The Queen Mary
A 1930s ocean liner permanently docked in Long Beach — fourteen Art Deco salons of original woodwork, etched glass, and ocean-liner glamour that no built-for-weddings ballroom can replicate.
A 1930s ocean liner permanently docked in Long Beach
Built 1930–1936 in Clydebank, Scotland for the Cunard Line, the Queen Mary made her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936. Retired from active sea service in 1967 and permanently docked in Long Beach, she’s hosted weddings for over 50 years across fourteen distinct event salons, each keeping its original period details — exotic wood paneling and marquetry, etched-glass doors, and light fixtures and artwork that predate the ship’s retirement by decades.
The Grand Salon was the ship’s original first-class dining room. The Queen’s Salon holds a trio of golden onyx fireplaces alongside original artwork. The Verandah Grill — once the ship’s first-class nightclub — has a sunken dance floor beneath Doris Zinkeisen’s hand-painted “Entertainment” mural, and the Windsor Salon’s four original mirrored panels depict the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece. Couples can even have a ship’s officer officiate in uniform, for an added fee.
Working alongside the Queen Mary’s own events team
We’ve photographed multiple Queen Mary weddings across different seasons, working directly with Kathrene Quesada, the ship’s own Catering Event Manager, and coordinating with outside planning teams like MMAD Events on the logistics a venue this size requires. The ship’s layout is large and genuinely maze-like, so we build in extra time to move between salons and get everyone where they need to be on schedule.
Good to know before you book
- In-house catering only; no BYO alcohol
- Vendors must submit a Certificate of Insurance to the events office
- The ship layout is large and maze-like, with real walking and stairs between salons
- A ship’s officer can officiate your ceremony in uniform, for an added fee
Where we like to shoot
- The Grand Salon, the ship’s original first-class dining room
- The Queen’s Salon, for its trio of golden onyx fireplaces
- The Verandah Grill’s sunken dance floor beneath its hand-painted mural
- On deck, framed against the ship’s smokestacks and the Long Beach skyline
What couples and guests notice about the Queen Mary
Guests repeatedly describe walking onto the ship as a moment on its own — the nostalgia and scale read in every photo before the ceremony even starts.
Couples and photographers alike single out individual coordinators by name for going above what a typical venue team offers.
Wheelchair access is limited in parts of the ship, and it’s easy for guests to get turned around between salons — worth planning signage or a guide for.