California
Elopement photography · Los Angeles
In short
Elopement photography in Los Angeles starts at $2,200: 4 hours on location with a photographer who works in Los Angeles, and 200 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 3 weeks.
Why choose Elopement photography in Los Angeles?
An elopement in Los Angeles is a four-hour photographed ceremony and portrait session that delivers more than 200 retouched photographs, priced from $2,200. Los Angeles elopements lean on two things the county makes easy: a courthouse-style legal process run by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, and a coastline and a mountain range inside the same afternoon. The usual shape is a short ceremony at sunset on a Malibu headland or in a canyon, with portraits split before and after it. Because a State Parks film review takes at least four business days and a county ceremony permit takes weeks, the location is settled before almost anything else.
Worth knowing about Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk runs a Deputy Commissioner for a Day program that lets a friend or relative be deputized to perform one marriage ceremony. The application costs $75 and is mailed two months before the date, with a $13 expediting fee when it arrives less than a month ahead, so an LA elopement with a friend officiating is planned at least eight weeks out.
What does the session in Los Angeles look like?
- El Matador State Beach, Malibu
- Arches and sea stacks for the vows at low tide, with the stair climb kept for portraits after the ceremony.
- Malibu Creek State Park
- Rock pools and oaks for an inland ceremony when the coast is under the marine layer.
- Downtown Los Angeles, after dark
- Neon, Bunker Hill stairs and empty streets for the last hour, a city counterpoint to the coast.
What does elopement photography in Los Angeles include?
- 200+ retouched photographs
- Four hours of coverage
- Guidance on which permit you need, where and when to apply
- Location and timing planned around sunrise or sunset
- Private online gallery within 3 weeks
- Print release for personal use
Permits at these locations: El Matador State Beach, Malibu: A professional session needs a State Parks film permit via the California Film Commission ($100/day review fee). Day-use parking is $10 extra. Malibu Creek State Park: A professional session needs a State Parks film permit via the California Film Commission ($100/day review fee).
FAQ — Elopement photography in Los Angeles
Can a friend legally officiate our Los Angeles elopement?
Yes, through the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Deputy Commissioner for a Day program. The friend applies by mail with a $75 fee about two months before the ceremony, or pays a $13 expediting fee if applying less than one month ahead, and is deputized for that single Los Angeles County ceremony.
Does the marriage license have to come from Los Angeles County for an LA elopement?
For the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to record it, yes. The county records marriage certificates only for licenses it issued; a license from another California county is returned to that county instead. Couples eloping in Los Angeles usually apply for the license here, and the photographer builds the four-hour timeline around the signing.