Micro Wedding Photography& Videography
Two to sixty guests, across Los Angeles and Southern California. Photography, film, or both — from a two‑hour ceremony to a full day.
Fewer people.Not less of a wedding.
A micro wedding is not a downgrade, and it does not need a downgraded version of the coverage. Thirty guests in a garden still has a first look, still has vows, still has the two minutes afterward where everybody is talking at once and nobody is composed. The difference is that with a small guest count almost every frame has a face in it that you actually know.
That changes how we shoot it. There is no long lens across a two-hundred-person ballroom and no formal-portrait production line. We work closer, quieter, and with far less direction, because in a room that size direction is obvious and it flattens everything.
It also changes what you should be paying for. A one-hour collection is the right answer for a ceremony and the portraits straight after it. A four-hour day that includes a lunch is a different thing, and a small wedding that runs from getting ready through dinner is simply a wedding with a short guest list — it needs a full collection. All three are priced below, in full, so you can tell which one your day actually is before you email anybody.
Most of what follows is the part couples say nobody explained to them: what a small day looks like on camera, where in Southern California it fits, what it costs, and how many hours you genuinely need.
What a small weddingactually looks like.
Courthouse mornings, garden ceremonies with a dozen chairs, dinners that fit around one table. Every photograph below is from a real Southern California wedding or elopement we photographed.
Real weddings.Start to finish.
Two films from recent weddings. Press play on either — nothing loads until you do.
A short guest listchanges the whole plan.
Not the equipment, and not the standard. What changes is the distance we work at, the number of people we have to organise, and how much of the day is genuinely worth photographing.
We stand much closer
At two hundred guests a photographer lives on a 70‑200mm lens at the back of the room. At twenty-five, that lens is useless — you would be photographing the backs of four heads. Small weddings are shot on 35mm and 50mm from inside the group, which is why the frames feel like you were there rather than like you were watching.
There is no portrait production line
The single biggest time sink at a large wedding is family group photographs: a list of twenty-two combinations, an aunt who has wandered off, forty minutes of cocktail hour gone. With thirty guests the whole list is usually six or seven groupings and takes about twelve minutes, which is why a micro wedding can be fully covered in far fewer hours than couples expect.
The room is the lighting
Small venues rarely have a ballroom's ceiling height or a lighting designer's budget, and they do not need one. A courthouse corridor, a restaurant's back room at seven o'clock, a garden an hour before sunset — these are already beautiful light. We bring lighting for the reception and for anything after dark, and otherwise stay out of the way of what the room is already doing.
One artist, or a team
A short ceremony is genuinely one photographer's job, and a second body would just be somebody standing behind you. Past about four hours, or the moment there are two rooms running at once — getting ready in two places, a first look while guests arrive — a second shooter stops being an upsell and starts being the difference between having the moment and hearing about it.
Film and video fit small days better
Medium format and 35mm film run slowly, and a small guest list is the one wedding where that is an advantage rather than a risk. The same is true of video: with fewer people, a single videographer can cover a ceremony properly, and a short film of a small day tends to be the thing families watch most.
Everyone in the gallery is someone you know
This is the part couples do not anticipate. At a large wedding a good fraction of the gallery is strangers — guests you invited out of obligation, a dance floor you never saw. At thirty guests, almost every frame has a person in it you would recognise across a street, and that changes what the gallery is worth ten years later.
Three shapesa small wedding takes.
Almost every micro wedding we photograph is one of these three. Find the one that matches your day and the price below follows from it.
Ceremony and portraits
- Arrival, the last few minutes before
- The ceremony itself, start to finish
- Family and group photographs
- Portraits of the two of you nearby
Right for a courthouse morning, a beach ceremony, a backyard with a dozen chairs. One photographer or one videographer, start to finish.
Ceremony and a meal
- Getting ready in one location
- First look, if you want one
- Ceremony and family photographs
- Golden-hour portraits
- The lunch or dinner that follows, toasts included
The most common shape for a thirty-guest wedding. Usually one photographer, or two once getting ready and the ceremony are in different places.
A full day, quietly
- Getting ready, both sides
- First look and couple portraits
- Ceremony, cocktails, dinner
- Speeches, first dance, cake
- Late-night portraits and the send-off
A small wedding is still a wedding. If your day runs from morning hair and makeup through to a send-off, a full collection is the honest answer and we will say so.
Smaller venueswe know well.
The venues below all work at a small guest count — either because they are small, or because they have a corner that behaves like a small venue. We have photographed at every one of them, and each page has real photographs from those days rather than a brochure.
La JollaCuvier ClubA bistro-lit hall and a bougainvillea courtyard, with an oceanfront ceremony spot steps away at Cuvier Park.
