Abigail Salazar Photography

Where shall we tell
your story?

For your maternity session or your post-wedding morning — choose the place that feels like you. Thirteen of Miami’s most beautiful settings, each with its own light and its own mood — and the ones marked in gold are our Trash the Dress favorites, where the dress was always meant to meet the water. Browse them, picture yourselves there, and tell us your favorite.

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Photo: Daderot · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

A 1916 Italianate villa on Biscayne Bay — old-world romance in stone, formal gardens and sea light.

Best for  Engagement · Editorial · Maternity
Address
3251 South Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33129  ·  View map
Permit
Permit required — fee confirmed at booking. Flat rate for the whole day, covering up to five people.
Good to know
Closed Tuesdays. Reservations open four to six weeks ahead.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Photo: Chris M Morris · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Eighty-three acres of rare palms, rainforest and lily ponds — a lush tropical garden composed like a painting.

Best for  Maternity · Family · Engagement
Address
10901 Old Cutler Rd, Coral Gables, FL 33156  ·  View map
Permit
Photography permit required — fee confirmed at booking when the session is scheduled.
Good to know
Sessions are booked 7–10 days ahead and held between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The Ancient Spanish Monastery
Photo: Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Ancient Spanish Monastery

A 12th-century Spanish cloister rebuilt stone by stone in Miami — medieval arches, quiet gardens and timeless stone.

Best for  Engagement · Couples · Editorial
Address
16711 W Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, FL 33160  ·  View map
Permit
Portrait sessions are booked with the Monastery — fee confirmed at booking.
Good to know
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and often for private events — dates are confirmed early.
★ Trash the Dress FavoriteMatheson Hammock Park
Photo: Anish Patel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Matheson Hammock Park

Miami-Dade’s first county park — a tidal atoll pool, royal palms and hardwood hammock meeting the open bay.

Best for  Family · Maternity · Couples
Address
9610 Old Cutler Rd, Coral Gables, FL 33156  ·  View map
Permit
Miami-Dade park permit — fee confirmed at booking (county fees vary by park).
Good to know
Golden hour here is unforgettable — the bay faces east, so mornings are magical too.
★ Trash the Dress FavoriteCrandon Park
Photo: Paulkondratuk3194 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Crandon Park

Two miles of soft white sand shaded by coconut palms, with calm, shallow turquoise water made for unhurried family portraits.

Best for  Family · Maternity · Couples
Address
6747 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149  ·  View map
Permit
Still-photography location fee from $140/day, set by Film Miami-Dade, plus the county film permit.
Good to know
Weekday mornings are the quietest — and the light under the palms is kindest.
★ Trash the Dress FavoriteBill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Photo: Tamanoeconomico · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

The white 1825 Cape Florida Lighthouse rising over sea grapes and a quiet Atlantic beach at the very tip of Key Biscayne.

Best for  Engagement · Couples · Lighthouse lovers
Address
1200 S Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149  ·  View map
Permit
Photography permit, when required, $75 during park hours — plus $8 park admission per vehicle.
Good to know
Most portrait sessions need no permit at all; we will tell you what applies for your date.
★ Trash the Dress FavoriteSouth Pointe Park
Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

South Pointe Park

Golden lawns rolling down to the pier, with the downtown skyline glittering across the turquoise water of Government Cut.

Best for  Engagement · Couples · Editorial
Address
1 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139  ·  View map
Permit
City of Miami Beach photography permit — complimentary; the city charges no permit fee.
Good to know
Sunset is the famous hour — cruise ships sail past as the skyline lights up.
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
Photo: Terra-Nova Sadowski · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

A hidden subtropical oasis in the heart of Miami Beach — koi ponds, a cascading oolite fountain and orchid-shaded paths just steps from the ocean.

Best for  Maternity · Engagement · Editorial
Address
2000 Convention Center Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139  ·  View map
Permit
Personal photo sessions $150/hour for up to six people, paid to the garden.
Good to know
Reservations are encouraged; an air-conditioned dressing room can be added.
★ Trash the Dress FavoriteVenetian Pool
Photo: Jesper Rautell Balle · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Venetian Pool

A 1923 coral-rock lagoon of waterfalls, grottos and Venetian loggias — old-world romance rising straight out of spring water.

Best for  Engagement · Couples · Editorial
Address
2701 De Soto Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134  ·  View map
Permit
Personal session permit $115 (photographer plus four guests) · commercial shoots $625/day, set by the City of Coral Gables.
Good to know
Apply at least two weeks ahead; little ones must be 3 or older to enter.
The Biltmore & Prado Entrance
Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Biltmore & Prado Entrance

Mediterranean-revival grandeur — the Biltmore’s Giralda tower and gardens, paired with the Prado’s reflecting pool and flower-lined porticos.

Best for  Engagement · Couples · Editorial
Address
The Biltmore: 1200 Anastasia Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Prado Entrance: SW 8th St & Red Rd, Coral Gables  ·  View map
Permit
Fee confirmed at booking — hotel sessions are arranged through the Biltmore’s events team.
Good to know
Two Coral Gables icons, one graceful route — we plan them together.
Wynwood
Photo: Dan Lundberg · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Wynwood

An open-air gallery of monumental color — bold, urban and alive, where every wall is a different work of art.

Best for  Editorial · Couples · Family
Address
Wynwood Walls: 2516 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127  ·  View map
Permit
Inside the Walls, admission is per person and commercial sessions are arranged with the museum — fee confirmed at booking.
Good to know
The mural streets around the Walls are public — two looks in one session.
Miami Design District
Photo: Phillip Pessar · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Miami Design District

Luxury storefronts, public art and daring architecture — Palm Court’s palms, the Fly’s Eye Dome and the Museum Garage’s candy-colored facade.

Best for  Editorial · Maternity · Couples
Address
Palm Court · 140 NE 39th St, Miami, FL 33137  ·  View map
Permit
An open-air, privately managed neighborhood — professional sessions are coordinated with the district’s management office; fee confirmed at booking.
Good to know
Weekday mornings are the calmest — and Palm Court, the Dome and the Museum Garage are all steps apart.
Secret Gardens of MiamiPhoto on request

Secret Gardens of Miami

A hidden tropical sanctuary of waterfalls, koi ponds and stone arches — six private acres where every turn is a new garden room.

Best for  Maternity · Engagement · Family
Address
14450 SW 248th St, Homestead, FL 33032  ·  View map
Permit
A private venue — photo sessions are reserved directly with the gardens: $255 for a 3-hour session, $75 per additional hour, paid to the venue. It includes the whole property, the Villa Laguna and a private dressing room — reserve well in advance.
Good to know
Worth the drive south — the most private, storybook setting on this list.

Tell us your favorite —
we will tell you exactly what to book.

Every location has its own permit rules, and they change from season to season. When you book your session, we confirm the current fee and requirements with the venue and tell you exactly what to reserve — the permit itself is always yours, paid directly to the venue at cost, with nothing added by us. Then we design the route, and all you have to do is arrive and be yourselves.