Reviews of The Drunk Wedding Photographer
Jennifer Render・Elle Render Events
As a Central Coast wedding planner, I have the opportunity to work alongside many talented photographers — and David Cruz The Drunk Wedding Photographer, truly stands out as film wedding photographer. We recently collaborated on a client's wedding at Cavalli Estates in San Luis Obispo, and his pictures are absolutely stunning. His film wedding photography is timeless, romantic, and artfully composed in a way that feels both elevated and effortless. The tones and texture he achieves on film are just beautiful — every image feels intentional, emotional, and iconic.
From a planner's perspective, he is a dream to work with. He's calm, organized, professional, and incredibly easygoing. He communicates well, keeps the day flowing smoothly, and brings such a grounded, positive energy to the entire team. My clients were over the moon with him and felt completely at ease in front of his camera. Beyond his immense talent, David is genuinely kind. Guests adored him. Family members commented on how wonderful he was. Vendors loved collaborating with him. He brings a warmth and authenticity that elevates not just the photos, but the entire experience.
Goes without saying I highly recommend him for your wedding in the Central Coast and look forward to collaborating with him in another private vineyard estate wedding in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. If you're considering booking him, you are in very good hands.
Our client's wedding was published in The White Wren Volume 8: Little Love Stories
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Paulina Simkin Piano
My name is Paulina Simkin, I'm a Juilliard-trained wedding and event pianist based in Los Angeles, CA. The first wedding I performed at after moving from NYC, where I performed at Carnegie Hall amongst other venues, was at Carondelet House in Downtown L.A.
There I met David Cruz (The Drunk Wedding Photographer), who was booked as our client's film wedding photographer. With illustrious guests such as Emma Roberts and her now husband Cody John, and the bride herself being a direct descendant of Mary Shelley, David's pictures felt like they were taken by a trusted family friend as they have such an intimate and in-the-moment quality to them. He uses Kodak 35mm film, is minimal with his gear and presence, and lets the client and guests enjoy the wedding while documenting their most joyful moments.
I remember noticing him quietly fix the groom's boutonniere before he walked down the aisle with his parents. It's these little moments that show how observant, patient, and genuinely invested he is in his clients' experience. The highlight of the night was Emma Roberts catching the bouquet, which David captured while on top of a chair! A perfect example of how he's always anticipating the best moments. It was a pleasure collaborating with David, and I look forward to collaborating with him at many more celebrity-weddings.
Our client's wedding was published in Rock n Roll Bride
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Chelsea de la Torre
My grandmother owns Cielo Farms, yes, that Cielo Farms in Malibu, practically grew up in the property and saw hundreds of weddings, styles, decor, photographers etc. every weekend. So when Trayer and I started planning our own wedding as cliche as it sounds, we didn't want the same wedding I grew up with. Sounds funny to associate DIY with Cielo Farms, but that's what it felt like. An unassuming taco dinner by Guerrilla Tacos with close friends and family with a wedding ceremony attached to it. Our friend Rob Pausmith set up the rest. For photographers we of course wanted someone laid back who understood that despite it being in Cielo Farms, was not a Cielo Farm wedding by any stretch.
We found David Cruz on google, showed up first when we looked for a film wedding photographer in Los Angeles and unbeknownst to us at the time, was right around the time he was cooking his new brand, The Drunk Wedding Photographer. As he put it, a self-proclaimed mezcal and taco connoisseur, we had to get this guy on board.
And so glad we did because we were completely taken away by the photos!!! He was truly something special and captured our day perfectly. David completely outdid himself and we will forever be grateful to him. We are still speechless but filled with so much love. And yes, he was so right about waiting to hold the actual prints of our wedding pictures, there was something so magical about that. The presentation was gorgeous and we are so happy to have the physical photos. David is such a kind and generous person who went the extra mile and it is unlike anything we could have imagined. We thanked him so much and we really hope to work with him again! Not another wedding of course!!
Chelsea's wedding was published in the print issue of The White Wren Volume 6: The Real Life Issue
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Addie Ramonda
Choosing David as our wedding photographer was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. He was easy to contact and had timely responses, he was collaborative in his approach and listened to our ideas and how we wanted the day to be captured, he took the time to understand what we imagined and cared about bringing those ideas to life.
He set clear expectations for processing time and followed through perfectly. The presentation of the prints was absolutely beautiful, such a special touch. Every detail felt thoughtfully done. Also- Kodak film (from the little knowledge I have) is what helped contribute to the beauty of the color of our wedding photos!
What meant the most to us was how seamlessly he fit into the day. He never pulled us away from our guests or the moments we were living. Instead, he quietly documented everything as it unfolded, pure, honest, timeless, joy-filled moments we didn't even realize he was catching. David managed to get photos of everyone at our wedding and somehow bottled up all the joy and love that was present; looking through our pictures you can truly feel the day all over again. All of our guests loved David and enjoyed chatting with him! We are so grateful a he listened to everything we wanted and that meant the world to us!
Addie's wedding was published in the print issue of The White Wren Volume 8: Little Love Stories
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Christopher Park
From engagement to the wedding day was exactly nine months apart. Most of the major decisions were made very quickly because we knew exactly what we wanted. And of course, David Cruz The Drunk Wedding Photographer was at top of the list, booked first.
We found The Drunk Wedding Photographer via a simple Google search while combing through a number of potential photographers' websites. David's site had a lot of personality to it we liked, rooted in Los Angeles, and we loved that he uses Kodak film.
We're in the movie industry, so that detail is much appreciated. We also tend to hate overtly posed (read: cheesy) wedding photos you see a lot of the time. We knew we didn't want the shot of the bride looking longingly out the window. We wanted fun candids with only a couple produced moments, and lots of family photos! And David more than delivered and with prints on top of that!
Christopher's wedding was published in Boho Weddings and Bespoke Bride
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Beverly Carreon
We had such a wonderful experience working with David as our film photographer for our wedding at the Beverly Hills Courthouse. From start to finish, he was kind, professional, and so welcoming to us and our family who joined us. His demeanor is calm and collected, and he goes with the flow.
David guided us through getting our photography permit approved by the City of Beverly Hills, which made everything so much smoother. We were able to take our wedding pictures around City Hall and the courthouse, and the locations turned out beautifully on film. We finished our session at The Peninsula Beverly Hills for tea. He shot everything on 35mm film and delivered prints of every single photo he took so we could have as a keepsake, and be able to really see the photos in print, so when we wanted to order more, we had a real idea as to what the photos would look like as opposed to deciding from just a digital copy on a screen.
We had two meetings and several email exchanges to discuss everything, including locations, timing, and our expectations, and David made the whole process feel easy and enjoyable. He has a calm and sweet demeanor with a great sense of humor, which helped us feel relaxed in front of the camera. He was also very flexible with timing and any little changes that came up along the way.
We shared that our Boston Terrier, Zoey, was the most important participant in our wedding, and David truly understood the assignment. He was so patient and made sure Zoey felt comfortable, which meant a lot to us. We even added a Wendy's meal as a prop for some of the pictures, and it was so much fun to shoot those moments together. When our prints arrived, they were beautifully packaged, and it was so special to open them together. Our 35mm film wedding photos came out gorgeous, timeless, romantic and exactly what we hoped for. We're so glad we chose David to capture this day!
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