Casual Silver Lake Engagement

Devorah + Adam

Playful Silver Lake Engagement Session in Los Angeles | Devorah + Adam

Devorah and Adam’s engagement session was fun, personal, and unapologetically them. We spent the afternoon wandering around Silver Lake, starting somewhere unexpected and ending with one of the best views in Los Angeles. As Los Angeles wedding photographers, engagement sessions like this are some of our favorites, relaxed, meaningful, and rooted in real life.

Slurpees at 7-Eleven for a July 11 Wedding Date

We kicked things off at a Silver Lake 7-Eleven with Slurpees in hand, a nod to their wedding date: 7/11. It was playful, colorful, and very fitting for a couple that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Starting an engagement session somewhere ordinary but personal is often where the best candids happen, especially when it’s tied to a story that actually matters to the couple.

At Home with Their Rescue Beagle

From there, we headed back to their home nearby to photograph them with their rescue beagle. Those at-home moments added a softer, more intimate layer to the session. Engagement photos don’t need to be all sweeping views to feel meaningful. Sometimes the most important images happen in the places you already love, with the beings you share your daily life with.

Ending the Evening with a DTLA View

We wrapped the session on a hilltop overlooking Downtown Los Angeles, just as the light started to shift. The contrast between the city skyline and the quiet moment they shared together felt like the perfect ending. These are the kinds of locations we love for engagement sessions in LA, simple, beautiful, and connected to the city without feeling overdone.

Why Engagement Sessions Like This Work

Devorah and Adam wanted photos that felt natural and fun, not staged or overly polished. By building the session around places that mattered to them, the photos reflect who they actually are right now, right before stepping into the next chapter. That’s always our goal as LA County wedding photographers, especially for couples planning city weddings.

Looking Ahead to Their Downtown LA Wedding

We’re already looking forward to photographing their Millwick DTLA wedding in July. Engagement sessions like this create a visual bridge between everyday life and the wedding day, and they make the whole experience feel more connected and less performative.

Planning an Engagement Session in Los Angeles?

We photograph engagement sessions throughout Silver Lake, Downtown LA, and across Los Angeles County. If you’re looking for a Los Angeles wedding photographer, LA County wedding photographer, or LGBTQ+ friendly engagement photography in Los Angeles, we’d love to help you plan something that actually feels like you.

Non-Binary Elopement at the Santa Barbara Courthouse

Bryan + Skye

A gay ole elopment at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. <3

Non-Binary Elopement at the Santa Barbara Courthouse | Bryan + Skye

Bryan and Skye’s wedding day was centered on connection, intention, and doing things their own way. Their non-binary elopement began at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, followed by a laid-back celebration with friends and family at Brass Bear Brewing Uptown. It was meaningful, joyful, and grounded in the people they love most, exactly the kind of day we’re honored to document as Los Angeles wedding photographers serving couples across Southern California.

From Karaoke in Koreatown to “I Do”

Bryan and Skye met on an app, but their first date sealed the deal: karaoke in Koreatown. That mix of playfulness and sincerity carried all the way through their wedding day. They’re both big readers, comedy lovers, and board game enthusiasts, with Bryan balancing a Kindle habit alongside six full bookshelves. Their cats, Maren (named after Maren Morris) and Calcifer (a nod to Howl’s Moving Castle), are very much part of their shared world too.

A Courthouse Ceremony with Personal Meaning

Their ceremony took place at the iconic Santa Barbara Courthouse, a favorite spot for elopements thanks to its architecture, natural light, and intimate feel. They wore matching, beautifully tailored outfits made in the Philippines, adding another personal layer to the day. The courthouse setting felt calm and grounding.

Celebrating at Brass Bear Brewing Uptown

After the ceremony, everyone headed to Brass Bear Brewing Uptown to celebrate. Friends and family laughing, talking, reconnecting, and just enjoying being together.

Our Approach to Non-Binary and LGBTQ+ Weddings

As queer wedding photographers in LA County, we photograph weddings with the understanding that no two love stories look the same. Bryan and Skye’s day was a reminder that weddings do not need to follow a template to be meaningful. Our goal is always to create space where couples feel seen, accepted, and free to show up exactly as they are, especially for non-binary and LGBTQ+ couples navigating spaces that haven’t always been built with them in mind.

Planning a Courthouse or Elopement-Style Wedding?

We photograph elopements, courthouse weddings, and full wedding days throughout Southern California. If you’re looking for gay LA wedding photographers, LGBTQ+ wedding photography in Los Angeles, or a Los Angeles wedding photographer who values authenticity over trends, we’d love to connect.

Vendor & Location Notes

• Ceremony: Santa Barbara Courthouse

• Celebration: Brass Bear Brewing Uptown, Santa Barbara

• Coordinator: Lucky Penny Events

Gay LA SmogShoppe Wedding

Cliff + Warin

Sneak Peeks from this gay SmogShoppe wedding. <3

SmogShoppe Wedding in Los Angeles | Casual, Joyful, and Unapologetically Themselves

There’s something grounding about a wedding that doesn’t try to perform. No pressure to follow tradition, no need to impress, just people showing up and being present. That’s exactly what Cliff and Warin’s wedding at SmogShoppe felt like: relaxed, joyful, and deeply personal.

