October 1, 2020

22 Movie inspired venues for your wedding

It’s no surprise that I have a bit of a passion (obsession?) with movies. Being a wedding photographer, I explore and document real, intimate, raw, love stories. These stories aren’t fictional and they aren’t scripted or posed. But what if we could add a bit of cinematic ambiance to our love stories? I have made this following post to explore some movie inspired venues for your wedding as a possible link between films and real love stories, making it possible to act your love story in a cinematic decor.

For instance, what if we could re-create movie scenes in the original or movie inspired locations? I have made a list of some of my favourite (and bucket list) locations for you to act out your favourite movie, in real life.

20 venues to act out your favourite movies the shining timberline hotel
The Shining’s Timberline’s resort is a popular winter ski spot, rest assured without the haunting ghosts

Firstly, I will skip over the famous location such as The Mountain Lake Hotel in Virginia (USA) where Dirty Dancing’ was filmed, or the Pretty Woman hotel as these have been mentioned a looooot. So let’s look at some more underrated filming locations where the movies were actually shot, then explore some more venues that were not actual movie locations but that could definitely have been!

GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Pupp hotel in Czech Republic is the what inspired Wes Anderson’s movie and you can get married, stay and eat world class cakes

https://www.pupp.cz/en/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies grand budapest hotel pupp 2

CASINO ROYAL

Not in Monaco like most people believe. The Hotel Imperial in Czech Republic again, is where most outside scenes of the movie were actually filmed, and has also inspired (alongside Pupp Hotel) Wes Anderson for Grand Budapest Hotel.

  https://www.spa-hotel-imperial.cz/en/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies imperial hotel

20 venues to act out your favourite movies hotel imperial

THE SHINING

Fan of Kubrick and creepy movies? Here’s the Timberline Hotel in Oregon USA which lent its facade to the filming of The Shining

https://www.timberlinelodge.com/

SCARFACE / GOLDFINGER / THE SOPRANOS

Fancy mafia and drug deals under the sun ambiance? The Fontainebleau Suites in Miami, USA are the ultimate backdrop where the films were actually shot.

www.fontainebleau.com/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies fontainbleau scarface
the Fountainbleau hotel resort in Miami is the home ground for a lot of mafia and spy related movies making it the perfect movie inspired venue for your wedding

TRAINSPOTTING

Talking about drugs, here is the actual hotel that appears in the iconic ‘Beatles Abbey Road’ shot in Danny Boyle’s 1996 movie. Trainspotting is filled with Beatles references throughout the movie but this one in front of the Royal Eagle Hotel in London must be the most obvious.

https://www.centralparkcollection.co.uk/index.php?divid=royal_eagle

20 venues to act out your favourite movies trainspotting20 venues to act out your favourite movies royal eagle hotel trainspotting

STARS WARS IV

The Hotel Sidi Idriss in Matmata, Tunisia, was the set of multiple scenes in the movie. Most known through the movie as Lars family home in Tatooine.

Hotel Sidi Idriss in Tunisia

20 venues to act out your favourite movies hotel sidi idriss star wars
Sidi Idriss Hotel in Matmatah in Tunisia is also Tatooine in Star Wars

TWIN PEAKS

Stay in the eerie and haunting David Lynch fictional town, and re-create the North Hotel scenes. The Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie, Wyoming also offers a Twin Peaks map and tour so you can wander around the town to discover the filming spots. You may even go to the diner (which is real life http://www.twedescafe.com/) for a pie before you use the rest of the movie inspired venues for your wedding in town.

https://www.salishlodge.com/index.php

20 venues to act out your favourite movies twin peaks

20 venues to act out your favourite movies twin peaks diner 1

LOST IN TRANSLATION

Act out your inner Bob (Bill Murray) at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Tokyo.

Park Hyatt Hotel Tokyo

20 venues to act out your favourite movies lost in translation park hyatt tokyo

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Romance in Paris with a big A at the Le Bristol Hotel.

