Santa Monica Beach Wedding: Styled Elopement with Skyler & Joe

Amidst all the modern wedding and elopement trends of minimalism and neutral colors, I am simply obsessed with a bright pop of color! Don’t get me wrong, I also love the neutral aesthetic, but this colorful, whimsical, flirty vibe for a beach wedding at Santa Monica Pier was such a blast to photograph!

Skyler and Joe joined me and a group of talented wedding vendors at Santa Monica Pier for a styled elopement. We were inspired by the carnival colors on the pier, and wanted to lean into that fun summertime feeling of all the sweet summer treats, fun rides, and enjoying the beach!

Vendors for this Styled Elopement

Part of what I love about collaborating on styled shoots is getting to work with other talented, creative people! For a Santa Monica beach wedding, I couldn’t have asked for a better team. Seeing everyone contribute little details like the Jones Soda, cotton candy, and the colorful heart dress for Skyler made me so excited! It really does take a village to pull any wedding or elopement together, and this one turned out so beautifully.

Photographer: TMinspired (that’s me!)

Videographer: Ochoa Wedding Films (View the YouTube Short for this elopement here)

Hair & Makeup: Makeup by Diana Le

Florist: Yours Truly Design

Invitation suite: Kendall Yvonne

Dress: ASOS

Veil: Lauraz Stuff

Models: Skyler & Joe

Planning a Santa Monica Beach Wedding

Since the Santa Monica Pier is such a popular location, I do have some tips for you if you’re dreaming of eloping here. First, we decided to go just after sunrise, so that the pier would be a lot less crowded. If you go at sunset, you’ll really be fighting with the crowds of people also enjoying the evening!

This shoot also serves as a reminder that a traditional wedding isn’t for everyone — life is too short to make your wedding fit into the traditional boxes! You should feel empowered to do whatever you want, and this styled shoot showcases just that.

Lastly, make sure you check on the rules for having a beach wedding at Santa Monica here. There’s a couple regulations to make sure that the beach stays relatively undisturbed and the lifeguards can safely perform their jobs! But, you don’t need a permit to get married here, so it’s a gorgeous choice for a wedding or elopement!

Flat lay of invitations and details for beach wedding.

Detail shot of vows on the beach, with flowers and Jones Sodas.

Detail shot of vows sitting on picnic blanket with basket and drink glasses.

View of picnic spread for Santa Monica beach wedding.

Couple cuddles on picnic blanket at Santa Monica.

Vertical image of picnic basket and colorful flowers on the beach at Santa Monica for a wedding.

Couple cuddles on picnic blanket at Santa Monica beach wedding.

Couple cheers with Jones Sodas at Santa Monica beach wedding.

Couple clinks glasses with red bubbly drink.

Close up of bride's colorful heart dress and bright bouquet.

Couple holds cotton candy and smiles at the camera.

Couple holds hands and hold cotton candy, walking toward camera with Santa Monica Pier in the background.

Couple faces one another, smiling and laughing, during Santa Monica beach wedding.

Couple kisses in front of bright yellow building. Sign reads "funnel cakes"

Groom twirls the bride in front of bright yellow building. Sign reads, "funnel cakes"

Bride smiles up at groom, holding colorful bouquet.

Groom leans down to kiss bride on the cheek.

Couple holds hands and walks toward the camera on the pier during Santa Monica beach wedding.

Bride raises her bouquet in celebration, holding groom's hand, on the pier during Santa Monica beach wedding.

Couple holds hands and walks across frame from left to right on the pier during Santa Monica beach wedding.

Vertical image of bride holding her bouquet, smiling, touching her veil.

Vertical image of bride holding her bouquet, smiling, touching her veil. She wears a short dress with pink, purple, and red hearts.

Vertical image of the bride wearing a short wedding dress with multicolor hearts in red, pink, and purple.

Close up of bride's bouquet, containing pink, red, purple, green, and yellow.

Couple poses under "Pacific Park" sign during Santa Monica beach wedding.

Groom leans against a red building, kissing bride on the temple.

Couple shares a kiss against a red wall during Santa Monica beach wedding.

Couple exchanges vows on the pier, with a view of the coastline in the background during Santa Monica beach wedding.

Bride raises her bouquet in celebration after vow exchange on the pier.

Couple kisses on the pier after vow exchange.

Bride looks over her shoulder at the camera, holding hands with groom. Couple walks down the pier.

Couple walks down the pier away from the camera, holding hands.

Couple sit across from one another after Santa Monica beach wedding, sharing a smile, holding caramel-corn.

Couple leans over the table to share a kiss.

I hope this Santa Monica beach wedding inspired your own wedding or elopement celebration. I know I left this day feeling so much creative energy! I’m excited to hear about your wedding plans — reach out to me for photography here.