The Vrtba Garden is one of the most beautiful gardens in Prague. It is a cultural monument listed by UNESCO, with a history dating back to the 18th century. From the upper part of the Vrtba Garden, you can enjoy one of the most breathtaking views of the typically red rooftops of Prague. From here, the Prague Castle, the Church of St. Nicholas in Malá Strana, and many other towers and spires of the city are beautifully visible. I have photographed the Vrtba Garden many times, yet this place always manages to enchant me anew.
| Place Name | Vrtba Garden (Vrtbovská zahrada in czech language) |
| Address | Karmelitska 25, 118 00 Prague 1 – Lesser Town |
| Official Website | Wedding Information – Vrtba Garden |
| Parking | Two parking spots at the intersection of Karmelitská/Harantova streets. The nearest paid “purple” zones are at Malostranské Square; otherwise, only “blue” zones are available nearby. |
| Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photography by Petr Doležal |
The entrance to the Vrtba Garden is hidden from passersby behind the Vrtba Palace. Perhaps because of this, many Prague locals are not familiar with the garden. Additionally, access to the garden requires an entrance fee. These factors have the advantage of keeping the garden uncrowded, so you’ll encounter only a small number of visitors.
There is also a private entrance from the Aria Hotel Prague. This luxurious, music-themed hotel is an ideal venue for hosting a wedding reception when the ceremony takes place in the Vrtba Garden.
Throwing rice or any other items that leave a mess is not allowed in the garden, so only bubble wands can be used.
Weddings in Vrtba Garden
In Vrtba Garden, both civil and religious wedding ceremonies can take place. They are held in the sala terrena with a capacity of 10 seated guests plus standing guests. The sala terrena is a covered garden hall with an open side leading outside. For photographers, the open side acts roughly as side lighting for the couple and all guests, with all advantages and disadvantages of side lighting.
In the sala terrena, you can easily observe the effect of light intensity decreasing with the square of the distance:
- The further a person stands “deeper” inside the sala terrena (farther from the entrance to the garden), the less light falls on them.
- The fastest drop in intensity occurs right at the light entrance, similar to a window in a room.
This is important for the photographer to know, so they can avoid unwanted lighting differences or even use them creatively. For example, it makes little sense to photograph a row of guests where everyone is turned sideways toward the garden – the person nearest the garden will be much brighter than the one by the wall. If it’s not raining, you can photograph guests under open sky without issue. If it rains, or you want to use the decorated interior of the Vrtba sala terrena, turn the row of guests to face the light so that everyone has the same distance from it.
If you must photograph two rows of guests, the second row may appear much darker than the first row closer to the light. The further into the garden you place people, the more dramatic the light drop.
If you are photographing a wedding in the Sala Terrena of Vrtba Garden using a semi-automatic mode (e.g., aperture priority), you should know how to use exposure compensation. Due to the dark background, the camera’s automatic settings may overexpose the bride’s light dress, as it tries to brighten the entire scene to “middle gray.” Using negative exposure compensation lets you correct the exposure.
For example, in the following shot, the camera would try to brighten the background wall, overexposing the most important subjects: the bride in her light dress and the groom. By applying negative exposure compensation, you darken the image so the subjects are correctly exposed.
Directional light does not have to be a photographer’s enemy. You can work with it like window light in a room or a studio softbox. In Sala Terrena, you can easily achieve strong contrast between light and shadow, so if you enjoy dramatic lighting, this venue is perfect. Notice how the bride in the next photo is lit with strongly differing light intensities on the left and right sides. Her dress and face are almost black on the shadowed side and bright white on the lit side.
Wedding Photography in Vrtba Garden
Vrtba Garden offers countless corners and composition possibilities for photography, so I don’t think they need to be described. There are fountains, staircases, benches, railings, statues, and walls overgrown with greenery – it’s impossible not to get a beautiful photo in Vrtba Garden :-)
Anyway, I recommend capturing a photo of the guests from above. Vrtba Garden is on terraced terrain with several elevation levels, so it looks great when the photographer climbs to a higher level and shoots the guests standing below, like in the following photo:
And of course, don’t miss the viewpoint at the very top. It may be crowded at times, but for good reason: shots from the top are worth it.
Reviews of Vrtba Garden
Do you know Vrtba Garden and like it? Have you ever seen a wedding there? Do you have any interesting tips for wedding photography in the garden? Share in the comments!
