r/SanFranciscoWeddings

Hi everyone! Unfortunately, my photographer had to back out last minute (for a very valid reason!) so I’m looking for a film photographer to shoot a surprise proposal in Golden Gate Park on the morning of Sunday, August 9th. My budget is around 400-500 dollars (if this is unrealistic, let me know!) Let me know if you have any recommendations!

My gf is pretty adamanent that she wants a lowkey proposal that doesn’t seem super extravagant, so this would just be the proposal and a few shots afterwords!

Also, know it’s OSL that weekend, planning to do it in the east-side of the park.

I’m hoping to get some advice from people who have gotten married at San Francisco City Hall because I’m starting to overthink the logistics.

From everything I’ve researched, it seems like the best time to be at City Hall is first thing in the morning. Most photographers and blogs say the early morning is ideal because there are fewer people, you can get photos in all the iconic spots without crowds in the background, and the whole experience feels calmer and less overwhelming.

Here’s where I’m getting confused.

We’re considering booking a private one-hour ceremony on the 4th floor, but if we book the first time slot (9:00–10:00 AM), wouldn’t we miss the best opportunity for photos? We’d need to arrive early to check in (8:30am), so I don’t see how we’d have time to take photos before the ceremony. Then by the time the ceremony is over around 10:00 AM, it sounds like City Hall is already getting much busier.

Because of that, I’m wondering if it actually makes more sense to book an afternoon private ceremony and arrive early in the morning to take all of our portraits before the crowds show up. That seems more logical to me, but I feel like I’m missing something since so many people recommend the first ceremony slot.

For those of you who had a private ceremony:

What time was your ceremony?

Did you take photos before or after the ceremony?

If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same time slot?

Is there an advantage to the 9:00 AM private ceremony that I’m not considering?

I’d really love to hear about your experience and whether, in hindsight, you would have done anything differently. I just want to make sure we plan the day in the best way possible and don’t accidentally use the quietest part of the day for the ceremony instead of the photos.

I’m getting married in October at an all outdoor venue in Sonoma. The ceremony starts at 4:00 pm and reception goes until 10:00pm. Historically temps in October range from 68-75 during sunlight but can drop all the way to 50 at night. I’m getting a bit worried about guest comfort. We have rented 6 heaters and I’ll be getting blankets for guests. There is an in door plan b for me but if we do that then we loose our full bar and have to only serve wine and beer ( their liquor license changes I guess). Any past fall Sonoma or Napa brides dealt with this before? Any other tips for guest comfort?

Looking for a photographer who's free on 7/17/26 for a few hours, either morning or mid-day (to be sorted out- we're flexible 😄).

This will be a very relaxed and private elopement. I've reached out to a few photographers but they all have booked events for this day. Maybe you're free and want to squeeze in an extra shoot?

As I mentioned, we're pretty flexible on things- ideally you would join us to shoot the ceremony. We could also potentially just meet up for a fun session on the coast or in the city. We're planning an extremely private ceremony in the redwoods with just an officiant and one witness, which should be pretty magical. And even though it's private and "low key", we are dressing up and making this a special day.

Stylistically, we love a cinematic, film-inspired aesthetic with soft, muted colors and natural editing—not the bright, highly saturated "light and airy" look. We care much more about storytelling, atmosphere, and authentic emotion than perfectly posed photos.

Budget is negotiable- and I respect the work that professional photography is. I do expect to pay a bit more than a typical engagement or couples shoot rate given the importance of the day and really wanting to lock it in (think: no rescheduling). This will be 1-2 hours of shooting plus your travel time to wherever we agree to shoot. Also want to compensate you for your editing services and any hard product you typically include. I respect the responsibility that comes with capturing a big day. On the flip side there won't be getting ready photos, a reception to shoot, dancing, family photos, or venue photos to capture.

If this sounds like a good fit for you, and you're free and interested, you can respond here or DM me and let's chat!

any ideas on what would be a nice beach to do an engagement photoshoot any where in the bay area? thinking about aug/september and hoping for it to be sunny & not too windy.

Hi! I’m looking for recommendations for photographers on August 1st in the SF area who can photograph a surprise proposal, budget is around $500. Please let me know if you’d know of anyone!

Curious to hear from people who've had or photographed ceremonies at City Hall on Friday afternoons recently, which I've heard are the busiest. Is it a madhouse? Super loud? Are you able to take any of the iconic photos (stairs, upper gallery)?

