About Greystone Mansion

Greystone Mansion is located in the hills above Beverly Hills on Loma Vista Drive, and it's a designated Beverly Hills Historic Landmark now open to couples as a wedding venue. Construction began in 1927, when oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny gave the land to his son, Edward "Ned" Doheny Jr., to build a home for his family. Architect Gordon B. Kaufmann designed the Tudor Revival mansion, and landscape architect Paul G. Thiene laid out the terraced gardens that still define the property today. The City of Beverly Hills bought the estate in 1965 and dedicated it as a public park in 1971, and Greystone has hosted weddings on the same grounds where the Doheny family once lived ever since.  

Couples are drawn to Greystone Mansion for its hillside views, its Tudor Revival architecture, and its formal gardens, which still carry the character of the estate's original design. Walking from the mansion into the quiet of the gardens feels like stepping into a different world, one where the trees eventually open onto the hillside view. On a clear day, that view stretches past Beverly Hills all the way to the ocean.

Ceremony and Reception Spaces

Formal Garden 

The Formal Garden is a lawn framed by white rose bushes, clipped box hedges, and a historic fountain, and it's where ceremonies take place. Guests are seated on the lawn facing the fountain as the day gets underway, before the celebration moves toward the mansion for cocktails and dinner.

Inner Courtyard 

The Inner Courtyard sits inside the walls of the mansion itself, centered on a round fountain, and it's where the sit-down dinner usually happens once cocktail hour winds down. Dancing can continue here too, unless the celebration moves up to the Terrace as the night goes on.

Reflection Pond 

The Reflection Pond sits just off the Terrace, with the fountain and surrounding stonework mirrored in the water, and it's typically where cocktail hour happens as the sun starts to set. Guests often linger here to take in the sunset before the evening moves on to the Terrace or Courtyard.

Mansion Terrace 

The Mansion Terrace looks out over downtown Los Angeles and, on a clear day, the Pacific Ocean, a view that shifts to city lights once night falls. Dinner and dancing happen here in the evening, with the skyline serving as the backdrop for the rest of the celebration.

What We Love About Greystone Mansion

Variety of Backdrops 

The property has several distinct garden areas, from the sculptural hedges of the Formal Garden to the shaded walk along Cypress Lane, each with its own look. We can move a couple through several completely different backdrops easily without disrupting the timeline of the day.

Filtered Light 

Mature trees run along much of the property, tall enough that the light shifts from open and direct on the lawn to soft and dappled underneath them. That gives us a variety of light to shoot with over a single afternoon.

Historic Architecture 

The mansion's arched doorways, tall windows, and gabled roofline change depending on where you are on the property. We move around the mansion as we shoot, since every side photographs differently.

Insider Tips

We usually recommend getting ready at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, which gives couples more room to spread out for hair and makeup before the day gets started. From there, arriving at Greystone by classic car gives us a chance for a few different portrait opportunities once everyone's on site.

Golden hour at Greystone shifts with the season, but the light always turns warm and low across the gardens once it arrives. We love to build in time then for portraits along Cypress Lane and around the Reflection Pond, two of our favorite spots on the property for that kind of light, though there are plenty of others worth exploring too.

Because Greystone has an evening curfew, a lot of couples plan an afterparty nearby so the night doesn't have to end right after dinner and dancing. We've seen couples move things to a hotel bar or lounge close by, which keeps the celebration going a little longer.

Who Is the Right Couple for a Greystone Mansion Wedding?

Greystone Mansion works well for couples who love old-world architecture. The mansion is Tudor Revival, built in the 1920s, and has carried a Beverly Hills Historic Landmark designation since 2013. It's also a strong fit for couples who want their guests to spend the evening surrounded by Los Angeles history, since the Doheny family lived here before the estate became a public park in 1971. And because the property holds four distinct spaces, from the Formal Garden to the Courtyard and Terrace, it works just as well for a small, intimate wedding as it does for a much larger one.

Greystone Mansion is a wedding venue that brings together nearly a century of Los Angeles history with a property built for exactly this kind of day, formal gardens for a ceremony, a courtyard and terrace for everything that follows, and enough space to host a wedding of nearly any size. Guests move through that history over the course of an event, from the quiet of the Formal Garden to the skyline view from the Terrace after dark. For us, the range of light and architecture across the property means every wedding here looks a little different, even when the location is the same.

Considering a Greystone Mansion Wedding?

Whether you are still exploring locations or have already chosen Greystone Mansion as your wedding venue, we would love to connect. We have photographed here throughout the year and would love to share what we have seen and learned from documenting weddings at this property.