The California Club
A private, members-only social club in Downtown LA since the late 1880s, housed in a 1930 Italian Renaissance Revival landmark — one of our go-to portfolio venues, from two weddings we photographed there in 2021.
A private club dating to the late 1880s
Founded in the late 1880s, The California Club has occupied its current home since 1930 — a Beaux Arts landmark designed by architect Robert D. Farquhar, who won an AIA Distinguished Honor Award for the building. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2010 and carries LA Historic-Cultural Monument status. More than 30,000 square feet spread across 22 private rooms give the club a genuinely varied interior — tall windows throughout flood the space with natural light, a rarity for a building this old in Downtown LA.
Booking here works differently than at most venues: The California Club is invitation-only, and private events — weddings included — are booked through a Club member acting as host or sponsor. It isn’t a venue couples can inquire with directly.
A go-to portfolio venue from 2021
We photographed two weddings at The California Club in 2021, both coordinated by the same outside planner and both shot primarily by one of our lead photographers. The resulting gallery became one of our most-referenced portfolio sets for showing prospective clients our style — and the Club’s own staff later reached out to ask permission to use the images in their own marketing, calling the results “amazing.” Because it’s a private club, expect a more formal atmosphere than a typical hotel or event space: quiet phones, a house dress code, and a genuine sense of occasion throughout the day.
Good to know before you book
- Invitation-only — weddings are booked through a Club member acting as host/sponsor
- In-house catering only; no outside caterers
- House dress code applies to guests too — jackets and collared shirts, no denim or athletic wear
- Phones are kept silent; calls are confined to designated alcoves
Where we like to shoot
- The 3rd-floor open-air patio, with its fountain and downtown skyline views
- The library/Oak Room's wood paneling and fireplace for moody, editorial shots
- The Grand Ballroom's crystal chandeliers and grand piano
- The building's sweeping marble staircase
What couples and guests notice about The California Club
Consistently called a “hidden jewel” of LA — dark wood interiors, ornate ceilings, and a genuinely historic atmosphere.
The members-only character is the club's defining appeal for the right couple — a sense of occasion a public venue can't replicate.
That same exclusivity is a real access barrier — most couples can't book here without a member sponsor.