Our Lady of the Angels
(AKA The Los Angeles Cathedral)
555 West
Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2707
(213) 680-5200
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Overview
The mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. This is the HQ for Archbishop Roger Cardinal Mahony, it's a fairly new church that is located on an impressive compound in Downtown Los Angeles. The architecture seems to convey that impression that on the one hand, the Catholic church never changes, and yet, on the other hand, the church can be relevant with the times. This is the newer Catholic church in terms of being bright and cheerful and uplifting. The church was dedicated September 2nd, 2002. Our Lady of Angels replaces the previous mother church the smaller Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, irreparably damaged in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. If you are Catholic, you aren't alone, the Los Angeles Archdiocese is comprised of four million members. However, this church can only hold about 3000 people. Not very good odds of finding a seat when trying to fit all four million members in at once, but great odds of holding a wedding where you invite everybody you know.
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There is no mistaking it, this church is HUGE, fighting it
out with the likes of the
Crystal Cathedral for maximum holy square
feet. The grounds of the church are also impressive, with many
ideal locations for wedding images. If you are looking for a
large, modern Catholic church to make a big impression, you can't do
any better than Our Lady of the Angels.
What Type Of Bridal Couple Would Like This Place?
This is the Catholic version of the Crystal Cathedral in the respect that it's large and well known. If a bridal couple is looking for a large, modern looking Catholic church to get married in, this is certainly at the top of the food chain.
Photographic Potential
The grounds are nice, the church is lovely, and the photos have the potential to come out fantastic. The limiting factors are their rules of the church, they are a bit strict.
Possible Distractions/ Work Around
It's very tempting to take revenge on people who may have mistreated you. The church coordinator treats you bad, you can use the internet to write nasty things about them. I feel that this is self serving and in the end really helps nobody. That being said, their wedding coordinator is notoriously rotten. The first time I went in, she was fairly nasty to me, pushing me around, yelling at me. Another photographer was so put off by her that she claims she wrote in and complained about her, and the church wrote back and said that this was best coordinator they ever had.
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When I went back a second time I was very concerned about meeting
this woman again. She actually was a lot nicer and at times
pleasant! I don't know what changed but I certainly noticed
and appreciated it. Still, the rules are strict,
as photographers we can only stand in one of two places, one place
has a poor vantage point.
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Overall Evaluation
It's a beautiful church, they are making steps in the right direction, yet the rules are a bit strict. There are some nice parts of the grounds to use as well. Since this church is a tourist attraction tourists will stop and watch your wedding happening. All in all it's a nice place. Though it's new it's a landmark in Los Angeles. In terms of American Catholic churches this place is huge, modern and beautiful. If you want to have your wedding in the big church, this certainly is the right place!
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