Orange County
Wedding Photographer
Cinematic, magazine-worthy weddings — shot on Leica, Hasselblad & other film cameras.
Lulan Studio
Lulan Studio photographs weddings throughout Orange County, from the harbor towns down to the mission at San Juan Capistrano. We shoot 35mm and medium-format film alongside digital, and we travel down from our Los Angeles studio for most Orange County weddings — usually arriving early enough to scout the light before anyone is dressed.
Film keeps Orange County light honest
Orange County weddings tend to run bright and clean, and film is what keeps them from looking clinical. The grain gives white-on-white ceremonies texture, and the highlight roll-off protects a bride in full afternoon sun beside a pale stucco wall. We shoot film and digital in parallel so nothing is ever riding on one format alone.
Our film approach
Recent Orange County weddings
Recent Orange County weddings, from Newport harbor to the Anaheim hills. Click any frame to open it full-screen.
Choose your direction
Coastal and airy, mission and Spanish revival, country club formal, garden intimate — pick the direction that fits you and see the venues and galleries that go with it.
Venues we love in Orange County
Orange County venues we return to often. Swipe through and open any one for the full guide to its light, timing and photo spots.
Every tradition, handled properly
Orange County families bring a lot of traditions to the table, and we are comfortable with all of them — a Vietnamese tea ceremony in Westminster, a Persian Sofreh Aghd in Irvine, a Baraat through a hotel forecourt, a Catholic nuptial Mass with strict photography rules. We ask the right questions early so nothing gets missed on the day.
Courthouse weddings in Orange County
Orange County’s Clerk-Recorder performs civil ceremonies at three offices — the historic courthouse in Santa Ana, the South County office in Laguna Hills, and a North County office in Anaheim. These are the two we know best, each with its own guide to the room, the guest limits and where the portraits happen afterwards. Marrying in Los Angeles or Santa Barbara instead? Those courthouses are on their own city pages.
Recent client reviews
Couples across Orange County have left us more than 350 five-star reviews.
The experience
Calm, well-planned and handled end to end, so you are actually present at your own wedding.
Say hello
Send through your date and venue. We will check availability and walk you through collections, film options and how much coverage you actually need.
Plan together
A timeline built around your venue's sunset, the drive between getting-ready hotel and ceremony, and any cultural ceremonies on the day.
Your wedding
Film and digital together, shot quietly. We work the edges of the room rather than the middle of it.
Your gallery
A hand-edited gallery back in four to eight weeks, with albums and prints designed to last.
Areas we serve
A wedding day in Orange County, hour by hour
Most Orange County weddings we photograph settle into one of three shapes: a church or mission ceremony with the reception somewhere else, a full day on one property, or a small gathering timed to the evening light. These are composites of real days, a starting point to adapt with your planner.
Church or mission first, reception across the county
- 12:00 PMCoverage begins with details, final hair and makeup, and getting dressed at home or a hotel near the church.
- 1:30 PMAn optional first look and wedding party portraits, often at Noguchi Garden or a park on the way.
- 2:30 PMArrival at the church. Guests arrive while we photograph the building and the couple steps out of sight.
- 3:00 PMCeremony. A nuptial Mass usually runs about an hour, with photographers in the positions the parish has agreed.
- 4:00 PMFamily formals at the church, worked through a list agreed in advance.
- 4:45 PMTravel to the reception, with a short stop for couple portraits if the route allows.
- 6:30 PMGrand entrance, often straight into the first dance, then dinner and toasts.
- 9:00 PMCake, open dancing, and coverage concludes with the party still going.
Everything on one property
- 2:00 PMCoverage begins in the bridal suite or a nearby hotel. Details, final touches, getting into the dress.
- 3:00 PMFirst look and wedding party portraits around the grounds, or separate portraits of each of you.
- 3:45 PMImmediate family portraits, then time tucked away while guests arrive.
- 4:30 PMCeremony on the lawn, terrace or garden.
- 5:00 PMCocktail hour. Remaining family groups, then couple portraits in the late afternoon light.
- 6:00 PMGrand entrance and first dance as you come into the room, then parent dances, dinner and toasts.
- 8:00 PMCake cutting and open dancing.
- 10:00 PMA sparkler send off for some couples, and coverage concludes.
A small gathering, timed to the light
- 3:00 PMCoverage begins with final touches and details at the house.
- 3:45 PMFamily arrives. A few quiet portraits of the two of you before the ceremony.
- 4:30 PMCeremony in a courtyard or garden, often with a tablet or laptop set up for family watching from home.
- 5:00 PMHugs, family photos and a portrait of everyone together.
- 5:45 PMToasts, cake and dinner at a long table.
- 6:30 PMGolden hour portraits nearby, timed to sunset on your date.
- 7:30 PMCoverage concludes.
What shapes a wedding day in Orange County
A few patterns from the Orange County weddings we photograph that are worth settling early with your planner.
Venues where we have photographed weddings in Orange County
Orange County venues with their own guides, each drawn from weddings we have photographed there.
Frequently asked questions
Photo + video from one team. Our videographers work alongside the photographers all day — one timeline, one point of contact, films delivered in 8–12 weeks. See our wedding videographer (photo + video) page.
Schedule a consultation
Orange County Saturdays from May through October go early. Tell us about your day and we will come back to you within 24 hours.
Schedule a callOrange County wedding venues and locations we know well
Orange County packs an unusual amount of variety into a short drive. On the coast, the Pasea Hotel in Huntington Beach and Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar give you ocean air and clipped gardens, while Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano and Franciscan Gardens carry the Spanish colonial architecture that so much of this county is built around. Inland, Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado is the dramatic option — stone terraces, exotic birds and a canyon that goes gold about forty minutes before sunset.
For hotel and club weddings we shoot regularly at the Westin South Coast Plaza, Hyatt Regency Orange County, the Avenue of the Arts in Costa Mesa, Los Coyotes Country Club in Buena Park and the Turnip Rose Promenade & Gardens. Smaller and more design-forward days tend to land at The Harper, The Park Club in the Costa Mesa arts district or St. Martha Catholic Church. Civil ceremonies at the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana remain one of the most photogenic quick weddings in Southern California. There is a fuller list on our Orange County wedding venues page.