Aliyah and Malik planned a full day’s adventure for their San Francisco City Hall elopement. It was the perfect mix of city and nature which you can only really find in San Francisco.
They started their days by getting ready at the Fairmont Hotel. This classic and iconic hotel is the perfect place to get ready or even hold a small wedding ceremony in San Francisco.
Getting Ready at the Fairmont Hotel
While Aliyah and Malik opted for a just them elopement. Aliyah got ready with her family by her side including her sister who did her hair, her mom, cousin, and baby niece.
Using some points they were actually able to get two rooms at the Fairmont so they could have a true first look. So, Malik getting ready by himself in a room while Aliyah got ready in a suite.
First Look at in the Garden
If you didn’t already know, the Fairmont SF has this gorgeous garden on their lobby floor. And so, that’s where Aliyah and Malik did their first look. It’s was perfect spot!
Then after their first look we headed out for their San Francisco City Hall elopement.
San Francisco City Hall Elopement
Because a civil ceremony is soo quick, they opted to read private vows to each other before hand. So, we went to the fourth floor for some perfect lighting.
Since it was just the 3 of us I signed Aliyah and Malik’s marriage license as their witness.
SF City Hall Civil Ceremony
Tips for Your San Francisco City Hall Elopement
- Try to pick the first or last ceremony of the day if you’re hoping for a mostly empty city hall.
- Allocate at least 2 hours in City Hall for photos. You never know if it’s going to be crowded or empty so on the safe side I always plan for at least 2 hours.
- If you are doing a civil ceremony can your marriage license on a different day then your ceremony.
If you want a full breakdown of my tips and tricks for having a San Francisco City Hall elopement check out this post.
After city hall the real adventure began! We headed out to downtown for some food because everyone was starving by now. Remember it’s always important to fuel up on an elopement day!
Downtown Portraits
This spot in north beach is one of my favorites! It has amazing views of downtown San Francisco with the iconic Transamerica building in the background.
Pier 7 Portraits
We had a little change of plans due to Karl (the fog). Originally Aliyah and Malik really want to do Marshall’s Beach and the the Marin Headlands to end the day. Both of those locations have amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge. However, Karl had different plans. And while downtown and the Embarcadero had great views and the sun out the fog was very thick in the Sunset and there was basically no visibility by the bridge. 🙁
So, we changed plans after our downtown stop and headed to Pier 7.
Then, after Pier 7 we headed to Sutro Baths, now the original gorgeous view we had imagined but still beautiful nonetheless.
Sutro Bath Portraits
Perfect ending to a perfect day.
Meet Your San Francisco Wedding Photographer
Hi, I’m Torez. I’m a Bay Area native-born and a San Francisco wedding photographer. The Bay will always be home to me and I’d love to show you around some of my favorite spots and capture your memories! I’m an absolute hopeless romantic and I watch all of the rom-com and corny Hallmark movies without any shame. And I cry at every single wedding I go to.
I help all my couples through the planning process. You don’t have to keep track of all your wild ideas. Any time you have an idea, you can pop into your inbox and send me a message. It’s super easy! And I’ll be there to make you laugh, guide you through the whole process, and make things easy and fun. I love to meet couples where they’re at whether that’d be being silly and candid or maybe more serious and posed. Let’s capture you being you and having fun!
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