Vintage Inspired Fourth Floor Wedding at SF City Hall!
When you think about a "City Hall" wedding, what images does it conjure in your mind's eye? You might think about something that's very quick and basic, and while that is an option, I'm here to tell you that there's a whole other level that you could be exploring. With a little bit of wedding planning, (and that's where we come in), you could have many of the traditional elements of a big wedding, but on a smaller scale and at a fraction of the cost.
You won't be walking into a crowded office for your ceremony, or getting married in a tacky fake chapel with cheap decorations. Nope, not for you! And not for Hailey and Frankie either. When Hailey first reached out to me, she said that she was dreaming about a wedding with a romantic and timeless vibe. She wanted something intimate and special for her and Frankie, and their darling little boy. To put her plan in motion, they decided to rent the fourth floor North Gallery, at San Francisco City Hall.
The first big move they made, was to book two rooms at the very vintage and luxurious Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. This gem of the city opened in 1907 and perfectly matches the vibe of San Francisco City Hall. Its old-world beauty can't be matched. They decided that investing in more wedding photography and videography coverage of their day was very important to them and they wanted to document every moment. The bride and groom each had their own room and their own posse of wedding helpers, basically a "team bride" and a "team groom" to help them get ready for their wedding.
The bride didn't want her fiance to see her before she walked down the aisle at their wedding ceremony, but she did want a first look with her dad! I thought this was the sweetest tradition, and you can just feel all of the love and emotion on his face when he turns around and sees his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time! Her room came with a beautiful balcony overlooking the courtyard below, and it's the perfect location for bridal portraits. Meanwhile, the groom and his boys are getting ready in their own suite. There is plenty of joking around, but also tender moments. Their little boy is a carbon copy of his dad in his mini tuxedo and bow tie.
The Fairmont Hotel is the type of place that delights your eyes, no matter where you look. It has a huge courtyard with palm trees, beautifully manicured gardens, and a fountain. Inside the building, there's a plush and vintage lobby that includes a golden staircase, velvet settees, and plenty of space to take your pictures and not feel crowded by the other guests. It's the perfect place to stay before your SF City Hall wedding day starts.
There are plenty of ways to get from the hotel to City Hall. You can drive yourselves, take an Uber, or rent a luxury classic car to enhance the vintage vibe on your way to your San Francisco wedding. We have a list of classic car vendors and would be happy to assist you in finding all of the elements to make your day perfect.
Once Hayleigh and Frankie each made their way to the top floor of City Hall, and all of the guests were seated, Hailey took her father's arm and walked down the aisle to Frankie, as he stood eagerly waiting for her. They made their promises of forever and sealed those promises with a kiss.
Afterward, they had a lovely family photo session on the very roomy fourth-floor space that they had rented. The Fourth Floor North Gallery and the Mayor's Balcony on the second floor, which overlooks the whole atrium and grand staircase, can be rented for one hour at the cost of $1000. Let me take a minute to walk you through how to get married at San Francisco City Hall on one of the balconies.
All couples getting married at San Francisco City Hall will need to obtain a California Marriage License. You'd go online to any of the County Clerks in the state of California and see what requirements they have for you to get your marriage license. Some County Clerk offices want you to make an appointment ahead of time, others will let you upload your forms online, and then both of you can show up with a valid ID and pick up your paperwork. Once you've obtained the paperwork, bring it with you to your wedding ceremony in a big flat envelope and keep it in perfect shape. No wrinkles or smudges or it could get rejected.
Next, you'll want to go online to the San Francisco City Hall Events Department and look for the tab that says One Hour Weddings. Those are the weddings that are $1000 to rent a floor space in the building and they are offered Monday to Friday only. (If you want a Saturday event, it's $5000 to rent the first two floors for two hours) The floors are available from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The two spaces are different sizes, with the Fourth Floor seating forty guests and the Fourth-floor seating sixty guests. You can have standing room only on both floors with a total of one hundred guests, including those that are seated. A wedding officiant is not included with the floor, but our team has several wonderful San Francisco wedding officiants to choose from. We can also help book your wedding bridal bouquet and hair and makeup artists. You can rent chairs, and they have three different types to choose from, at different prices. I always tell my brides that the less expensive ones are just fine. You can view the floor rental calendar on the SF City Hall Events website.
Of course, our favorite part of any wedding day is the couple's portrait session! Hayleigh and Frankie booked enough time so that they had a very nice photoshoot in SF City Hall and were able to have the grand staircase all to themselves at the end of the day. They'll have these pictures for the rest of their lives, and be able to pass them on down to their little one someday. The bride had saved some pictures of her favorite poses and locations in the building. She showed the images to her photographer and wedding videographer, so they could create the exact portfolio that she'd had in mind. Posing guidance is always included for all of our couples, and even though you can show us a photo of what you like, you might still be unsure of how to create that look for yourselves. We're trained and ready to jump in and direct, flick stray hairs away, and tell you when you need to make any clothing adjustments.
If you are interested in having a wedding like this one or have some wedding inspiration, but don't know how to pull your dream day together, please reach out to us through our contact page on the website. We'd love to bring your wedding dream to life.
