It’s well worth it to plan 25ish minutes for the ride both ways and 10 minutes of photos.
Aspen Lakes Golf Course Wedding Venue
Aspen Lakes is outside of Sisters and a large golf course community with an event center on site. It has large mountain views as well as desert and aspen backdrops. The event space is large and the ceremony spot is perfectly situated for mountain views.
The getting ready areas at Aspen Lakes is generally the upstairs or a smaller downstairs. The downstairs room is also often used for wedding staging (ie storage) so it can be quite cluttered. Upstairs is a large dining area so although it has great light it’s not a traditional getting ready space. When I’ve used this space we’ve done the bulk of the getting ready photos on the balcony outside the upstairs. I’ve also had couples get ready at rentals offsite.
The ceremony is perfectly situated with the mountains behind it on a large patio. Their natural landscaping running behind the space block any cars from view from the parking lot. The sun also sets directly behind ceremony space so even in harsh sunlight in summer the light is even. There is a small lawn to the side of the ceremony space which works well for family and wedding party photos.
The indoor space has tall ceilings and long tables/chairs. There is a fireplace in the side which is a good backdrop for cake cutting. Although I wish the walls were a slightly different color the space does flow nicely with guests entering through the door and being led directly to the reception space. You can see the mountains from the reception area and the patio allows guests to go in and out.
There are absolutely epic views here but you may have some roads/houses in the background of mountain photos. There is a large variety of backdrops here – from natural desert to greener spaces to mountain views with native flowers in the foreground. If you’re up for an adventure there are some great sites just 2 minutes away with mountain views. I’ve always wanted to check out the pond for more photos.
Looking for other Bend wedding venues?
Take a look at my lists of favorite affordable Bend wedding venues here!
