As a California elopement photographer, I can go on and on about why eloping in Malibu, California is by far one of my favorite places to recommend elopements, from the plethora of beaches, breathtaking coastlines, as well as hiking trails with stunning views, it’s truly a dream location if you’re looking for the best of both worlds! As a Malibu and California elopement photographer I thought I would provide you with the best California elopement locations in Malibu to help you plan your Malibu elopement!
Table of Contents
Malibu Rocky Oaks
Let’s start with my favorite venue in Malibu, Malibu Rocky Oaks. At an elevation of over 2,000 feet in the Santa Monica Mountains, you will find the Malibu Rocky Oaks Estate Vineyards, the perfect location for an intimate wedding or elopement! There are so many beautiful details at this venue from a brick helicopter pad making for a really unique and accessible ceremony location to a rock feature that has become an iconic view of Malibu during sunset! Although this special photo spot does take some effort to climb up its 100% doable and worth it if you’re wearing sneakers! If you’re after an intimate elopement, this Malibu estate is worth a visit, as the venue is surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains you won’t even see a soul!
“GORGEOUS Photos, personable, professional I cannot recommend Jennifer and Dan enough. We had to totally change our wedding plans due to COVID at the last minute and we found Jennifer through an ad. We ended up having a wedding with no one but ourselves, an officiant, and Jennifer and Dan. We thought the day was going to feel sad, but they did such an incredible job capturing our day, that we are elated. Jennifer’s attitude and knowledge made the day easy, and she did a great job posing us and creating so many beautiful moments. We had to replan our wedding at the last minute, and we’re so happy we found Jennifer.” -Shelley
Click here to see Cristina and Michael’s elegant elopement at Malibu Rocky Oaks
Click here to see Jon and Jessica’s stunning elopement at Malibu Rocky Oaks
Click here to see Hanna and Lawrence’s romantic elopement at Malibu Rocky Oaks
Click here to see Shelley and Bryan’s classic elopement at Malibu Rocky Oaks
Point Dume & Zuma Beach
Going a little further north, Point Dume is a uniquely rugged piece of coastline featuring headlands, cliffs, rocky coves, and endless beaches. Point Dume is another one of my favorite California elopement locations because it hasn’t been overtaken by man-made fences, railings, or anything else that we photographers find unsightly and tend to edit out. Zuma beach is right off of Point Dume and is an expansive beach offering lots of room if you decide to have a few extra guests at your elopement. It’s perfect for beach weddings and two-person elopements as well as guests of all ages due to its ease of parking and beach accessibility. Point Dume is definitely one of my favorite spots to photograph at all times of the year due to its variety, whether you are looking to elope right on the beach or have coastal views from the cliffside, you have options!
Click the link to see Winnie and Daisy’s Point Dume ceremony on the beach
Click the link to see more of Amanda and Nate’s cliffside elopement session
Click the link to see more of Nicole and Robert’s elopement at Point Dume
El Matador Beach
El Matador beach is one of the most popular beaches here in Malibu but if you dont mind waking up early you can have this beach all to yourselves! El Matador beach is a popular location not only have an elopement but in general due of its natural caves and arches with waves crashing against the coasts’ stunning sea stacks. Being a California elopement photographer and knowing the best times to shoot at popular locations like this one I recommend having your elopement during sunrise or sunset! Although, there are a lot more people there during sunset. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find a spot in the paid parking lot, but if not, there’s plenty of free parking along PCH. Keep in mind that this beach is not handicap accessible and would not be appropriate for anyone with physical limitations or anyone that has difficulty with stairs. If you do decide to have El Matador beach as your California elopement location I recommend going at low tide as this beach is quite narrow and can become a little Closter phobic with the other beachgoers, especially if you are trying to have a more intimate elopement experience. (I can help you figure out which times are low tide.) Even though you will most likely have to share this space with many others, El Matador is still one of my favorite California elopement locations in the whole world because of its unique features and of course the southern California weather!
“Jesse and Bemi here (Jemi 🙂 We got married on 4/17/22. It was the best day ever and Jenn was everything we could’ve imagined. From the first consultation meeting til after the ceremony, Jenn was a tremendous help. She was comforting and patient. On the day of the elopement, we looked at each other and said “yea, these pictures are going to be great” because Jenn was doing her very best to get all the angles. She was switching from photo to video with ease on a cold morning at the beach. She was encouraging and down for any adventurous ideas we had that day. She also gave us a good amount of distance for us to have privacy. It was even more special that Jenn was able to serve as our officiant as well because it allowed for a more intimate wedding with just the 2 of us. Her services didn’t just end when the ceremony was over, she checked in on us multiple times after. As expected, the photos and video were fabulous and classic. She captured us so beautifully and in love. Choosing Jenn Whalen photography was such a great decision.” -Bemi and Jesse
Click the link to see more of Steff and Brittni’s elopement in sea caves in Malibu
Click the link to see more of Nicole and Russel’s El Matador beach elopement in Malibu
Click the link to see more of Bemi and Jesse’s sunrise El Matador beach elopement
Click the link to see more of Santasha and Mario’s beach elopement
Stone Mountain Estate
Are you dreaming of a garden wedding or elopement? Then you’ll want to check out Stone Mountain Estates. With its European-style gardens, the natural beauty of the magnificent rock formations, as well as it’s stunning marble pool, and Tuscan-inspired landscape your garden wedding dreams will come to life! Stone Mountain Estates is situated on 40 secluded acres near the summit of the Malibu Coastal Range providing picturesque sunsets, as well as a 60 ft helipad that offers 360 degrees of unparalleled views the perfect elopement ceremony spot!
