Weddings on the Street

Wedding photographers are fond of taking post-nuptial photos on quaint Main Streets, but rarely on the commercial strip. Here's why.

1 minute read

January 6, 2017, 12:00 PM PST

By John Lavey


Amsterdam Wedding

Anton Havelaar / Shutterstock

Is your Facebook feed populated with photos of friends weddings? Ours too. And we've noticed that many of these photos are staged in beautiful urban environments—tree-lined main street, against the funky building mural, something downtown. Why had the photographer decided to stage their photos in these environments? And why had they decided not to stage them in front of, say, the pawn shop? 

The answer isn't complicated. We all know what makes a street special. Unique buildings, lush trees, kitschy window displays, public art, hanging flower baskets, and sandwich boards all work together to create an intriguing backdrop that is worthy of playing a part in our most treasured memories. These streets are the heart and soul of our communities, and they are what people remember about our towns.

Having a little fun with Photoshop, we decided to place these newlyweds (with their forgiveness) in a few alternative environments. The results are revealing. Downtown streets are often what people remember about our communities. They speak volumes about who we are. Are our streets places for people, or places where people look out of place?  

Thursday, January 5, 2017 in Community Builders

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A Firefighter sprays water from a hose at a tall blaze.

US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060

Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News

People cross a crosswalk in Los Angeles.

LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks

Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.

4 hours ago - ABC7

Two women walking on the sidewalk in Dallas.

Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code

The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.

5 hours ago - Yahoo News