Black and white photo of a ceremony inside the glass-walled Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes
Wedding Photography At

Wayfarers Chapel

The “Glass Church” Lloyd Wright built into a Palos Verdes redwood grove — currently closed following landslide damage, with no confirmed reopening date.

Weddings here5+ photographed before it closed
LocationRancho Palos Verdes, CA
StatusClosed to weddings since Feb. 2024
StyleMid-century glass chapel by Lloyd Wright, 1951
About the venue

A landmark glass chapel, now closed pending relocation

Please note: Wayfarers Chapel is currently closed and not accepting wedding bookings. Accelerated land movement from the Portuguese Bend landslide complex cracked the chapel’s foundation and glass panes, forcing a February 2024 closure that cancelled roughly 175 already-booked events. By July 2024 the structure had been fully disassembled and its components placed into preservation storage. The nonprofit is pursuing a rebuild at a nearby site, but as of our most recent research no land transfer, construction timeline, or reopening date has been confirmed.

Designed by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) and dedicated in 1951, the chapel was built as a memorial to Emanuel Swedenborg, with glass walls designed so the surrounding redwoods and Pacific effectively built the sanctuary around you. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in December 2023 — just months before the closure. We’re keeping this page up as a record of the venue and our work there; we’ll update it if and when weddings resume.

Guests seated in the timber-framed glass sanctuary of Wayfarers Chapel during a wedding ceremonyBlack and white photo of a ceremony inside the glass-walled Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes
Lulan Studio at Wayfarers Chapel

What photographing Wayfarers Chapel was like

Between roughly 2020 and early 2024, we photographed multiple weddings here, working with coordinators like Moments Remembered Events and Master Plans Events & Designs, and corresponding directly with the chapel’s own events staff. Ceremonies ran on a tight, fixed window — about an hour for setup and an hour for the ceremony itself — with amplified music not permitted, so couples paired the chapel with a separate reception venue nearby, often Point Vicente Interpretive Center or a hotel ballroom.

What we remember about the space

  • Glass walls meant the redwoods and ocean did most of the decorating
  • A strict, tightly timed ceremony window with no amplified music
  • No on-site reception or prep space — always paired with another venue
  • The Hallelujah Tower’s carillon bells traditionally rang after ceremonies

For couples researching this venue

  • The chapel is not currently bookable for weddings
  • No confirmed reopening date exists as of our latest research
  • A relocation effort is underway at a nearby Rancho Palos Verdes site
  • We’re happy to talk through nearby alternatives with a similar coastal feel
What people say

What couples and guests notice about Wayfarers Chapel

The architecture

Nearly every account of the chapel calls the glass-and-redwood structure stunning on camera, regardless of the day’s light.

The views

The Pacific and Portuguese Bend backdrop is repeatedly described as spectacular, even by guests unfamiliar with the venue beforehand.

The reality now

The chapel has been closed since February 2024 with no confirmed reopening date — worth knowing before you fall in love with it online.

Good to know

Planning your day at Wayfarers Chapel

Address5755 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 (original site, currently closed)
StatusClosed to weddings since February 2024; relocation in progress
Historic capacitySeated up to 100 guests indoors
Landmark statusDesignated a National Historic Landmark, December 2023
Planning your day

How wedding days ran at Wayfarers Chapel

Wayfarers Chapel has been closed to weddings since February 2024, after landslide damage. We keep these timelines as a record of how days there ran, drawn from the weddings we photographed at the chapel, and for couples planning a Palos Verdes day elsewhere.

Afternoon ceremony with a first look

Getting ready in the South Bay, ceremony at the chapel, reception at a nearby venue.
  • 10:30 AMCoverage began with getting ready at a hotel or family home in the South Bay.
  • 12:30 PMFirst look and couple portraits before leaving for the chapel.
  • 1:15 PMTravel to Palos Verdes along the coast.
  • 1:45 PMCheck-in at the chapel. Grounds and details photographed as visitors cleared before the ceremony.
  • 2:30 PMCeremony inside the glass chapel, photographed from set positions without flash.
  • 3:15 PMFamily formals and wedding party photographs on the chapel grounds.
  • 4:00 PMTravel to the reception venue, with a stop for couple portraits along the bluffs if time allowed.
  • 5:30 PMReception entrances, dinner and a first dance during dinner.

Later ceremony, portraits after

No first look. Separate family portraits before the chapel, couple portraits straight after.
  • 12:30 PMGetting ready at a hotel in Long Beach, with both sides in the same building.
  • 2:30 PMPortraits of each of you separately with family and the wedding party.
  • 3:15 PMTravel to Palos Verdes.
  • 4:00 PMArrival at the chapel. Guests gathered on the grounds among the redwoods.
  • 4:30 PMCeremony. The carillon bells traditionally rang as it ended.
  • 5:00 PMAbout thirty minutes of all-family photographs and couple portraits on the grounds.
  • 5:45 PMTravel to the reception.
  • 6:30 PMEntrances, with the first dance on entering the room, then dinner.
Good to know

What was specific to Wayfarers Chapel

A few things about the chapel that shaped wedding days there, kept as a record while it remains closed.

The ceremony windowEach wedding had a fixed window, about an hour for setup and an hour for the ceremony. Timelines were built backward from that slot, including travel from getting ready.
Before the ceremonyThe chapel was open to visitors during the day, and they cleared about thirty minutes before a ceremony. Photographs on the grounds and in the bride's room were welcome before then, as long as visitors were not disturbed.
Photography insidePhotographers worked from set positions inside the chapel, without flash, added lighting, ladders or stools. Drones were not flown. The glass walls let in so much daylight that the ceremony photographs never needed more.
The bellsThe carillon in the Hallelujah Tower traditionally rang after ceremonies. It was worth keeping a photographer outside for the exit.
A separate receptionThere was no on-site reception space and no amplified music, so every day paired the chapel with another venue. Point Vicente Interpretive Center, Los Verdes Golf Course and hotels in Redondo Beach and Long Beach all came up.
Getting readyCouples usually got ready at a hotel or family home in the South Bay or Long Beach, then traveled to the chapel. Allowing time for the coast road kept the ceremony slot comfortable.
Planning a Palos Verdes day nowThe same coastline, bluffs and ocean light are still there. Couples who had hoped for the chapel now often pair a nearby ceremony site with a reception on the peninsula.
Nearby

Where couples also photograph nearby

Public places along the Palos Verdes coast where couples still photograph, for a day with the same ocean light.

  • Point Vicente Interpretive Center
  • Los Verdes Golf Course
  • Terranea Resort
  • Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve
  • Malaga Cove Plaza
  • Lunada Bay bluffs
  • Del Cerro Park
  • South Coast Botanic Garden
Wayfarers Chapel photography

Have questions about Wayfarers Chapel?

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