About this vendor
If you want a church ceremony, we are your crown jewel. The main sanctuary is reminiscent of the old churches in Europe, featuring Neogothic architecture and the home to the world’s largest and oldest working church pipe organ (just under 20,000 pipes). We also have varied reception areas including outdoor courtyards, a banquet hall, and historical parlors. FCCLA is completely open to all couples wanting to get married. Happily welcoming same-sex as well as inter faith couples. Two ceremony venues to choose from: Sanctuary which fits up to 1000 guests, or Shatto Chapel which fits up to 100 guests. These two ceremony venues are hidden gems in the heart of LA. For more information or to book a venue tour, please email weddings@fccla.org.
Amenities + details
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Wireless Internet
Settings
- Garden
- Religious Setting
- Church
Venue Service Offerings
- Planning
Reviews
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4.2
out of 5.05 reviews
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Frustrating Experience with Unfulfilled Promises and Lack of Communication
We had high hopes for holding our wedding at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, given their values of inclusivity, transparency, and excellence. Unfortunately, our experience has been nothing short of disappointing, and despite reaching out multiple times, we’ve received no acknowledgment or apology for the difficulties we faced.
From the outset, the booking process was confusing and disorganized. After expressing interest in securing a time for March 2025, we were left in limbo for weeks, receiving vague and delayed responses. The church communicated that there was a hold on our desired time slot, but after multiple follow-ups, it took more than a week to hear that it was no longer available.
Throughout the process, it was nearly impossible to get clear answers. We made several attempts to contact the wedding and events manager via phone and email, but calls went unanswered, and responses to emails were sporadic at best. When we did receive a response, it was often unclear and lacked the necessary information we needed to proceed with planning our wedding.
The lack of transparency around available time slots, particularly with the shifting deadlines and minimal support, left us feeling disregarded and frustrated. The final blow came just days before our deadline when we were told that none of the available options for our wedding date worked for us.
Despite all of this, we have yet to receive an apology or any acknowledgment of the poor communication and the stress it caused. Their commitment to justice, transparency, and inclusivity on their website felt at odds with the actual experience we had, which ultimately led us to seek a more responsive and supportive venue.
It’s a shame that after multiple attempts to reach out and explain our concerns, the church has failed to address our issues or offer an apology. For couples seeking clarity, professionalism, and care in the wedding planning process, we would not recommend First Church based on our experience.
My sister-in-law actually found First Congregational Church of Los Angeles on the Knot's website. When we took a tour, we were in absolute awe of the atmosphere. It's got an ENORMOUS chapel with beautifully traditional gothic vines. And the attentive staff! Erica and Eduardo are both a dream to work with--so organized and detail-oriented. And the organist was included. It added the perfect touch to the gothic church. All of our guests couldn't stop talking about the ceremony. We did the Platinum package, and it was so convenient (and $$ saving) to do so. The reception hall isn't as decked out as the chapel, but it was gorgeous nonetheless. We would absolutely do it all over again.
If you take nothing else away from this review, just know that our experience with the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles for our wedding was absolutely superb from start to finish, and we have no hesitations recommending them to anyone looking for a breathtaking venue for their wedding.
We began planning for our wedding one year ago and had researched quite a few LA-area venues online. This was the first one we arranged to see, and while we had others in mind, the moment we walked into the sanctuary, we decided that this was where we wanted to get married. The main sanctuary simply has to be seen to be believed (pictures hint at its beauty, but ultimately do not do it justice). It is immense, gorgeous, grand, and simply breathtaking. Everyone at our wedding commented on how beautiful the church was, and we cannot imagine having gotten married anywhere else.
What we are most excited to recommend to others, however, is the fantastic team that has been assembled at FCCLA. We worked with Craig and his team from day one, and the energy and enthusiasm they brought to the proceedings cannot be overstated. Craig in particular was incredibly diligent throughout, quick in responding to all of my inquiries, and thorough in his responses. He coordinated with all the members of his team to accommodate us in all of our various idiosyncratic requests (song requests, use of church equipment, finding a spot for our puppy bar...), and on the day of he was instrumental in helping everything come together (even staying until the very end of the night to snap some last pictures for us). We cannot say enough about how much we enjoyed working with him and the rest of his team.
All in all: our wedding day was one of the best days of our lives, and this is in large part thanks to Craig and his team. Five stars, ten out of ten, two thumbs up, etc. etc. etc. Simply a beautiful experience.
We loved the church as well as the wedding coordinating staff! Larry was an amazing coordinator and had everything planned just the way we wanted. The church itself is breathtaking and every one of our guests was left speechless!!
We had our wedding ceremony at this wonderful and historic church Memorial Day weekend May 29, 2010. I've always wanted to get married here as I have a history with this church. I(the bride) graduated from Pilgrim School (the school affiliated with the church). As an alumni , they gave us a discount. I've always loved the beauty of this church. The architecture, the arches, the gardens and of course the organ is phenominal ! It has the largest church organ in the world and I've always loved the sound of it. The center aisle is 150ft long. We had around 375-380 guests and the church seats well over 1000.
The church coordinator Nancy Huddleston is great. She's very knowledgeable and thorough. She answered all my emails and questions promptly. She helped a lot with the selection of music for the ceremony and lots of other things. They even gave us an audio cd of our wedding ceremony.
A few other things... This church is very strict on the music it allows to be sung or played. Also, this church is pretty dark inside so you need a knowledgeable photographer to deal with the lighting or else your pictures will turn out pretty dark (no flash photography is allowed during the ceremony). My photographer was excellent and my pictures were great !
Contact
540 S. Commonwealth Ave, Los Angeles, CA
First Congregational Church
First Congregational Church's photos