Hello. I am from toronto, canada and will be marrying my fiance who is from bay area in September. We are looking for some suggestions and ideas regarding post marriage party to our friend circle. We would be 10-12 people, all of the friends are from toronto and anything would be a new experience for them. I do not have much idea of the best spots in the bay area so looking for some good suggestions from the community.
Preference wise my friends like to drink so it would be drink and food focused, it would be in the evening in a weekend. Location preference would be

1. any thing that has hill top patio with beautiful city view, does not specifically has to be sf city view but any city.
2. anything with water view would be great
3. anything with both hilltop view and waterview would be excellent.
4. anything with all three, hilltop view, waterview and great music would be a dream come true.

We are also open to suggestions for anything that is away but commutable from bay area aswell.

Hi I'm looking for a DJ for my small (<30 people) wedding in September in Sea Ranch. Would like to spend at most $1k for 2 hours. Any recs?

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.

I'm looking for recommendations for a cleaner that has experience with heavily embellished Indian bridal wear. My biggest concern is that my lehenga has a mix of sewn-on and glued-on stones/jewels, and I'm terrified that the dry cleaning process will cause all of the glued embellishments to fall off.

If you've had your bridal lehenga cleaned, where did you go? Did everything hold up well afterward? I'd especially love recommendations for places that took extra care with delicate beadwork and embellishments.

Thanks so much! I'm probably overthinking it, but this dress means a lot to me and I want to make sure it's in good hands. ❤️

Hi! We’re having a reception for 35 people in SF after our city hall ceremony and was curious what people recommend. It’ll be a dinner reception! Our budget is $5k f&b minimum.

We’re foodies so we did want it to have at a restaurant where we would love the food!

Thank you!

hey everyone! we are strongly considering Olema house for our wedding next year after touring recently and loving it. there are a few bits and pieces on here about the venue but would love to hear any more recent thoughts on how weddings have gone.

in particular I’m worried about two things. 1) relatively high room rate and forcing family/friends to splurge and 2) weather in the area! my memories of Point Reyes are that it’s almost always foggy and cold here especially in the evenings especially. would love any datapoints from folks who had their weddings here on the extent weather was a risk!

thanks so much - this community rocks.

Hello fellow brides and grooms! My fiance and I are planning to have our wedding in Oct 2027 and we are highly considering booking Leal Vineyard in Hollister. We haven’t seen many posts about this venue yet, so we are looking to hear if anyone in this sub has had their wedding, or have attended one, at this venue recently. I would like to hear your full experience! How was the food, drinks, coordinators, etc.? Any downsides?

Also, some context. We are aiming for 100 guests and a 65k max budget. We are also hoping to bring in live music for cocktail hour and would be great to have some onsite lodging for 24 max guests. If you have suggestions, we'd gladly appreciate it.

Fiancee and I are looking for local engagement photos (wedding is elsewhere). Can you please share recos for good local photographers (shoot will be in SF or surrounding coasts - Marin or San Mateo TBD)?

Looks like we are most likely going to use them for our upcoming wedding and I have read lots of great reviews. From what I understand, tasting at the restaurant is one thing, but at large quantities some dishes change a bit. For those who have used them, or attended weddings that had them, could you please recommend your favorite dishes and those that were less desirable and worth skipping?

Thanks!

UPDATE: we are moving forward with them! Happy to report back later my experience

Hi! I am currently in the process of planning a wedding at viansa in August 2027.

I fell in love with the venue because of the views and just the overall Italian feel. at first I was told I should probably do dinner inside because of the wind, but ultimately I pushed to do dinner outside because it’s just so pretty. Plus that way we can have a bar inside with the dance floor.

My Planner said that if we did dinner inside, then we definitely could not do a bar inside as well and one of the main things that was important to me was having a bar in the same room as/as near as possible to the dance floor so the vibes stay high!

Has anyone been to a wedding there towards the end of August? I feel like the wind will be not that bad but any insight is great. I’m thinking worst case I just offer a bunch of blankets for people to use. I have also seen dinner on both the patio and then the top section, I’m leaning towards the patio curious what others think. One photographer I spoke to said it was actually slightly less windy up top for whatever reason. Also, I’ve heard August is less windy than June/July?