Topanga CanyonInn of the Seventh RayA terraced creekside garden under mature sycamores. Forty-eight seated indoors makes it genuinely small by design.
Downtown Los AngelesCarondelet HouseA 1926 Italian-inspired brick villa on the DTLA edge: courtyards, parlors and a private bridal suite.
PasadenaThe Maxwell HouseA 1929 Mediterranean mansion where you bring your own caterer, which is how small budgets buy landmark rooms.
Laurel CanyonHoudini EstateStone bridges, tiered gardens and a canyon hillside. The small corners photograph better than the big lawn.
Downtown Los AngelesOviatt PenthouseAn art deco penthouse above Downtown. A dinner under the string lights reads as a party, not a hall.
Palos VerdesLa Venta InnA hilltop lawn over the Palos Verdes coastline, with a ceremony that fits comfortably at thirty chairs.
EscondidoEthereal GardensVineyard rows and an open-air chapel in the hills outside Escondido, a short drive from San Diego.
MalibuVilla de la VinaA Malibu hillside estate with a pool terrace and mountain views on three sides.
Beverly HillsGreystone MansionBeverly Hills stonework, reflecting pools and formal gardens — a ceremony and portrait location more than a reception hall.
Costa MesaTurnip Rose PromenadeA garden promenade in Costa Mesa that scales down cleanly to a few rows of chairs.
PiruNewhall MansionA restored Victorian in Piru, an hour from Los Angeles and quiet enough to have to yourselves.What a small weddingactually costs.
The same collections we quote for a two-hundred-guest wedding, in full, with nothing held back for a phone call. Every collection is all-inclusive: fully edited high-resolution images with personal print rights, a lifetime gallery, travel across Southern California, and no line items at the end.
Elopement & Intimate Collection
A courthouse, a bluff at Point Dume, a backyard with six people in it. One artist, start to finish.
from$997
One hour · one photographer or one videographer
- 1 hour of continuous coverage, more on request
- Elopements and courthouse weddings alike
- One photographer or one videographer, your choice
- Ceremony, portraits and the walk after
- Full colour and black & white edits
- Lifetime gallery access, download on any device
- Travel included wherever the two of you are going
Studio Team Photography
Professional excellence at exceptional value.
$3,497
or $349.70 / month for 10 months — interest free
Two Studio Team photographers · 8 hours of coverage
- 8 hours of wedding day coverage
- Professional colour grading
- Black & white editing
- Cinematic editing style
- Timeline building assistance
- Lifetime access to your personal digital gallery
- High-resolution images ready for download and sharing
Signature Photography
The artistry of Lulan and Alli, on Leica and medium format.
$5,997
or $599.70 / month for 10 months — interest free
Photographed by Lulan or Alli personally · 8 hours of coverage
Everything in Studio Team, plus
- Leica® and medium format cameras
- Leica® / Hasselblad® film 35mm and 120mm
Studio Team Videography
Professional excellence at exceptional value.
$3,497
or $349.70 / month for 10 months — interest free
Two Studio Team videographers · 8 hours of coverage
- 8 hours of wedding day coverage
- 3+ cameras capturing multiple angles
- Audio recording of vows and speeches
- 4–6 minute highlight trailer
- Raw footage provided for personal keepsakes
- Your song choice integrated into the film
- Lifetime access to your film for download and sharing
Signature Videography
Storytelling on RED cinema cameras and Super 8mm.
$4,997
or $499.70 / month for 10 months — interest free
Three Studio Team videographers · 8 hours of coverage
Everything in Studio Team, plus
- Advanced lighting techniques for optimal image quality
- Super 8mm or RED® footage for a timeless or high-definition look
- Drone coverage for aerial views
Engagement & rehearsal session
The best rehearsal there is — you get used to the camera, and we get used to you, months before it counts.
$747
On its own · $497 added to any wedding collection
- Locations of your choosing
- As many outfit changes as you like
- Photography, film, or both
- Fully edited high-resolution gallery
- Personal print rights, no watermarks
Rehearsal dinner, welcome party, brunch
The evening before and the morning after — the hours around a small wedding that usually go unphotographed.
$747
On its own · $497 added to any wedding collection
- Rehearsal dinner & welcome party the evening before
- Next-day brunch or after-party
- Photography, film, or both
- The same artists as your wedding day
- One gallery delivered alongside your wedding images
What every collectionincludes anyway.
None of the following is an upgrade, an add-on, or a line item. It is simply how the studio runs — on a one-hour ceremony exactly as on an eight-hour day.
