Fantasea Yachts
A family-run yacht charter company sailing out of Marina del Rey since 1980 — we’ve photographed weddings aboard their fleet across multiple years, and sit on Fantasea’s own recommended vendor list.
A family-run fleet on Marina del Rey harbor
Operating since 1980, Fantasea Yachts is a family-run charter company docked at Marina del Rey’s Dock E3000. The current fleet spans three vessels: the intimate Admiral XL (up to 12 guests), the mid-size Dandeana (up to 100 guests), and the flagship FantaSea One (up to 250 guests), a four-deck yacht with a rooftop deck, marble bar, and Captain’s lounge. Charters typically run 4–5 hours, with the captain able to route the boat through Marina del Rey harbor and along the Santa Monica Bay coastline to time sunset for the ceremony or portraits.
Both ceremony and reception commonly happen on board, though some couples pair an offsite ceremony with a Fantasea reception cruise. Drones are prohibited on board and on the dock under federal law.
A venue we return to across the years
We’ve photographed multiple weddings aboard Fantasea’s yachts spanning at least 2020 through 2026 — on FantaSea One, and more recently aboard the Dandeana — and we’re on the company’s own recommended vendor list. Departure times run strict: boarding cutoffs are typically a half hour before a sharp departure, so we build our timeline around getting the couple and wedding party dockside with room to spare. Parking is a short walk rather than curbside — guests unload briefly at the dock, then move cars to the county public lot nearby.
Good to know before you book
- Departure times are strict — boarding cutoffs run ahead of a sharp departure time
- Drones are prohibited on board and on the dock, by federal law
- Parking is a short walk from the dock via a nearby public lot, not curbside
- Minimum guest counts apply by vessel — 50 for the Dandeana, 100 for FantaSea One
Where we like to shoot
- The open sundeck as the boat pulls out of the marina
- Golden-hour portraits along the Santa Monica Bay coastline
- FantaSea One's rooftop deck for wide harbor-skyline shots
- The marble bar and Captain's lounge for reception detail shots
What couples and guests notice about Fantasea Yachts
A private, single-event-per-vessel experience on the water, with sunset views over the coastline as a built-in backdrop.
The venue's coordination staff are named repeatedly in reviews for attentiveness, and the all-inclusive package (catering, bar, coordinator) simplifies planning.
Shorter 4-hour charters can feel rushed, and strict boarding cutoffs mean latecomers risk missing the boat — worth building buffer time into the day-of schedule.