Santa Monica Wedding Photographer
Pacific sunsets, palm-lined sand and hotels built on the beach — the quintessential California coastal wedding, shot on film and digital.
Getting married in Santa Monica
Just west of Los Angeles, Santa Monica gives you the classic California coast — wide beaches, the landmark pier, and hotels built directly on the sand where the ceremony ends with the sun dropping into the Pacific. It is a fifteen-minute drive from LAX and walkable once you are here, which quietly solves half the logistics of a destination weekend.
The options run from all-inclusive five-star resorts to the historic Annenberg Community Beach House on the old Marion Davies estate, so the city fits both a 400-guest celebration and an intimate seaside afternoon. What does not change is the light: low, warm and directional for the last hour of the day, every day of the year.
Our favorite wedding venues in Santa Monica
Five we know well, with the numbers couples actually ask for.
Shutters on the Beach
Cape Cod beachfront luxury hotel
- Guests
- Up to ~400
- Price
- From ~$30k · ~$40k typical
- Address
- 1 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica
A New England–style beach-cottage hotel directly on the sand — breezy, bright, and steps from the water. Couples praise the caring staff, the food, and the ocean-view ambience. (Google ~4.5★)
Hotel Casa del Mar
1920s Italian Renaissance beachfront
- Guests
- Up to ~500
- Price
- From ~$40k off-peak · ~$50k peak
- Address
- 1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica
A grand 1920s beachfront landmark with the signature Colonnade ballroom and sweeping Pacific views. Reviewers highlight the oceanfront setting, exceptional service, and all-inclusive ease. (WeddingWire ~4.9★)
Fairmont Miramar
Historic garden resort · landmark fig tree
- Guests
- Up to ~400
- Price
- Packages from ~$195/person
- Address
- 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica
A century-old resort built around a giant Moreton Bay fig tree — a romantic, tropical garden ceremony setting just above the beach. Couples love the fig-tree ceremony spot and consistently strong reception food. (WeddingWire ~5.0★)
Santa Monica Proper Hotel
Kelly Wearstler design hotel · rooftop ocean views
- Guests
- Up to ~180
- Price
- From ~$20k · ~$40k typical
- Address
- 700 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica
Sixteen thousand square feet of Kelly Wearstler interiors a few blocks up from the sand — the Canela ballroom for dinner, the Olea garden terrace for a ceremony, and Calabra on the roof for cocktails with the Pacific behind you. It is the one Santa Monica venue where the interiors photograph as well as the coastline does, so we shoot more of the day indoors here than anywhere else in the city. (The Knot ~4.3★)
Annenberg Community Beach House
Historic 1920s beach house (Julia Morgan)
- Guests
- Up to ~150
- Price
- Rental ~$900–$4,000 · ~$17k typical
- Address
- 415 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica
A historic public beach house on the old Marion Davies estate — vintage character, a pool deck, and direct beach access. Couples love the vintage-meets-modern character and beachfront location; note beer/wine only. (Public venue)
What we know about shooting here
Three things that change how a Santa Monica day is shot.
Sunset is the whole schedule
We start couple portraits roughly seventy-five minutes before sunset and finish at the water. Everything else on the timeline — toasts, first dance, cake — gets built backwards from that window rather than the other way round.
The marine layer is a gift
Late May and June bring a low gray ceiling most mornings. Couples worry about it; we do not. It is the softest, most flattering light of the year and it removes every hard shadow from a midday ceremony.
Public beach needs paperwork
Ceremonies on the sand outside a hotel’s own footprint are city-permitted, and the Annenberg is a public venue with its own rules including beer and wine only. We plan around whichever applies and confirm current requirements with the city.
Santa Monica weddings, as we shoot them
Recent frames from Santa Monica weddings.
A wedding day in Santa Monica, hour by hour
Santa Monica weddings we photograph tend to follow one of three shapes: a full hotel day, a ceremony on the sand, or a small wedding with dinner. They are a starting point to adapt with your planner, built back from sunset on your date.
A hotel day with a first look
- 3:30 PMCoverage begins in the suite. Details, final dressing and individual portraits.
- 4:15 PMFirst look in a garden, terrace or quiet corner of the hotel, then a few couple portraits.
- 4:30 PMImmediate family formals, kept to one location.
- 5:00 PMThe couple is tucked away. Ceremony details and guests arriving.
- 5:30 PMCeremony on a terrace or in a garden, about thirty minutes.
- 6:00 PMCocktail hour, often on a rooftop or terrace. Candids and a short portrait set.
- 7:00 PMGrand entrance straight into the first dance, then dinner and toasts.
- 8:00 PMCake cutting and parent dances.
- 9:30 PMOpen dancing, then coverage concludes.
Ceremony on the sand, dinner nearby
- 2:00 PMCoverage begins. Finishing touches, details and individual portraits.
- 2:45 PMFamily photos, each side separately if there is no first look.
- 3:30 PMCeremony site on the sand. Setup and guest arrivals photographed.
- 4:00 PMCeremony, about thirty minutes.
- 4:30 PMOne big group photo while everyone is on the beach, then couple portraits by the water.
- 5:15 PMTravel to the reception. A second photographer can go ahead for decor and cocktails.
- 5:30 PMReception. Entrance, a short welcome and dinner.
- 7:00 PMCake cutting and open dancing.
- 8:30 PMCoverage concludes.
A small wedding and dinner
- 3:30 PMCoverage begins at the hotel. Final touches, details and candids with family.
- 4:15 PMFirst look near the hotel, then a few natural portraits.
- 4:30 PMFamily and friend groupings, with the list set in advance.
- 5:00 PMCouple portraits around the hotel, on a nearby street or on the beach.
- 5:30 PMShort move to the ceremony spot. Guests arrive and the setup is photographed.
- 6:00 PMCeremony, ten to thirty minutes, sometimes led by a family member.
- 6:30 PMPortraits in the last light, or toasts and the dinner table.
- 7:30 PMCoverage concludes as dinner settles in.
What shapes a wedding day in Santa Monica
A few things that shape the timing of a Santa Monica day, and that are worth settling early with your coordinator.
Santa Monica wedding photography FAQ
Do we need a permit for a beach ceremony in Santa Monica?
If the ceremony is on public sand rather than inside a hotel’s own footprint, yes — the city permits beach events. Hotel weddings at Shutters, Casa del Mar, the Santa Monica Proper or the Fairmont are handled by the venue. We confirm which applies before your date rather than assuming.
What about the marine layer in May and June?
It is the best light of the year for photographs, not a problem to solve. The overcast lifts most afternoons; when it does not, you get soft, even light with no squinting and no harsh shadows. We adjust the portrait window on the day.
When should we schedule portraits?
About seventy-five minutes before sunset. That gives us the warm low light on the sand and still leaves time to be back for dinner. We build the rest of the timeline backwards from that.
Can you photograph on the Pier?
Yes — it is a public landmark and a genuinely fun ten minutes, best just after sunset when the lights come on. It is busy, so we treat it as a short stop rather than the main portrait location.
When will we get our photographs?
Four to eight weeks, hand-edited and color-graded, in a full-resolution online gallery that never expires.
Other cities and venues we photograph
Nearby coastal cities, and the Santa Monica venues with their own guides.
More: a Palihouse elopement gallery · LA venues guide · rates and collections
Tell us the date and the venue
Tell us the venue and the date and we will come back with availability, usually within minutes.