Hi all! Just got married this past weekend and we couldn’t have been happier with how it all turned out. This thread was incredibly helpful for our wedding planning and I wanted to share in case it’s helpful for future brides plus shout out all our wonderful vendors.

We had an American ceremony and reception on Friday, then a Chinese tea ceremony and banquet on Saturday. My parents covered Saturday as their gift to us, so I’ll just be focusing on Friday in this post (amounts are slightly rounded up).

tl;dr

Essentials (venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, bartender): $16,810

Miscellaneous: $7,240

Total: $24,050

THE ESSENTIALS: $16,810

This covers things that we felt were truly necessary. We wanted to prioritize good food and fun vibes within a reasonable budget over anything else.

Venue: $2,980, Plant Connection (8 hours)

A hidden affordable gem in Embarcadero! Loved having a private jungle in the middle of the city, making it accessible for our guests staying all over the bay. It had indoor and outdoor spaces with string lights. They were open to all vendors and caterers except requiring one specific bartending company. But most of all, they were so lovely to work with and flexible with our needs.

Caterer: $6,750, Burma Superstar

We wanted nontraditional wedding food and we were so thrilled to have one of our favorite restaurants cater! The setup was so professional and our guests loved it.

Photographer: $3,600, Justin Kunimoto

A lovely friend I met through my best friend’s wedding! He somehow knows how to coordinate formal photos, group photos, and casual photos while being simultaneously professional and kind. Plus he brings such great energy to the party, people loved him!

DJ: $2,750, DJ Sami from Heart of Gold

We love music and had inspirational playlists sent over to DJ Sami. They understood the assignment and delivered the funky vibes we wanted!

Bartender: $730, On the Rocks

Super responsive and flexible to our wants! Everyone kept saying how nice our bartender was.

MISCELLANEOUS: $7,240

This covers things that we felt could be more flexible about.

Dress: $430, Anthropologie sample sale

Omg, the dress gods truly blessed me. I tried two bridal salons but somehow found my dress on a random sample sale day that made me feel the most beautiful and confident.

Alterations: $1,130

I’m based in Philly and I wanted to cut the train entirely not only to make traveling easier but also because it was my personal taste.

Shoes: $0, my Mom’s wedding shoes

Second dress: $660, East Meets Dress

I didn’t end up changing but they were incredibly helpful in creating a custom dress that I envisioned: a pink cheongsam with fringes as a node to my Chinese-American identity between the white American dress and red Chinese dress. However, I did wear one of their cheongsams for Saturday’s banquet and felt so beautiful and comfortable the entire night.

Digital wedding invitations: $70, WithJoy

For save-the-dates, we did a workaround by using their free General Messaging ;)

Engagement and wedding rings: $1,230, Bario Neal and Hitched

Makeup: $0, myself

I don’t usually wear much makeup and I couldn’t stomach the costs of professional makeup, so I decided to practice for months before the wedding. I’m still so happy with how the photos turned out :)

Videographer: $150, camcorder from Amazon

Day-of Coordinator: $400, Friend’s sister so we comped her hotel stay

Hair: $0, my hairstylist is a friend and gifted this to me (I still left a big tip)

Bouquet: $20, Amadeus Flower kiosk

Cakes (2 of them): $280, Lady M

Alcohol: $1,000, Total Wine

Gel nails: $100

Brow lamination and tint: $250

Groom’s suit: $1,100, Suit Supply

Random items (cocktail napkins, plates, table numbers and signs, waters, playing cards, parking vouchers, tablecloths): $420

Hi everyone, we graduated April 25th at Deer Park Villa in Marin County, wanted to share our budget & vendor recap in case it's useful to someone! We were pretty on-target with our budget, since we didn't originally count rehearsal lunch and tips anyway.

Guests invited: 161
Guests attended: 122
Target budget: $65,000
Actual spend: $71,143

REHEARSAL LUNCH: $1,300
We had rehearsal the morning before and then had lunch at Laos Kitchen in San Rafael for 32 people. Everything was super delicious and reasonably priced, highly recommend.

VENUE: $17,440
Deer Park Villa felt like an enchanted courtyard in a fantasy forest. It was so beautiful that we decided we could scale back on the florals and let the surroundings speak for themselves. The cost includes their inventory of tables, chairs, wooden arch, barrels, easels, etc. We also added on the Bridal Cottage rental, which was VERY worth it for our bridal party. It was spacious, well-lit, and provided an extra 3 bathrooms.

The venue manager, Vivian, was always responsive and helpful so it was a great experience with DPV. We were able to drop off our items the day before (during rehearsal) and pick up the day after (before noon).

FOOD: $14,000
Trattoria di Vittorio is a preferred caterer with DPV. We had passed appetizers, plated salads, 4 family-style entrées, and tiramisu for dessert (served alongside cake). Vittorio also provided all necessary staffing, dishware, and linens. Everything was tasty with generous portions (and refills!), which was important to us.

DRINKS: $7,912
The bar package is through the venue (no outside alcohol). We opted for the beer+wine package with 2 signature cocktails and a champagne toast. The bar service was amazingly smooth, our guests have commented how surprised they were that there was almost never a line!