Hotel Bristol

THE LOBSTER

Fancy cold weather, Guinness and pretty landscapes? Welcome to Ireland’s Parknasilla Resort and Spa where the 2015 movie starring the stellar cast Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Coleman, John C Reilly was almost entirely shot.

https://www.parknasillaresort.com/en/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies thelobster
The movie inspired Lobster Hotel and Spa in Kerry Ireland

EX MACHINA

The sci-fi movie was partially shot in Norway, in the beautifully modern Juvet Lanscape resort. Walk in the footsteps of Domnhall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander in this highly sci-fi backdrop.

https://juvet.com/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies exmachina

THE BIG LEBOWSKI

There are plenty of awesome locations in the movie, but most of them have either been knocked down (like the Hollywood Star Lane bowling alley), or are privately owned (Sheats Goldstein Residence) or used for filming location (like Johnie’s diner that you can also see in Reservoir Dogs and American History X). But there is one location that could still be open for private functions, it is the nihilists relax: Dinah’s diner in South Sepulveda (Culver City), that you can also spot in Nightcrawler.

Dinah’s Family Restaurant

20 venues to act out your favourite movies dinahs the big lebowski
One of the last few Big Lebowski’s filming spot available to the public

 

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

(and a bucket load of other movies)

The Cicada club and the Oviatt Building, on South Olive Street in downtown L.A. must THE place if you want an art-deco 60s to 80s shots in movies. Over 20 well known movies have used the location, and you too can also hire it for a wedding!

https://www.cicadaclub.com/main.asp

20 venues to act out your favourite movies cicada club oviatt
the art deco entrance of the Oviatt residence also nesting the Cicada Club
20 venues to act out your favourite movies cicada club oviatt 2
Cicada Club, home ground to a bucket load of movies available to hire for weddings!

DRIVE

Go to Denny’s diner where Irene waits tables

Denny’s Diner

And hire the Pink Motel (very Pink + White vibe). It is not used as a motel anymore, but you can hire the place for private use

https://cadillac-jacks.com/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies drive pink motel

FARGO

The Motel that you see in the “outside of Bismark, North Dakota” shot, where officers arrest fugitive Jerry is the Hitching Post Motel in Forest Lake, and yes, you can stay there!

Hitching Post Motel, Minneapolis

20 venues to act out your favourite movies fargo hitching post motel

MURDER OF THE ORIENT EXPRESS // DARJELLING LIMITED

Fancy a romantic trip in a functioning train that lent its decor to Wes Anderson and Kenneth Brannagh? Here is it!

Belmond Venice Orient Express

20 venues to act out your favourite movies darjeeling limited
Murder on the Orient Express

MOVIE INSPIRED LOCATIONS

It is hard to find movie locations in real life that are open to the public and also allow functions and events. So here is what I found that could still give you the backdrop and the ambiance to re-create famous films. 

Cohen movie backdrop with the Madonna Inn – https://www.madonnainn.com/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies madonna inn

Tarantino Hateful Eight movie backdrop with the Sorrell River Ranch – https://www.sorrelriver.com/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies hateful eight sorrel river cabin 16

Tarantino Reservoir Dog’s diner Pat and Loraine Coffee house https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pat-Lorraines-Coffee-Shop/115916768428507

20 venues to act out your favourite movies reservoir dogs pat and lorraines int

A Killing Eve in Italian backdrop Villa San Gennariello, Campania, Italy

A very Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette movie backdrop https://www.homehouse.co.uk/

https://theheritage-collection.com/chateau-de-villette/

20 venues to act out your favourite movies coppola marie antoinette

Mad Max movie backdrop

Apart from actually going to Sunbury, if you wanted a desert style backdrop, try this place in Spain

https://airebardenas.com/

There are plenty more venues and hotels I have came across that would offer you the perfect and unique backdrop for your wedding ceremony, reception, honeymoon, wedding photos. If you want to see more movie inspired wedding venues, just get in touch!

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