Set in the heart of Culver City, SmogShoppe offered the perfect backdrop. Lush greenery climbing every wall, warm textures throughout the space, and an atmosphere that feels private and inviting despite being right in Los Angeles. As gay LA wedding photographers, this is the kind of venue and energy we’re always excited to document.

Why We Love Photographing Weddings at SmogShoppe

SmogShoppe is one of those Los Angeles venues that feels effortlessly cool. Part urban garden, part art space, part hidden oasis. Cliff and Warin were drawn to the plant walls, the natural courtyard light, and the sense of calm the space creates.

They spent the morning getting ready together upstairs, side by side, easing into the day at their own pace. Right before the ceremony, a barber came through to give them fresh haircuts, one of those small, thoughtful moments that perfectly reflected their approach to the day.

Ceremony Highlights

Their celebration included both a Western ceremony and a Thai water ceremony, where each guest poured water over their hands and offered a blessing. It was emotional, community-centered, and quietly powerful. The kind of ritual that makes everyone in the room feel connected.

They skipped a traditional first dance and grand entrances entirely. Instead, the evening unfolded naturally with cocktails, laughter, and easy conversations that carried on well into the night.

With just 75 guests, no wedding party, and a clear focus on candid moments, it was exactly the type of wedding we love to photograph, one that feels like a true reflection of the couple.

Cliff + Warin

Cliff and Warin have a way of making everyone around them feel comfortable. Their humor, warmth, and ease with each other translated into photos that feel natural and unforced. No stiff posing, no over-directing. Just real smiles, real connection, and real joy.

Vendor Team

• Coordinator: The Love Riot (Trista Bloom)

• Catering + Bar: Guelaguetza

• Florals: Designed by a close friend

• Most details: Thoughtfully DIY

Inclusive Wedding Photography in Los Angeles

As queer, LGBTQ wedding photographers based in Los Angeles, days like this are exactly why we do what we do. SmogShoppe attracts couples who care more about connection than perfection, and that energy comes through in every part of the celebration.

If you’re planning a SmogShoppe wedding or searching for gay LA wedding photographers, LGBTQ wedding photography in Los Angeles, or a Los Angeles wedding photographer who prioritizes candid, joy-filled storytelling, we’d love to document your day exactly as it is.

We’re always excited to tell love stories that feel honest, relaxed, and entirely your own.

RedBird LA Gay Wedding

Jess + Bri

A lesbian wedding at Redbird. <3

Redbird DTLA Wedding | Timeless, Stylish, and Joy-Filled Celebration

Downtown Los Angeles has no shortage of beautiful wedding venues, but Redbird offers a kind of magic that feels both classic and contemporary. For Bri and Jess, it was the perfect backdrop for a wedding that felt intentional, stylish, and deeply joyful. As Los Angeles wedding photographers who love documenting LGBTQ+ celebrations, this Redbird DTLA wedding was one we won’t forget.

Between the art deco architecture, the iconic staircase, and the quiet buzz of the city just outside, Redbird set the tone for a day that felt elevated without ever feeling stiff.

Getting Ready at the Conrad Hotel, DTLA

The day began at the Conrad Los Angeles, where Bri and Jess got ready separately, each surrounded by a small group of close friends. The atmosphere was calm and full of anticipation, the kind of quiet excitement that builds before everything begins.

The hotel’s clean lines and warm light created the perfect setting for portraits before their first look, a private, grounding moment that set the tone for the rest of the day.

A Redbird Wedding in Downtown Los Angeles

Located in one of LA’s most iconic architectural spaces, Redbird offered everything Bri and Jess were drawn to: art deco details, rich textures, and a timeless sense of place.

Some of our favorite photo spots included:

• The curved staircase, glowing in late afternoon light

• The historic elevator, which felt like stepping into another era

• The courtyard, filled with conversation, laughter, and clinking glasses

With just 54 guests and no bridal party, the celebration felt intimate but never quiet, a perfect balance of warmth, energy, and effortless style.

Bri + Jess

Bri and Jess’s dresses complemented each other beautifully. Two distinct styles that felt completely in harmony, just like them.

Their first dance to Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish was soft, unhurried, and deeply present. The entire day felt that way. No performance, no pressure. Just two people, surrounded by love, light, and the people who matter most.

Inclusive Wedding Photography in Los Angeles

As queer, lesbian wedding photographers based in Los Angeles, documenting weddings like Bri and Jess’s feels especially meaningful. Their Redbird wedding was a reminder that timeless design and joyful energy can exist side by side, and that the most powerful images often come from moments that are simply allowed to unfold.

We focus on capturing weddings as they actually feel, whether that’s a 200-person villa celebration or an intimate downtown dinner party. Our goal is always the same: to blend in quietly and document the day with care, honesty, and heart.

If you’re planning a Redbird wedding in DTLA or searching for LGBTQ or lesbian wedding photographers in Los Angeles, we’d love to connect and hear about what you’re dreaming up.