PHOTOGRAPHER: $5,250
We loved our photographer Hyemee (merrydio.photo on IG)! She is so experienced, understood our vision, and kept things running with us when the day-of coordinator was busy doing other things. We asked for mostly candids with some posed photos, which she seamlessly directed us through. The package was $5,000 for 8-hour coverage with a second shooter, plus $250 add-on for an extra hour. Our full album isn't back yet, but she was so generous with the sneak peeks that I had plenty to add here already :)

DJ: $2,295
Runaway DJ is the preferred DJ with DPV, so they knew the venue like the back of their hand while also having great pricing so it was an easy decision to go with them. DJ Dom MC'd announcements for us and kept the dance floor bumping with our favorite songs.

VIDEOGRAPHER: $2,000
We wanted to keep the memories of important events but didn’t care too much about getting the edited videos or content, so we asked a talented filmmaker cousin to take raw videos for us so we could have them home movie-style.

HAIR & MAKEUP: $1,975
This includes bridal hair & makeup as well as hair & makeup for 3 other people and one service (hair or makeup) for 4 other people. Bridal hair & makeup was done by BeautywithCherie and she made me look like a fairy princess! Cherie was meticulous with the details and worked with me to make sure everything was exactly to my preference. She brought along 2 assistants so we could all be done in a reasonable timeframe.

A couple women weren’t 100% satisfied with their results with the assistants, but they were also working on much more of a time crunch with no trial, so I think it’s par for the course. Everyone still looked beautiful and elegant!

FLORALS + DECOR: $3,375
Our florals (by eventful_studios on IG) were heavy on the greenery with an assortment of white flowers (mix of real + faux per my request) to stay within our budget. The cost was $2,375 for the arch, aisle markers, bridal bouquet, 6 bridesmaids bouquets, 7 boutonnieres, 2 flower girl crowns, and centerpieces (head table + 13 guest tables).

I estimate ~$1,000 was spent on miscellaneous items (candles, vases, mirrors, signage, baskets, pens, wooden animals for table number holders, Instax film, etc.)

CAKE: $932
Strawberry shortcake from Satura Bakery in Los Altos - so good!! We got a 7" cutting cake and sheet cakes for the guests.

ATTIRE: $3,953
Wedding dress ($1,900), veil ($200), and alterations ($600) were from J'aime Bridal in Pleasanton and their in-house tailor, Janis. Shoes were $88, the Naturalizer Vera Sandal was so comfortable I didn't even need to change out of my heels! Halo headband was from Cayla Couture ($165) and jewelry was kindly gifted by my mother.

Groom's custom suit ($800) and bow tie and groomsmens' matching ties ($200) were from Hong Kong.

DAY-OF COORDINATOR: $2,750
Erin with Riley Reece Events was a preferred planner/coordinator with DPV. Nothing went wrong, which I will attribute to her hard work behind the scenes! There were some details with decor that didn't turn out exactly as communicated, but nothing ever goes 100% according to the dream vision. We didn't have to think about any logistics on the day of, so I'm happy!

STATIONERY: $674
Invites ($130) and programs ($319) were drawn by me and printed at a local print shop. The programs included the seating chart inside so we didn’t need to make a separate one. Menus & table numbers were $185 for the paper and printed on a used color printer ($40 from FB Marketplace). Envelope liners were also DIY.

RINGS: $1,900
$1,600 for my wedding band from Mist Fine Jewelry in SF, $300 for his wedding band from Hong Kong

SHUTTLE: $1,657
We used Umbrella Global Bus for our shuttle service to & from our hotel blocks in San Rafael. Of note, they ran a little late which made guests nervous that they had missed the shuttle altogether. But everyone was picked up and made it to the ceremony on time so all was fine in the end.

MISCELLANEOUS: $3,830

• Tips: $3,300
• Late-night snacks (s'mores kits, instant ramen bar): ~$100
• Temporary tattoo bar: ~$100
• Giant crossword: $30 for the frame (FB Marketplace) and $20 for the poster (printed at Walgreens)
• Dance classes: $280 for 3 lessons from Park Avenue Ballroom in San Jose. Highly recommended for beginners! We wanted a relaxed, not-too-choreographed yet polished first dance and got exactly that
• Outside help: so much personalization was only possible thanks to a kindly gifted Cricut from my sister!! The materials for our DIY velvet mushrooms were purchased by my amazing bridesmaid

Hi, everyone! I am a wedding photographer. Me and my boo are getting married 7/7/27. I’m looking for a digital + film photographer with this style. However, I would prefer to edit these myself. I understand this is out of the norm, but I unfortunately cannot take them myself. I would get my photography friend to do so, but I am looking for someone with experience shooting at the SF City Hall. My style is moody/dreamy.

I am willing to supply the SD cards and film. I am also fine processing it myself, just let me know how much you charge to actually take the photos minus film cost.

Would love you there for the ceremony, family photos, + a few pictures inside/outside afterwards.

