Stanley Park Wedding Photography

Stanley Park is one of the most visually varied wedding portrait locations in Canada. Within a 30-minute walk from any park entrance, you have access to old-growth forest, a seawall with English Bay views, formal rose gardens, and the open sky of Prospect Point. Here is what each environment produces and what the permit situation involves.

The Old-Growth Forest

The Cathedral Trail and the wooded areas between Second Beach and Prospect Point contain old-growth Douglas fir and western red cedar that are several hundred years old. The scale of these trees gives wedding portraits a sense of place and time that no urban environment can replicate. The forest light is indirect and even throughout the day, which means good portrait conditions at any hour rather than the specific golden hour windows that open environments require. This is the strongest argument for a forest session over a waterfront session: more scheduling flexibility.

The Seawall

The Stanley Park seawall runs along the park's western and northern edges with views across English Bay to the south and Burrard Inlet to the north. The sections facing English Bay (Second Beach to Ferguson Point) give you the North Shore mountains across the water in the background. The sections facing Burrard Inlet (past Prospect Point) give you the Lions Gate Bridge and the North Shore cityscape. Both work best at golden hour when the light is warm and directional.

The Rose Garden

The Rose Garden near the park's Georgia Street entrance is a formal cultivated garden with rose beds in full bloom from June through September. The garden architecture, the manicured beds, and the formal layout suit formal wedding attire in a way that is different from both the forest and the seawall. The garden is small enough that it becomes crowded with other visitors by mid-morning on weekends. Early morning sessions in the rose garden in June, before the day's foot traffic begins, are some of the most visually complete wedding portrait sessions I do in the park.

Permit Requirements

Wedding ceremonies in Stanley Park require a permit from the Vancouver Park Board. Portrait sessions without a ceremony generally do not require a park permit for small groups. Commercial photography in the park may require a commercial filming permit from the City of Vancouver Film, Television and Digital Media office in some circumstances. Confirm with your photographer what permits they hold and what is required for your specific session type and group size.