The London
West Hollywood
A rooftop above Sunset, glass on three sides, and the light coming in low off the whole basin
A rooftop, not a ballroomwith a window.
The London sits just off Sunset in West Hollywood, and the reason to book it is the roof. The terrace is open on three sides behind glass balustrades, with a lawn large enough for a ceremony, a deck for cocktails and an uninterrupted view west across the city.
That orientation is the whole photographic argument for the venue. From late afternoon the sun drops straight down the sightline, the glass picks it up, and the terrace fills with warm side light for the best part of an hour. After dark the skyline takes over. Very few hotels in Los Angeles hand you both without moving location.
Glass, skyand very little else in the way.
The ceremony faces the light
An arch on the rooftop lawn puts the couple against sky rather than against a wall. We work slightly off-axis so the sun rakes across faces instead of flattening them, and we keep the guests in frame — the terrace is intimate enough that they read as part of the picture.
The glass is an asset
Balustrades and the stairwell throw clean reflections. Shot deliberately they double the couple against the skyline; shot carelessly they put a stray highlight through somebody’s face. It is worth knowing which is which before the ceremony.
Time it to the sun, not the invitation
A rooftop with a west view has a very short perfect hour. We set portraits to land inside it and work backwards from there when we build the timeline with your planner.
Then go back up after dinner
Ten minutes on the terrace once West Hollywood is lit gives a second, completely different set of portraits. It is the easiest addition to any timeline here.
Rooftops are windy later than you expect. Veils, floral installations and light fabric all behave differently at six storeys — plan the veil shots early.
Photographed on the rooftop at The London West Hollywood.
Every version of the day.
The wedding in these frames was a same-sex ceremony on the rooftop lawn, photographed straight through from the aisle to the sunset portraits on the stairs. We shoot LGBTQ+ weddings the same way we shoot every wedding — by paying attention to what is actually happening rather than running a template written for somebody else’s day.
If that is the part you care about, our LGBTQ+ wedding photography page covers how we work in more detail, with more real weddings.
Before you tour it.
When should the ceremony start on the rooftop?
Work back from sunset. Finishing the ceremony 60 to 90 minutes before dusk gives you cocktails in warm light and a full portrait window on the terrace before dinner.
Is the rooftop windy?
Often, and more so later in the afternoon than couples expect. Veils and light fabrics move a lot at that height, so we schedule veil portraits early rather than at the end.
Can we get city-light portraits after dark?
Yes, and they are one of the strongest reasons to book a rooftop. Ten minutes back upstairs after dinner produces a completely different set from the sunset frames.
Do you photograph same-sex weddings at The London?
Yes. The wedding shown on this page was one. We photograph every couple the same way and never run a template built around a bride and a groom.
Where else we shoot.
Tell us about your day.We reply within minutes.
Lulan Studio has photographed more than 2,300 weddings and holds 382 five-star reviews. Send us your date and we will tell you exactly how we would shoot your rooftop.