“Jennifer and Dan make an AMAZING team! We found them through a friend who was also using them for their wedding and from the moment we got on our first phone call with Jenn, we knew it was a perfect fit! We’d already spoken to a few photographers in the area and it all felt very business-like, but Jenn made me feel excited and calm all at the same time. We did both our engagement photos and our wedding photos with both Jenn and Dan and all of them came out BEAUTIFULLY! Jenn picked the spots for the engagement shoot and I love how natural we look in the photos, plus the backgrounds are gorgeous! We got some really neat drone photo footage from Dan as well as an added perk! Jenn is not only a photographer, but she recommended the most amazing coordinator and worked with her to create a timeline that worked for everyone. Between the two of them, we were able to relax and just enjoy our special day! Jenn not only captured all the formal portraits beautifully, but more importantly to us, she captured all the small moments in between. We have fantastic photos of not just us, but all our family and friends as well!!”
Click the link to see more of Christie and Ramsey’s elegant wedding with family at Stone Mountain Estate
Click the link to see more of Allison and David’s small wedding in Malibu
Malibu Solstice Vineyard
Located on a stretch of pristine coastline, the Malibu Solstice Vineyard is one of the most breathtaking wedding venues in Southern California because it has both ocean and mountain views. A lot of Malibu options have either one or the other, but Malibu Solstice Vineyards has both! One of the best things about Malibu Solstice Vineyards is that you can rent out this estate and stay the night which is great for couples who want to elope with their closest loved ones. Ceremonies usually take place on their hilltop, overlooking the magnificent coastline below, and the sun-kissed Santa Monica mountains off to the right. Malibu Solstice Vineyards has a European sophisticated vibe, as well as a ceremony spot inside for smaller groups and weddings perfect if it ends up raining on your wedding day. But rest assured that rain or shine, this venue will blow your mind!
“Jennifer is absolutely amazing! We are thrilled that we came across her on Instagram. She was with me every step of the way with planning every detail for our micro wedding during the pandemic. Jennifer and Dan captured our day perfectly. We were so pleased with how quickly we got our edited pictures and completed video! I HIGHLY recommend them for any type of wedding. We now have a video and pictures that are so beautiful and it feels like we can relive the best day of our lives every time we see the pictures and watch the video” -Michelle R
Click the link to see more of Janelle and Steven’s intimate elopement with family in Malibu
Click the link to see more of Michelle and Christopher’s micro wedding with family
Deer Creek Ridge
Another breathtaking California elopement location is Deer Creek Ridge. Deer Creek Ridge is filled with Moroccan architecture and sits on top and overlooks the ocean, which will indeed have you in awe. This is the perfect place to host a micro-wedding with friends and family. From anywhere on its 4800 square feet (445.93 m²) of mountaintop you’ll be able to enjoy unbridled views of the Channel Islands, Catalina Island, Boney Mountain, and the rugged Santa Monica Mountains from every direction! Their Spanish-style villa is the perfect spot to host your ceremony, and also celebrate, either by their pristine pool or in one of their sophisticated seating areas.
“We hired Jennifer for a small 2021 wedding and we cannot recommend her enough. She was easy going, fun to talk to, and there were absolutely no awkward moments. When she arrived she already felt like a friend. During the planning process, Jennifer was extremely helpful. She was easy to get in contact with and she had lots of ideas and suggestions when we weren’t sure what was happening due to shifting 2021 restrictions. She also was very prompt in returning a wedding album to us. It only took her a month to parse through what must have been a mountain of pictures and to touch them up very nicely. Now we have a large wedding album of fantastic photos and we are very happy we chose to hire Jennifer.” -Jeff K
Click the link to see more of Amy and Jeff’s elopement at Deer Creek Ridge
Malibu Creek State Park
Last but not least, Malibu Creek State Park is another great California elopement location! It has over 8,000 acres of rolling tallgrass plains, oak savannahs, and striking peaks! Many people actually call it “The Yosemite of Southern California” due to its beautiful scenery. Malibu Creek has beautiful 15 miles of streamside trails through oak woodlands as well as volcanic rock gorges, scenic pools, and breathtaking views of the Las Virgenes Valley and Malibu Canyon. It’s a great location if you are looking for an elopement location other than a beach or cliffside view!
Click the link to see more of Molly and Brian’s meadow ceremony with family.
High Horse Malibu
High Horse Malibu is such a unique elopement location as it has the cutest boho air-stream with a deck and lounge furniture. If you’re looking for a unique place to elope High Horse is the perfect place! High Horse Malibu is in a quiet, peaceful valley near the crest of Latigo Canyon, it provides couples the “just us” experience as well as an opportunity to disconnect from the city life, connect with horses and reconnect with nature and yourself!
Not only that but, one of my favorite things about High Horse Malibu is that they offer horseback riding to certain areas of the property that are extremely stunning with ocean and mountain views! This option is perfect for a bride who is a horse lover and wants beautiful scenery.
Click the link to see more of Nicole and Robert’s Malibu elopement with horses.
Whether you are looking to have a beach wedding or cliffside elopement there are plenty of unforgettable elopement locations to choose from! I hope that this has inspired you to search for a California elopement location that fits your elopement dreams and has given you the information to inquire about my photography packages.
Want more help and information on eloping in Malibu? Check out my “How to Elope in Malibu” blog!
If you are ready to book a California elopement photographer for your upcoming wedding or elopement contact me through my website!
