After the Wedding at the Gilbert Arizona Temple
Your wedding is over, you’re ready to exit the Gilbert temple and see your friends and family. Now what? Coming out the doors is just the beginning of your new life together as husband and wife.
Each temple has a different exit door for the bride and groom and sometimes the temple changes what door is used. I have shot thousands of weddings at the Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix and Tucson temples. Let me show you some of the different places the bride and groom exit the temples and then the fun family and friend photos after.
Above and below you can see the doors that are on the North east side of the Gilbert Temple. This is the most popular spot for the bride and groom to exit the Gilbert Temple after the sealing.
Normally as the wedding photographer I have someone hold the doors open for the bride and groom as they exit the temple. If available I have the father of the bride and the father of the groom hold the doors open for the couple. Friends and family then line up on the breezeway and cheer for the couple as they exit and walk amongst them greeting and hugging along the way.
Sometimes the bride and groom exit from the main entrance to the Gilbert Temple which are the doors directly facing east. This is somewhat uncommon but I believe the bride and groom can request this from temple staff if they would like. Depending on the time of the day the sun can be pretty intense coming right out the front doors however so you may take that into consideration as you decide which doors to exit from.
At the Gilbert Temple as the photographer I wait right inside the first foyer for the bride and groom. I will direct family and friends outside at just the right time for your exit.
The Mesa Arizona Temple after the wedding
The Mesa Arizona temple has a new door the wedding couple exits from. The exit door is located on the East side of the temple near the baptistry entrance. This changed since the remodel and rededication of the temple. At first there were too many trees near the exit door which made for a narrow exit and crowded the bride and groom. Recently however the extra trees were removed and there is plenty of room the bride and groom to exit the temple and have friends and family near.
At the Mesa Temple the temple staff open the exit door from the inside for the bride and groom. There is no indoor waiting spot at the exit doors at the Mesa Temple so I wait just outside the doors with friends and family.
Before the remodel and rededication at the Mesa Arizona Temple there was plenty of room right inside the main entrance near the recommend desk where I would wait with friends and family for the bride and groom. Here are a few pictures before the remodel.
The Phoenix Arizona Temple after the wedding
At the Phoenix Arizona Temple the bride and groom always exit from the main entrance on the east side of the temple. This is great exit spot as it is shaded except for very early in the morning. At the Phoenix temple I wait inside the foyer near the recommend desk with friends and family. Normally at the Phoenix Temple the temple staff will come around the recommend desk to let everyone know the bride and groom are ready to come out and then everyone goes outside to wait. I stay inside and wait for the newlyweds for some brief last minute instructions.
Here and at the Gilbert Temple I normally have the father of the bride and father of the groom hold the doors open for the couple. There are two sets of doors at the Phoenix Temple. The bride and groom come through the first set on their own and then the dads open the second set of doors if they are available.
The Tucson Arizona Temple after the wedding
The Tucson Arizona Temple has a dedicated door for the bride and groom to exit after their wedding. The door is located on the east side of the Tucson Temple. As with the Mesa Arizona Temple staff open the doors from the inside and then the bride and groom exit. As the wedding photographer I wait outside the doors with friends and family.
Family and friend photos from Arizona Temples
There are so many great spots for family and friends photos at all the Arizona LDS temples. I have my favorite spots I like to photograph at. Finding a photographer that is familiar with the temple grounds ensures good photos in all types of lighting after the wedding.
See more photos at my other site Gilbert Temple Weddings
