The Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows sits at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, occupying the same five acres where Senator John P. Jones built the city’s first private residence in 1889. That origin matters at a Fairmont Miramar wedding because it is not background trivia. It is what you feel when you stand beneath the 80-foot Moreton Bay Fig Tree at the center of the front drive, or when you look out from the Sunset Terrace at the Pacific horizon that Jones named his estate after, “Miramar,” meaning view of the sea. More than 130 years of California history behind you, and the ocean in front.

About the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows

Senator Jones co-founded Santa Monica in 1875 alongside Colonel Robert Baker, and on the bluffs above the Pacific he built the Victorian mansion he called Miramar. His wife Georgina turned the property into a cultural gathering place, hosting Susan B. Anthony and Mark Twain and overseeing the planting of a small Moreton Bay fig sapling in the front yard around 1889. That sapling, now 80 feet tall with a canopy spanning 120 feet, is today the second largest Moreton Bay Fig in California and was declared a historic landmark by the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission in 1976. It has stood at the entrance of the hotel, through every ownership change and renovation, for more than 135 years.

The property became a hotel in 1921 when hotelier Gilbert Stevenson purchased the Jones estate. The six-story Palisades Wing followed in 1924, built for guests who wanted to linger by the beach for weeks rather than days. Over the following decades, the Miramar became a celebrity refuge during Hollywood’s golden age, with Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Greta Garbo, and Humphrey Bogart all counted among its regulars. John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton visited during their respective presidencies. Today the property operates as a Fairmont under the ownership of Michael and Susan Dell, with 297 guest rooms across three distinct accommodations including 31 private bungalows and 62 suites set across five lushly landscaped acres. Recognition is consistent: the hotel holds a MICHELIN Key designation and has appeared on Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards for Southern California multiple years running.

Getting Ready at the Fairmont Miramar

The bungalows at the Fairmont Miramar are the getting-ready spaces that set this property apart from any other hotel wedding venue in Santa Monica. These 31 private stand-alone structures, designed with a Baja-inspired residential character, give a bridal party the feeling of having a private house on the grounds rather than a hotel suite. The largest bungalows accommodate up to eight guests comfortably, which means a full bridal party, a hair and makeup team, and a photographer can coexist without the energy of a crowded room. The gardens surrounding the bungalows, with their mature palms and native plantings, provide natural light and greenery that translate directly into getting-ready photographs.

For couples who want to build a spa component into the morning, the Wilshire Wellness Spa is on-property and handles wedding party bookings alongside individual treatments. FIG Restaurant, the hotel’s farm-to-table signature dining room whose menus draw from the Santa Monica Farmers Market, handles breakfast and brunch for groups. The Dogtown Coffee outpost inside the property takes care of the rest. Everything a couple needs for a calm, beautifully documented wedding morning exists within the Miramar’s five acres.

Portrait Locations at the Fairmont Miramar

Few hotel properties in Los Angeles offer a portrait environment as varied as the Fairmont Miramar’s five-acre campus. The Moreton Bay Fig Tree at the center of Moreton Bay Circle is the most immediately iconic: the 120-foot canopy creates a naturally dappled, filtered light that is almost impossible to replicate artificially, and the tree’s enormous above-ground root system and textured bark provide foreground interest in wide-angle couple portraits that no set-dressed room can match. It is the kind of backdrop that appears in wedding galleries from this property for a reason.

The Miramar Gardens, set between the bungalows and the resort pool, offer a lush manicured landscape of palms and native California plantings for more intimate couple frames. The Sunset Terrace on the northwest corner of the estate, at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and California Street, gives a direct sightline to the Pacific and some of the clearest golden-hour light of any terrace in Santa Monica. For nighttime portraits, the hotel’s position above the bluffs puts the pier’s silhouette and the coastal lights of the Malibu shoreline into wide frames without requiring the couple to leave the property. The 1924 Palisades Wing’s brick facade and historic architectural details add another texture entirely for couples who want something more urban and storied in their gallery.

The First Look & Couple Session

The fig tree drive is the first look location we recommend most often at a Fairmont Miramar wedding. The circular approach of Moreton Bay Circle frames the moment naturally, and the tree’s canopy provides even, flattering shade regardless of the time of day. The groomsmen can wait in the garden while the bride approaches from the bungalow path, and the whole sequence unfolds in a setting that photographs as one of the most distinctive first look backdrops in Los Angeles. A pre-ceremony couple session then moves through the Miramar Gardens and the Sunset Terrace, covering two or three distinct environments before the ceremony begins. That leaves the post-ceremony session free for the portraits that need directional sunset light, specifically the Sunset Terrace at golden hour and the bluff-view frames after dark.

Wedding Ceremonies at the Fairmont Miramar

The Fairmont Miramar offers six distinct ceremony environments that range from the intimate to the monumental. Moreton Bay Circle, centered on the landmark fig tree, is the most singular: guests gather beneath a 120-foot natural canopy that no ballroom chandelier can replicate, and the ceremony unfolds in the dappled shade of a tree that has stood on this land since 1889. Larger ceremonies that want the same outdoor spirit but more open sky use the Miramar Gardens, the manicured green space between the bungalows and the pool, which holds seating for significant groups and surrounds the couple with palms and lush native plantings.

For couples who want ceremony space with an ocean view, the Sunset Terrace at the corner of Ocean Avenue and California Street captures the Pacific to the west and the Santa Monica bluffs in every direction. Indoor ceremonies move to the Colonnade Foyer-style Library and Ocean Terrace space adjacent to the lobby, which combines an art deco bar, natural wood tones, and a connected outdoor terrace for cocktail flow. The Wedgewood Ballroom also works for smaller indoor ceremonies that prefer the architectural formality of a ballroom setting. Ceremony rental fees vary by space and are separate from the reception package; the hotel’s weddings team works with couples to match the ceremony environment to their guest count and aesthetic.