Award-winning customer service
Nine years, more than 2,300 weddings, and a five-star average across Google, Yelp and The Knot. The studio manager who answers your first email is the one who answers your last.
Complimentary virtual planning
Timeline building, venue research, Q&A calls and monthly checklists — supporting your wedding every step of the way, however small it is.
Cinematic, tailored edits
No cap on the number of images we capture and refine for you. Both monochrome and full-colour versions are delivered, tailored to the aesthetic you show us.
Lifetime gallery access
Set a passphrase and share it with the people you trust. Perpetual access to every photograph, slideshow and film, with downloads on every device.
Insured, permitted and peaceful
Comprehensive liability insurance that satisfies every venue requirement, plus the permits needed for parks, beaches and public locations.
Flexible coverage
Days run long and plans shift. Coverage hours can be extended on the day, and your collection can be restructured before it without penalty.
Every collection can be split into ten interest-free monthly payments. Prices above are the studio's current published rates — the same ones on the full pricing page, where the elopement, engagement and full-day collections are compared side by side.
Before you ask.
What counts as a micro wedding?
There is no official number, but in practice we mean roughly fifty guests or fewer — small enough that the day is not run to a strict schedule and the photography does not need to be either. Below about ten guests most couples call it an intimate wedding or an elopement; the coverage is the same either way.
Is one hour really enough?
For a ceremony, portraits and the time immediately afterward, usually yes. If you are also covering getting ready, a meal or dancing, it is not, and we will tell you that before you book rather than after. The three shapes above cover almost every small wedding we photograph.
How is this different from an elopement?
Mostly guest count and intent. An elopement is often just the two of you; a micro wedding still has guests, a ceremony and usually a meal. If you are not sure which describes your day, the elopement page is the closer match at under ten guests.
Can we add film or video?
Yes, on any collection. A single videographer covers a small ceremony properly, and the one-hour collection can be booked as one photographer or one videographer. For film, we shoot Leica 35mm and Hasselblad or Mamiya medium format alongside digital — see 35mm film coverage and Super 8 and 16mm.
How much does a micro wedding photographer cost in Los Angeles?
Our smallest collection starts at $997 with one photographer or one videographer, covering the first hour. A full eight-hour day is $3,497 with two Studio Team photographers, or $5,997 for a Signature collection photographed by Lulan or Alli personally. Everything is listed in full in the pricing section above, and can be split into ten interest-free payments.
Do you need a second photographer at a small wedding?
Usually not under about four hours. Past that, or the moment two things are happening in two rooms at once, a second shooter is the difference between having the moment and hearing about it afterwards. We will say which one your schedule is rather than defaulting to two.
Do you cover courthouse ceremonies?
Often. We shoot regularly at the Beverly Hills courthouse and at Pasadena City Hall — where we already hold the City of Pasadena photo permit — as well as the Santa Barbara and Old Orange County courthouses. See courthouse weddings for how those mornings usually run.
What if we want the whole weekend, not just the day?
Then it is a multi-day booking rather than a micro wedding, even at twenty guests. A rehearsal dinner or welcome party the night before and a brunch the morning after are $747 each on their own, or $497 added to a wedding collection — see multi-day coverage.
How far do you travel?
Travel is included across Southern California — Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura. We photograph in Las Vegas and further afield regularly; tell us the location and we will quote it plainly.
How many photographs do we get?
There is no cap. We do not count frames, and both full-colour and black-and-white versions of every delivered image are included. A short ceremony typically returns several hundred edited photographs; a full day, considerably more.
How far ahead should we book?
Our most requested photographers tend to book twelve to eighteen months ahead for peak dates, but small weddings are often planned in weeks rather than years — and short-notice dates do open up. It costs nothing to ask.
Related pages.
- Elopement photographyUnder ten guests, one hour, one artist
- Malibu elopementsPoint Dume, El Matador and the coast road
- Los Angeles courthouse weddingsHow a Beverly Hills courthouse morning runs
- Pasadena City HallWe already hold the city photo permit
- Santa Barbara CourthouseThe sunken garden and the Spanish arches
- Old Orange County CourthouseSanta Ana, 1901 sandstone
- Engagement sessions$747, or $497 with any collection
- Multi-day & weekend weddingsPre-wedding shoots, welcome parties, the brunch after
- Full wedding photographyEight hours, two artists, the whole day
- Wedding videography & filmRED cinema cameras and Super 8mm
- 35mm film coverageLeica M bodies, shot alongside digital
- All collections and pricingEvery collection compared side by side
Photographing across Southern California: Los Angeles · Orange County · San Diego · Santa Barbara · every venue we have photographed
Tell us aboutyour wedding.
Send us the dates and the venues and we will tell you exactly what your schedule needs.