Black Tie Beverly Hills Gay Wedding

A wedding that’s both a celebration and an ode to the best of Los Angeles

Nicholas and Taylor met more than six years ago on Tinder and they were an instant match. Taylor remembers how attractive Nicholas was and thinking he was exactly his type, and when it finally came time to propose and plan a big, black tie wedding in Beverly Hills, he wanted to pull out all the stops. Formal tuxes, a rooftop disco, multi-day photoshoots across the city, and a non-traditional approach to celebrating their years of adventures together.

I met the grooms through mutual friends at a summer pool party the year before their wedding, and I immediately knew I had to capture their big day. Taylor is an architect who meticulously plans details, and Nicholas is a hotelier who enjoys the finer things. They both are active in West Hollywood nightlife, love to travel, and knew their wedding was going to be a huge celebration of their life together in LA. Instead of one single day of timelines and wedding obligations, we planned out spots across the city to really capture the vision they had in their heads.

The Greystone Mansion: A Beverly Hills Icon

Our first afternoon early in the week was at the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. Taylor had only two requests: capture as much of the architecture as possible, and lots of portraits in the walkway lined with Italian Cyprus. We booked a time slot the month before (portraits at the mansion are by appointment only and require a fee), then on the day they donned their tuxes and some incredible orchid boutonnieres from Mosaic Floral Design, and off we went. It was an incredible hour of exploring the mansion grounds which are easily recognizable from film and TV such as the setting of Rory’s private school in Gilmore Girls.

water lilies in reflecting pond at Greystone Mansion

gay couple in formal black tuxes walks through sunny garden at Greystone Mansion

black and white photo of couple leaning in for embrace at the bottom of stairwell at Greystone Mansion

gay couple dancing in fountain garden at Greystone Mansion

gay couple holding hands looking at each other and walking through Italian Cyprus lined walkway at Greystone Mansion

gay couple walking and holding hands down garden staircase overlooking Greystone mansion

A Sunny Day at Beverly Hills City Hall

What Beverly Hills wedding would be complete without a visit to City Hall? Day two was the official courthouse ceremony followed by portraits around the Art Deco and Spanish Revival facades and iconic LA palm trees. While the afternoon before had been all soft light and romance, our morning appointment at the courthouse afforded us lots of bright, direct light and shadows to capture movement and some high-contrast editorial images. After finishing up at City Hall we drove over to Mulholland Drive to pop open a bottle of champagne overlooking all of Los Angeles so they could really take in the view of this home they’ve built together.

black and white photo of gay couple walking toward Beverly Hills City Hall

gay couple leans in for kiss on staircase at Beverly Hills City Hall

gay couple leaning in for conversation at Art Deco archway outside Beverly Hills City Hall

landscape photo of Los Angeles on a sunny day looking down from Mulholland Drive

black and white closeup of gay couples hands showing their wedding bands

Then the weekend finally arrived. Nicholas and Taylor were staying in the Design Suite at the Kimpton La Peer in West Hollywood. We started with some intimate getting ready photos of the two of them, followed by a visit from Taylor’s mom to pin on fresh boutonnieres, family photos outside in the covered valet entrance, and an incredible cocktail hour on the roof with all their assembled friends. With the paperwork already finished a few days prior, all that was left was to exchange vows in front of their loved ones, share a first dance, then tear up the dance floor for the rest of the night!