Wedding Receptions at the Fairmont Miramar

The Starlight Ballroom is the headline reception space at the Fairmont Miramar and the largest ballroom on the entire Westside of Los Angeles. At 7,400 square feet, it accommodates up to 900 guests and offers a neutral palette that gives planners and couples full creative control over the room’s final character. For weddings that want grandeur without the industrial scale of a 900-person layout, the Starlight divides into configurations that feel proportional down to mid-size celebrations. The Wedgewood Ballroom, the property’s second largest indoor space, is better suited to receptions of up to roughly 150 guests and carries a more intimate formal atmosphere with strong state-of-the-art audiovisual infrastructure already in place.

Outdoor receptions use Moreton Bay Circle, the Miramar Gardens, or the Sunset Terrace depending on the size and mood of the event. The Bungalow, the hotel’s Baja-inspired bar and lounge located beyond the fig tree, is available for private events and provides five distinct spaces within it: the Main Bar, the Deck, the Stateroom, the Study, and the Game Room. Its expansive outdoor Deck, with colorful lounge seating, mature trees, a fire pit, and a full-service bar, is a natural choice for post-reception gatherings and rehearsal dinners that want something more relaxed than a ballroom. All catering at the Fairmont Miramar is handled by the hotel’s in-house culinary team, whose menus draw from locally sourced, seasonal California ingredients and can be customized through direct chef consultation and tasting sessions. The hotel provides complimentary valet parking for wedding events.

Why Choose Lin & Jirsa for Your Fairmont Miramar Wedding

The Fairmont Miramar rewards photographers who invest time in the property. The fig tree’s canopy light changes hour by hour. The Miramar Gardens photograph differently in morning shade than in afternoon warmth. The Sunset Terrace delivers its best frames in a fifteen-minute window before the sun drops below the bluffs, and knowing that window exists is what separates a photographer who has worked this property from one who is figuring it out in real time. Our team builds Fairmont Miramar timelines with those conditions built in from the start, protecting the golden hour session and sequencing the portrait locations in an order that uses each space at its best.

As Los Angeles wedding photographers with deep experience across Santa Monica’s finest hotels, we understand how to move through a property of this scale efficiently while keeping the day feeling unhurried. Couples who want their Fairmont Miramar wedding documented from bungalow getting-ready through the final dance often find that combining photography and videography under one coordinated team produces a far more cohesive and complete record of the day, particularly in a property with as many visually distinct environments as the Miramar.

Fairmont Miramar Wedding: Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows located?
The hotel is located at 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401, at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue on the bluffs above Santa Monica Beach. The Santa Monica Pier is a four-block walk. LAX is approximately nine miles away, with a typical drive time of 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. The hotel does not operate an airport shuttle, but valet parking is available on-property.

How many guests can a Fairmont Miramar wedding accommodate?
The property scales from small rehearsal dinners to large celebrations. The Starlight Ballroom, at 7,400 square feet, is the largest ballroom on the Westside of Los Angeles and accommodates up to 900 guests for a reception. The Wedgewood Ballroom serves up to approximately 150 guests. Outdoor spaces including Moreton Bay Circle, the Miramar Gardens, and the Sunset Terrace handle varying group sizes. The hotel’s weddings team will match the right combination of spaces to the specific guest count and event flow.

Does the Fairmont Miramar require in-house catering?
Yes. All food and beverage service is provided by the hotel’s in-house culinary team. The menus are chef-driven, seasonally focused, and built around locally sourced California ingredients. Couples work directly with the culinary team on custom menu design and participate in tasting sessions before the event. The hotel’s FIG Restaurant team and the broader catering operation are coordinated through the dedicated weddings team.

What is the Moreton Bay Fig Tree, and can we get married under it?
The Moreton Bay Fig Tree at the center of the Fairmont Miramar’s front drive is a registered Santa Monica historic landmark, declared as such by the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission in 1976. It was planted around 1889 by Georgina Jones, wife of the property’s original owner Senator John P. Jones, the co-founder of Santa Monica. The tree stands 80 feet tall with a canopy spanning 120 feet and is the second largest of its kind in California. Moreton Bay Circle, the event space centered on the tree, is available for both ceremonies and receptions and is one of the most distinctive outdoor wedding settings in Los Angeles.

Are the bungalows available for the wedding party to use on the day?
Yes. The Fairmont Miramar’s 31 private bungalows can be booked as part of the wedding weekend stay and used for getting-ready coverage, bridal party preparation, and overnight accommodations for the couple and guests. The bungalows range in size and can accommodate up to eight guests each. They are among the most sought-after getting-ready spaces of any hotel wedding venue in Santa Monica, both for their residential character and for the photography they naturally produce.

What awards and recognition has the Fairmont Miramar received?
The hotel holds a MICHELIN Key designation and has appeared on Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards for Southern California and Los Angeles multiple years in succession. It has also been recognized by Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hotels rankings for Santa Monica, and Sunset Magazine’s travel awards, among others. It is listed on the Historic Hotels of America registry.

Ready to Book Your Fairmont Miramar Wedding Photographer?

A Fairmont Miramar wedding gives you over 135 years of Santa Monica history, a landmark fig tree that predates the hotel itself, private bungalows surrounded by lush gardens, and the Pacific at the end of Wilshire Boulevard. It is one of the most layered and visually rich properties we photograph in Southern California, and every time we work here, the property gives us something new.

Contact us today to check your date and start planning your Fairmont Miramar wedding coverage.