Smog Shoppe Wedding Photography

Destination Wedding Photographer rockin a Wedding at the Smog Shoppe, Los Angeles!

They year has kicked off with bang!! and this Smog Shoppe wedding set the bar pretty damn high, not gonna lie, Jeff and Gabi are two of the most charismatic couples we’ve ever had the chance to photograph… the energy between them, undeniable. They both live in New York where I’m pretty sure that Jeff owns a the coolest damn barber shop that there is. Now I havent been to that one [yet] but if their east coast location is anything like their west coast one, [and I have a feeling its better] then it’s definitely a kick ass place to grab a cut and a brew. From the first time meeting these two over Skype I knew I had to be in mix of this. Simply put: my kinda people. Planning the wedding from across the country couldn’t have been easy either, but they hosted one of the best damn parties I’ve ever seen. Open bar all night: killer drinks, photobooth, solid DJing, and a smokehut. it was unreal.

Rewind a bit though… As you will soon see below, I met up with the guys at the Blind Barber and got served a glass of whiskey [my choice] from a full bar within minutes. This isnt your ordinary barber shop though… after hangin out in front, I was led through a doorway down a dark tunnel [hallway] into a speakeasy that’s tucked away secretly on the other side of the walls of the barber shop. There was no other entrance to the place except through the unmarked door in the Blind Barber. Legit. Full bar with tons of good booze… and Whiskey, my favorite. The wood and dark ambiance = perfection. We had laughs and knocked a couple back [this is exactly why I hang with the guys] and headed on over to the smog shoppe.

Its been a little while since we’ve shot a wedding at the Smog Shoppe, I was bummed to see things had changed a bit around there. No complaints about the venue itself, just the area around. The big orange building on the corner has been painted over to be plain white… as was the blue one directly behind the parking lot… Im sure the neighboring businesses are sick of massive swarms of drunk bridal parties tearing through the streets on any given weekend but come on :/  still, after a little exploring down a few alleyways I did come across a cool tattered fence and graffiti wall. To be honest though, I really didnt need anything much in the way of backdrops for these two… it was all about them and rightfully so,  they stole the show.  In their own little bubble, the setting was bonus. Nows where I drop off and drop on a ton of my favorite moments from the day. enjoy!

Jeff and Gabi, thanks so much for everything! Your hospitality. Your trust. Your overall fucking awesomeness. It was a pleasure being your wingman/ wingwoman throughout the day and I look forward to our paths crossing again soon. Jeff, next time I visit the blind barber I will be prepared and have totally let myself go… this time I’ll be in critical need of a fresh shave, hair cut and scotch. Cheers!!