Couple on the steps of the presidential helicopter at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, black and white
Wedding Photography At

The Nixon Library

A presidential library and museum on nine acres in Yorba Linda, with a rose garden and reflecting pool, a White House-style East Room and a historic helicopter on the grounds.

LocationYorba Linda, CA
OpenedDedicated in 1990, rededicated in 2016
StylePresidential library and museum with gardens and an East Room replica
About the venue

A museum and gardens on nine acres in Yorba Linda

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum sits on a nine-acre site on Yorba Linda Boulevard. It was dedicated in 1990 and rededicated in 2016 after a renovation that added nearly 70 exhibits, among them a replica of the Oval Office. Since 2007 it has been operated jointly by the National Archives and the Richard Nixon Foundation. The grounds also hold the birthplace home, a kit-built house restored to its 1910s appearance, and a VH-3A Sea King helicopter that served in the presidential fleet from 1961 to 1976.

Weddings here are hosted through the Foundation's events program. Ceremonies and gatherings use the landscaped First Lady's Rose Garden with its long reflecting pool, and receptions move indoors to an exact replica of the White House East Room, part of a wing added in 2004. Because this is a working museum, the areas available for photographs on a wedding day are set by the venue, and we confirm them with the events team well ahead of the date.

Couple in the Oval Office replica with gold drapes and a blue star rug at the Nixon LibraryGroom seated at the desk in the Oval Office replica as the bride stands beside him at the Nixon Library
Lulan Studio at the Nixon Library

Classic rooms and open gardens in one afternoon

We have photographed weddings at the Nixon Library across several seasons, usually with a team of two over seven to eight hours. Many of the days we cover here bring more than one tradition together, and some begin earlier elsewhere, with a tea ceremony at a family home or a ceremony at a church, before the evening reception at the library. We plan portraits around the gardens and reflecting pool while the light is soft, and when the venue makes them available, a short set with the helicopter or in the museum's formal rooms.

Good to know

  • Late afternoon garden ceremonies, between 4:00 and 5:30 PM, are the most common rhythm here
  • Confirm with the venue which museum areas and the helicopter are available for photographs
  • In winter the light goes early, so a first look keeps daylight in your garden portraits
  • Ask the venue about drone or aerial plans well before the day
  • Many couples begin the day at home, a hotel or a church before the reception here

Where we like to shoot

  • The steps of the presidential helicopter, which photograph beautifully in black and white
  • The Oval Office replica, with its gold drapes, flags and star-bordered blue rug
  • White classical doors and molding for quiet, formal portraits
  • The First Lady's Rose Garden and the long reflecting pool
  • The grounds around the birthplace home in late afternoon light
Couple by a white French door with classical molding at the Nixon LibraryBride at the foot of the helicopter stairs with the groom above, black and white, Nixon Library
Planning your day

Sample wedding day timelines at the Nixon Library

These are drawn from the weddings we have photographed here, some with everything at the library and some with the ceremony elsewhere first. Use them as a starting point to adapt with your coordinator rather than a fixed schedule.

Eight hours with a first look

Getting ready on site, a garden ceremony, and a reception in the East Room.
  • 2:00 PMCoverage begins at the library. Details, final touches and the ceremony site before guests arrive.
  • 2:45 PMPrivate first look in a quiet corner of the garden.
  • 3:00 PMCouple portraits by the reflecting pool and around the grounds, plus the helicopter or museum rooms where the venue allows.
  • 3:45 PMWedding party and family portraits, finished before guests arrive.
  • 4:30 PMGuests arrive while you tuck away, then the ceremony in the garden, around thirty to forty minutes.
  • 5:15 PMCocktail hour. Guest candids and any extended family groups.
  • 6:15 PMGrand entrance in the East Room, dinner, toasts and first dances.
  • 7:45 PMA short set of evening portraits on the grounds, then cultural performances and open dancing.
  • 10:00 PMCoverage concludes.

