A La Venta Inn Wedding: Stephanie, Josh, and a Schnauzer Named Finnley
A real daytime wedding at La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes Estates: a brunch reception, vows above the marine layer, and the dog who starred in the proposal story standing guard in a burgundy bow.
La Venta Inn is the white-walled Spanish villa on the hill above Palos Verdes Estates, and its garden overlook produces one of the signature images of the peninsula: a couple on the stone platform with the marine layer rolling over the coastline below. Stephanie and Josh's November wedding gave us that frame and something rarer, a daytime celebration that was done by mid afternoon and never stopped smiling.
They found us on The Knot just eight weeks before the wedding, proof that a short engagement window does not mean settling on photography. And they came with the best proposal story we collected that year.
The April Fools Proposal
Stephanie and Josh met online in September 2016 and had their first date ten days later over sushi. A year and a half after that, Josh proposed on April 1st, April Fools Day and Easter in the same morning, on a hike with their miniature schnauzer, Finnley. By Stephanie's own telling, the misdirection was flawless: he insisted she skip the yoga clothes, wandered the trail obsessing over where to throw away a dog waste bag, and then knelt to give Finnley water and pulled a ring box out of the bag Stephanie had been carrying the whole time.
She says she forced him off his knee and said yes before anyone could stare. We tell this story to every couple who worries their proposal was not cinematic enough. The best ones never are.
Vows Above the Marine Layer
The ceremony took the garden terrace: a wood arch draped in blush with eucalyptus, wood benches curved around the stone aisle, and the Santa Monica Bay disappearing under a ribbon of fog behind them. Stephanie took the microphone for her vows and Josh, in grey plaid with a navy tie, did not stand a chance.
Their guest list told the whole story of the day. In their planning notes they wrote that everyone attending was either family or friends so close they counted as family, and they asked for casual photographs with every couple rather than formal lineups. That is a photography brief we love, and a daytime wedding gives it room to breathe.
The Overlook
After the ceremony we walked Stephanie and Josh out to the villa's famous stone overlook for the portraits at the top of this story. November on the peninsula means crisp air, deep blue skies, and the marine layer stacked over the water like a second coastline. Ten minutes on that platform gave them the images the venue is known for.
The brunch reception followed inside the villa, buttercream cake on a wood slab, toasts before one o'clock, and a first dance in the fireplace room with the afternoon still ahead of everyone. Daytime weddings cost less, photograph beautifully, and send you into your first married evening unhurried. We will always make the case for them.
Planning a La Venta Inn Wedding?
The Palos Verdes Peninsula is one of our favorite places to photograph, from La Venta's villa gardens to the coast at Trump National and the former Wayfarers Chapel. Our venue guide index covers the coastal properties we know first-hand, and yes, dogs in formal wear are always welcome, we photograph dogs professionally.
If a daytime wedding above the ocean sounds like yours, check your date and build live pricing, or start a conversation. We photograph weddings across Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, and worldwide.
