Windmill Gardens Weddings | A Tacoma Photographers Review

I shot Windmill Gardens on a Tuesday evening in April, during a styled shoot hosted by Rebecca Anne Photography and Holcomb Weddings & Events. This gave me a lot more time to get a good feel for the outdoor area of the venue, however, we didn’t use any of the indoor buildings so I don’t have experience with those.

A Unique Venue Feel

Windmill Gardens could be a basic garden feel and be truly lovely in that aspect. But the designer at Windmill Gardens take that much further. The portion of the venue where weddings are held is at the corner of two very busy streets, Main Street and Van Tassel Rd in Sumner. Being there on a Tuesday during the rush hour commute, one would expect to see and hear dozens of cars between the 4 o’clock and 6 o’clock hours. The designers have lined the street sides of the garden with beautiful trees, that allow sunlight to filter through them during sunset and help to block out the noise and view of the cars. Between the quaint buildings that block views of the parking lot and the tree lined streets, Windmill Gardens feels like you’re completely secluded away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Searching for Golden Sunlight

Because we started at 4:00 pm, the light wasn’t as beautiful as it could have been at first. The shade gave us nice, even light for portraits and detail shots, and would have been perfect for an outdoor evening ceremony. Eventually the golden light filtered through the trees giving us that perfect golden sunlight for romantic bride and groom portraits. As the sun set, the gardens turned into a magical place that seemed to glow from the inside out.

A Gorgeous Backdrop

Windmill Gardens boasts a beautiful selection of backdrops from their gazebo to the small waterfall in the front corner. There is an assortment of choices to suit every wedding’s style and feel for portraits. The downside to many of the locations is larger wedding parties may find these spots cramped and be limited to the open area in the middle of the venue for group shots.

First Look and Portrait Hideaways

The areas mentioned above are perfect for those first look portraits. There are plenty of small spots along the outside of the venue where couples can seemingly hide away and have a few private moments together, but be aware that most of these are visible if a tree moves in the right direction. Overall, Windmill Gardens is a wonderful venue to work with and makes a gorgeous wedding venue just off the beaten path in Sumner, Washington.