Seven hours, portraits after the ceremony

No first look, with family and couple portraits in the golden hour after the vows.
  • 2:30 PMCoverage begins with final touches and portraits of each of you with family, kept apart.
  • 4:00 PMGuests arrive. Ceremony details and the garden photographed.
  • 4:30 PMGarden ceremony.
  • 5:00 PMFamily formals, then the wedding party.
  • 5:30 PMCouple portraits in the gardens and by the reflecting pool as the light softens.
  • 6:00 PMCocktail hour candids and reception details before guests are seated.
  • 7:00 PMGrand entrance, toasts, dinner, first dance and parent dances.
  • 9:30 PMOpen dancing, then coverage concludes.

Ceremony elsewhere, reception at the library

A church or family ceremony earlier in the day, then the evening in Yorba Linda.
  • 12:30 PMCoverage begins where you get ready. Details and final touches.
  • 2:00 PMCeremony at a church or at home, with family portraits right after.
  • 3:30 PMA short break and travel to the library.
  • 4:30 PMCouple portraits on the library grounds while there is still daylight.
  • 5:30 PMCocktail hour and reception details, with any remaining family groups.
  • 6:30 PMGrand entrance, dinner and toasts in the East Room.
  • 8:00 PMFirst dance, parent dances and performances, then open dancing.
  • 8:30 PMCoverage concludes, with the party continuing.
Good to know

What is specific to the Nixon Library

A few things about a museum setting that shape the day, and that are worth settling early with the events team.

A working museumThe library is a museum as well as an event venue. Which galleries, rooms and outdoor features are open for photographs on your date is up to the venue, so we confirm the list with the events team before the wedding.
The helicopter and the Oval Office replicaThese are the frames couples most often ask for. When they are available, a short, planned set works best, usually before the ceremony or during cocktail hour.
Garden ceremony, East Room receptionCeremonies are often set in the gardens, and the reception moves into the East Room replica. Cocktail hour is the natural window for family and couple portraits outdoors.
Days that start elsewhereMany weddings here begin with a tea ceremony at a family home or a ceremony at a church. Allow travel time to Yorba Linda, and plan the library portraits for the daylight you have left.
Winter lightFrom late fall through winter it is dark soon after a late afternoon ceremony. A first look, or portraits on the grounds before the ceremony, keeps daylight in the garden photographs.
Drones and aerialsIf you would like aerial video, check with the venue early and plan any drone footage for locations where it is allowed.
Nearby

Where couples also photograph nearby

Spots on the grounds, and nearby places that come up on Nixon Library wedding days.

  • The First Lady's Rose Garden
  • The reflecting pool
  • The presidential helicopter
  • The Oval Office replica
  • The East Room
  • The birthplace home
  • Carbon Canyon Regional Park
  • Brea
  • Fullerton
Questions couples ask

Questions couples ask about Nixon Library

How many hours of coverage do couples book at the Nixon Library?

Seven to eight hours covers a typical day here, from final touches through the first stretch of dancing. When the ceremony is at a church or family home earlier in the day, coverage often starts there and a longer package, or split coverage, keeps both parts of the day in the story.

Can we take photographs in the museum and with the helicopter?

Couples often ask for the helicopter steps and the Oval Office replica. Access depends on the venue and the date, so we confirm which areas are available with the events team ahead of time and plan a short set around their guidance.

Should we do a first look?

It helps here, especially for a fall or winter date. A first look lets us photograph you in the gardens and by the reflecting pool in daylight, and finish family portraits before guests arrive. Without one, portraits happen during cocktail hour, which works well with a clear family photo list.

Our ceremony is somewhere else. Does that work?

It does, and it is common here. Many couples hold a tea ceremony at home or a ceremony at a church first, then bring everyone to the library for the reception. We plan travel time and try to arrive while there is still light for portraits on the grounds.

Can we fly a drone at the Nixon Library?

Aerial plans are set by the venue, so please ask them early. When a drone is part of your film, we often plan those shots at the getting ready location or another spot where it is allowed.

More venues nearby on our regional venue guide and the city page.

Nixon Library photography

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