u/NobodyExtension1853

Do guests and their plus 1’s prefer to sit next to one another or across from one another at dinner?

Hi, for those of you who have booked city hall for a two hour weekend wedding? Do you have the entire city hall to yourself for that timeframe or are there other guests getting married just not in your area? Again, this is for a Weekend two hour wedding 3-5:00pm.

My fiancée and I are getting married at San Francisco City Hall! - private event 🥰
This is actually the first wedding I’ve ever attended (including my own 😅), so I’m struggling a little with the logistics and would love advice from people who’ve done something similar.
Our plan:
• Photos before the ceremony
• City Hall ceremony with about 50 guests currently
• Reception dinner afterward at a separate restaurant
A few things:
• We probably won’t have a first dance.
• We probably won’t do speeches/toasts.
• No DJ or dancing planned. No bridal party
Because of that, I’m worried about how to keep guests engaged and make the evening feel fun and interactive rather than just a nice dinner.
Questions:
1. What activities or interactive elements worked well at your City Hall wedding or restaurant reception?
2. Any inexpensive wedding favor ideas that guests actually liked?
3. What did your reception timeline look like after the ceremony?
4. Are there any logistics I should be thinking about that first-time brides often miss?
5. If you skipped dancing, speeches, or traditional wedding events, what did you do instead?
For context, we’ll have a mix of family and friends, and we’re hoping for something that feels intimate, relaxed, and meaningful without spending a fortune.
Would love to hear what worked (and what didn’t) for you!

Hi everyone! We’re planning a July wedding at San Francisco City Hall (buyout option) and are currently looking for photographer recommendations that also offer videography packages.

Ideally, we’d love someone who can:

• Meet us about an hour before the ceremony for private couple portraits around City Hall

• Capture the ceremony itself

• Take family photos afterward

• Provide coverage during our reception/dinner as well (at a separate location)

We’re hoping to find someone semi-affordable while still providing beautiful quality work. Any recommendations, portfolios, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Hi everyone, can you give me restaurant recommendations that can host and seat 100 people? We are getting married in July and trying to finalize a space to host our reception dinner. Thank you. Hoping to stay under $10,000

Hi everyone! I’m having a city hall wedding! I have a question. Do I have to feed people? Everything is so expensive for the amount of guests we have. Has anyone ever went to a wedding where food wasn’t provided?

Edit: thanks everyone for the response. We ultimately will end up feeding our guests just trying to find a space that can accommodate 100+ people including children and adults? If anyone one has any recommendations thank you

Hi everyone! My fiancée and I are planning our San Francisco City Hall wedding and are looking for restaurant recommendations for an evening reception afterward (after 5:00 PM towards end of July. We will have a 2 hr wedding. Also feel free to provide any tips for the Saturday 2 hour wedding

We are ideally looking for:
• Close to SF City Hall (walkable or short drive preferred)
• Able to accommodate around 100 guests
• Private or semi-private dining/buyout experience
• Beautiful ambiance already or allows decorating
• Allows outside wedding cake
• Good for a wedding reception dinner vibe

We’re open to different cuisines and would love somewhere that feels elegant, romantic, warm, and celebratory. Bonus if anyone has hosted a City Hall reception there before!

Would love recommendations, experiences, pricing insight, or photos if you’re willing to share. Thank you so much! 💛

hey everyone! What are your thoughts on secretly eloping? Have you done it? Did you tell family? Did you have a “wedding” later on? Fiancée and I are highly considering this for a few reasons 1. We are also trying to buy a house so we’d rather put money towards that first. 2. A few ppl on both sides of our family mostly hers love us individually but not together so we don’t want there negativity to still the joy of the day. 3. We are thinking of having a wedding next year & inviting both sides of the family. This would be our own little marriage bubble we’d live in and we’d go through with last name changes, updating things etc next year. What are your thoughts? Fiancée and I still want to have wedding also