A Madonna Inn Wedding on Film: A Central Coast Story
Before I ever photographed a wedding at the Madonna Inn, I was a kid there for tea parties. Tenth birthday parties, too, the kind where the whole point was the cake, giant slices and endless ribbons of chocolate. My sister had her bachelorette celebration there too, the whole group of us dressed up in pink for a dinner and dancing. I grew up on the Central Coast and went to Mission College Preparatory in San Luis Obispo. So the Madonna Inn isn’t a venue I discovered through work. I’ve been back more times over the years than I could count. It’s a place I’ve loved since I was a kid, kitschy and over the top in the best way, and it hasn’t changed a bit.
A Wedding at the Madonna Inn
Last year, I second shot a wedding at the Madonna Inn alongside lead photographer Jenny Markham. It was one of the most amazing opportunities, getting to work alongside another talented photographer. Throughout the day, we both leaned into film with a mix of 400 and 800 speed. I shot mostly 35mm with some 120 medium format on my Fujifilm GA645i, alongside digital for the moments that move too fast for film to keep up with. The Madonna Inn is a place with color and personality built into every corner. The space doesn’t need much help from a camera, to be honest. It already looks like it belongs in a frame.
Why the Madonna Inn Still Feels Like Home to Me
Built in 1958 by Alex and Phyllis Madonna, the Madonna Inn has never really tried to be tasteful in the conventional sense, and that’s exactly the point. Every room is different. The whole property is unapologetically maximalist, pink where you’d expect neutral, ornate where you’d expect simple. For a kid growing up nearby, that made it feel like a fantasy world you could actually walk into. For a wedding today, it means the venue is already doing a lot of the visual work before a single photo gets taken.
Planning a Wedding at the Madonna Inn
Pricing and package details at the Madonna Inn vary quite a bit depending on the space, season, and package tier. The sources I checked don’t fully agree with each other on the numbers. As a general range: expect a rental fee somewhere in the low hundreds to low thousands per event depending on the space and time block, package pricing that can start well under $100 per person and climb from there depending on the tier, and a separate elopement package in the low thousands for a couple plus a small group. Seated capacity tops out around 250 guests. Confirm current pricing and capacity directly with the venue, since published numbers vary source to source and change over time.
Thinking About a Madonna Inn Wedding?
If you’re drawn to a venue with this much personality, and you want it documented in a way that feels honest rather than overly polished, I’d love to be there for it. I’m based in San Diego but I’m Central Coast through and through, this is my home turf too.
Inquire about your Central Coast wedding
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a wedding at the Madonna Inn cost? Pricing varies by space, season, and package, and published sources currently don’t agree closely enough to state one figure as fact. Confirm current pricing directly with the venue.
How many guests can the Madonna Inn hold for a wedding? Seated capacity tops out around 250 guests, with the venue offering both indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception spaces. Confirm current numbers with the venue.
Do you shoot weddings on film at the Madonna Inn? Yes. This wedding was shot mostly on 35mm film with some 120 medium format mixed in on a Fujifilm GA645i, alongside digital for fast-moving moments. A Holga or other film format can also be added to any coverage, see the full film guide linked below.
Are you familiar with the Central Coast as a wedding photographer? Yes, personally. I grew up on the Central Coast, went to Mission College Preparatory in San Luis Obispo, and I’m actively building my work in this area alongside my San Diego base.
More Film Photography You’ll Love
- Weddings on Film with the Holga
- Why Film Wedding Photography Is Worth It: A Real Rancho Guejito Vineyard Wedding
- Browse the full blog for more
My photography is a blend of art, experience, and instinct, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. It started 22 years ago, the first time I stepped into a darkroom, a moment that sparked a lifelong pull toward capturing the world through a lens. That pull eventually led me into the fine art space, collaborating with artists, managing studios, and working alongside galleries and museums, studying art and photography through both undergraduate and graduate school, where my aesthetic developed under the influence of critical theory and contemporary art. I found myself drawn to the intersection of documentary photography and the spontaneous, unfiltered moments of real life. My goal has always been the same: images that are raw, honest, and deeply human.
I founded Teresa LoJacono Photography in 2013, and started experimenting with wedding photography in 2019, on purpose, and differently than what I’d been trained to expect from the industry. Travel plays a huge role in my creative process too, I find inspiration in the unfamiliar, letting light, movement, and emotion guide my eye. With a camera in hand, everything becomes a canvas and a chance to catch what’s actually happening, not what’s staged for it. If there’s one belief that’s driven all of it, it’s this: have fun, and let it be what it’s going to be. I’ll be there to catch whatever happens.
