City Hall Elopement | San Francisco, CA
We don’t photograph urban elopements often, but when we do, you can bet SF City Hall is at the top of our list—
This was our second time photographing love at this palatial courthouse, and boy, does this space truly never get old. Bailey and James saw photos from our last elopement at City Hall a few years back, and instantly knew this would be the place they would one day exchange vows too. I was so grateful they chose me to be part of it! San Francisco City Hall is truly a photographer’s playground, with so many unique architectural quirks and angles to play around with. As someone who photographs outdoor elopements and weddings on public land much more often than in the city, I loved the change of pace and the challenge that comes with documenting a wedding in a setting like this!
Bailey and I have been friends for years, and I really cherish the opportunity to be part of so many loved ones’ wedding days. This one was no exception. I had yet to meet James, but quite literally everyone who knows him loves him, and has said as much. I so anxiously anticipated this day with them for the many months we planned their elopement! Bailey and James collaborated to develop a very cinematic vision for their elopement photos, hoping to incorporate lots of motion, unique angles, and a little bit of blur to help these photos look like their memories of the day every time they looked back at them. I found myself so often with my shutter speed way down low, and getting creative with the movement during this entire photo session! The low light in San Francisco City Hall lent perfectly to this style of photography. I loved it.
Bailey and James met a few years ago on St. Patrick’s Day, and fell for each other quickly. Bailey has long described James as the most sweet, gentle guy who treats her better than she could have ever imagined (can confirm, he is exactly those things), and it’s so easy to see why she fell in love with him. A tradition they have kept their entire relationships is what they call their day dates— random week days spent trying new activities, seeing new cities in their area, and lingering over long conversations as they fall more deeply in love with each other. The two wanted their elopement day to flow just like this, a “day date” in San Francisco. I love the way they made this monumental day so quintessentially them, incorporating part of their relationship they both love so dearly. This day date would begin with exchanging vows at City Hall.
Pro tip: if you are getting married at City Hall, and haven’t reserved an entire balcony for your elopement, I would highly recommend beginning your photos as soon as City Hall opens. As you can probably imagine just seeing how beautiful this building is, this is a very popular location for couples near and far to get married. The space fills quickly, and you’re often not alone anywhere in the building. To minimize the crowds, get there early. I was so happy Bailey and James were into this idea! We met on the front steps when it opened, Bailey looking truly radiant in her red dress, and James dapper in his navy suit. We headed straight for the classic, very regal looking stairs, and began their photos there.
San Francisco City Hall has a few levels and so many layers of architectural prowess to marvel at. I love the surprises that seem to lie around every corner, and especially introducing couples to it all for the very first time. It is magic. What makes the space even more magical is a rare sunny morning, when Karl the Fog isn’t a factor. I am very grateful to say both elopements we’ve been part of at City Hall have taken place on sunny mornings. You cannot beat the soft beams of light that filter through the big windows on the fourth floor. After wandering through this absolute gem of a building, Bailey and James exchanged private vows on one of the balconies, the most sweetly emotional moment of our entire morning. After their legal ceremony, it was on with their day date! What a treat to play a small role in capturing this special day for Bailey and James! I hope you enjoy these photographs as much as we do 💓
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Because this is one of our favorite wedding venues in the Bay Area, we’ve been fortunate to photograph a number of weddings at San Francisco City Hall—
Though our editing style has evolved over the years, the heart behind the photos remains the same. In this post, I am going to be sharing recaps of a few more days we cherish still, and offer a few different perspectives of how to best use the gorgeous space City Hall (and the surrounding area!) has to offer. Keep scrolling to see more!
Dakota & Dom’s City Hall +
Mount Tamalpais Elopement
One of the underrated highlights of being a wedding photographer is befriending our couples’ closest friends. This is how Dakota & Dom came into our life last spring, and how we ended up photographing their very own marriage this spring. Dakota was a bridesmaid and long time childhood friend of our Higuera Ranch bride Montana, and so we got to spend a day with her too last spring when we photographed Montana & Sam’s wedding. I was floored when Dakota reached out to me in January about photographing her elopement to her (then) fiance Dom, and became even more excited when she told me their plans. Unbeknownst to her, Dakota & Dom’s vision for their elopement day included two bucket list destinations of mine I honestly believed I wouldn’t have the chance to photograph before we left California— San Francisco City Hall and Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais.
The following week we chatted through how she and Dom envisioned their wedding day— exchanging vows on a Friday morning at the palatial SF City Hall before heading across the Golden Gate to the Pacific side of Mount Tam for a little sunset session. To add to the dream locations, Dakota and Dom are the most kind and thoughtful people (we are very very lucky and honored to be working our way through photographing this friend group!!!!), and saying yes to spending one of the most special days of their lives with them was so easy.
Fast forward to an unusually sunny morning in late March. We’d done our research and arrived at San Francisco City Hall for the couple’s elopement photos bright and early (pro tip: plan to take photos right when City Hall opens to mitigate crowds!!). We only ran into one other couple the entire hour we were taking photos in City Hall (I understand this is a bit unheard of for this popular location in San Francisco!), and the early morning sunlight coming through the giant windows lit up the whole place so magically. I immediately understood why everyone and their mother flocks to SF City Hall for elopement photos!
This was our first time photographing in an urban landscape (we are so country, haha), and I fell in love with this unique opportunity to use all the angles, architecture, and bending light to frame Dakota and Dom in their photos. City Hall is truly one of those places you can see a million photos of, have your breath taken away, and then arrive in person and still have your jaw hit the floor. This really was such a unique experience, and I am so grateful for Dakota and Dom bringing us up to San Francisco to photograph their elopement in such a special place!
Later that evening we met back up with Dakota and Dom at Mount Tamalpais. We were absolutely expecting fog, but the whole day ended up being completely sunny and straight up gorgeous. Since we took more formal elopement photos at San Francisco City Hall, Dakota and Dom’s vision for the Mt. Tam portion of the day was more of an “engagement session” style. They brought a picnic blanket and pizza with them to enjoy the sunset, hoping to have some very real life photos of a typical date night in their relationship. These two love the outdoors, and escape downtown San Francisco to go hiking or simply be in nature every chance they get, often ending up in Marin on one of the many miles of trails throughout the area. Sunset picnics cap off these days, and we loved having the opportunity to photograph Dakota and Dom in their element.
Overall, this day was a dream come true with an equally dream couple whose love for each other is so dang tangible (you’ll have to scroll through their photos to see what I mean!!). Dakota and Dom, we are so grateful for you and are honored to have captured this milestone in your life together :’)
Hi there! We’re Katie & Joseph, a husband and wife team, and destination elopement photographers.
We are big fans of documenting marriage in an unposed, raw, genuine, and honest way that allows our couples to maximize their experience on their day while also receiving a gallery full of stunning images that communicate how it felt to be there.
Though we’re based in Arizona + California, we’ll travel anywhere for a good love story. We invite you to follow the links below to learn more about us and our services, and to get in contact with us!
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