Looking for:
- A mix of romantic candid + editorial (for formal shots)
- Max 2 hrs of coverage
- Canon shooter, R6 Mark II or R5 and above
- 3 rolls of 35mm film
- More than 3 weddings at SF City Hall

If this is possible, please let me know! Would love a link to your website or socials. Just message me! Would prefer under $2k, but open to higher rates.

Hi all, I finally got around to writing about our city hall wedding and wanted to share our recap since I know there are a ton of different ways to do a city hall wedding and this subreddit was so helpful to me while planning our own! You can also check out this post for a complete breakdown of the weekend: https://discoveroverthere.com/san-francisco-city-hall-wedding-recap/

Our wedding was back in September 2025 and I wanted to share how we split the weekend across two days since I couldn't find many examples of this format.

We did SF City Hall on a Friday at 3pm (one-hour ceremony, 4th floor) with ~22 close family and friends, cocktail hour, and a dinner reception that night.

Then a separate Saturday after-party for ~80 people. It let us keep the actual ceremony small and intimate without making our local friends feel left out.

Day 1 (Friday): the actual wedding
Day 1 total: ~$20,310

• 3pm one-hour ceremony, 4th Floor North Gallery ($1,150 City Hall permit)
• Black SUV Escalade for transportation from the Fairmont to Golden Gate Bridge + Legion of Honor for photos, then to City Hall (~$430). I wanted a limo, but husband said it would feel too much like prom haha.
• Got ready at the Fairmont Buckingham Suite, 2 nights ($3,500). Worth it for the photos AND the space, we used it for cocktail hour after
• Cocktail hour back at the suite, DIY'd entirely with BevMo, IKEA glasses for the champagne tower, and Trader Joe's flowers. Brie Grazing Boards delivered the spread (~$670), plus decor (candles, linens, little touches) that we reused for dinner
• Photography (@yourgirlmark, ~$7,500) and content creator (@mybigdaybestie, ~$1,175) covered getting ready, Golden Gate Bridge photos, the ceremony, dinner, and a few hours of Saturday. Photography was the one area I refused to cut and I have zero regrets
• Dinner at Original Joe's North Beach, Salesian Room, the Exclusive package, 4 courses, ~$4,385 for ~20 people including alcohol (minimum was $3,000, we went over on drinks). One of the best-value private dining rooms in SF for a small wedding

Tips if you're considering city hall: the noise is real on a Friday afternoon. Kids screaming, tourists walking through. Aim for an earlier slot if quiet vows matter to you. Also the permit process is competitive. Someone challenged us for our date 14 months out and we had 48 business hours to scramble for a money order.

Day 2 (Saturday): the after-party
Day 2 total: ~$23,135

• Left Door buyout (the speakeasy above Bus Stop Bar in the Marina), 7-10pm, ~$17,934 covering food, drinks, and the space. Plus $500 for our own DJ, Akhil Dua, who absolutely delivered. Total: ~$18,435
• After-after-party karaoke at Pandora (~$4,700). Planned for 10-15 close friends, ended up with ~30 of us piled into the biggest room they had. Drinks flowing, singing at the top of our lungs until close. Highly recommend Pandora if you want a karaoke spot in SF that can actually fit a wedding-sized group

The space at Left Door is genuinely beautiful (floral wallpaper, velvet chairs, themed rooms) and the photos came out incredible. But I would not recommend Left Door for events right now. Three big issues:

• Communication was so poor I was DMing the events coordinator on Instagram to get responses
• A month before the wedding they doubled the DJ fee despite our signed contract and $9K deposit, and said the house DJ wouldn't take requests. We had to find our own.
• The night of, no one would tell us where we stood on the F&B minimum. We asked multiple times. Got the final bill a week later and found out we'd been $4,000 under, money we would've happily spent on shots and bottles to take home if anyone had told us. Their "make it right" gesture was a ~$500 comped meal

Beautiful venue but definitely don't recommend for private events. it's definitely worth calling out, though, that the staff and bartenders were absolutely amazing on the night of. they definitely made sure that we always had drinks in our hands and there was always food out on the table. They helped us coordinate the night because we also had a few speeches before the DJ started playing music. So my complaints above are specifically around the events team at Left Door and the folks working behind the scenes.

Total cost: ~$54,700

And if you're doing the math you'll notice Day 1 + Day 2 doesn't actually add up to $54,700 lol. Here's what I didn't break out above because it didn't really live on either day:

• Bridal attire (~$6,000): Jenny Yoo dress, alterations, Alexandra Grecco veil, shoes, jewelry, etc
• Wedding rings (~$2,000): custom rings we got made in Japan on a trip last year
• Hair, makeup, & lashes (~$1,245): went with Houseofglampro and was super happy with how it turned out
• Misc (~$2,000): marriage license, Uber vouchers for guests, Trader Joe's florals, Amazon decor (bud vases, table runners, Bagel's pink dress lol), tips, and a hundred other small things I stopped tracking by month 12 of planning.

I spent hours writing up our full weekend in detail over on my blog so if you want to see more photos and get a lot more context on the day itself, including the reasoning behind each venue, where we took photos, how we found our photographer, etc, I'm sharing the link here: https://discoveroverthere.com/san-francisco-city-hall-wedding-recap/

but feel free to message me with any questions!