A San Francisco City Hall Wedding That Reimagined the Entire Building

San Francisco,

California

If you're planning your San Francisco City Hall wedding (or even just letting yourself daydream about it) let me tell you what actually makes a day in that building unforgettable. Not the Pinterest version. The real one.

San Francisco City Hall wedding, two brides in white gowns holding hands and dancing under the marble arches of the rotunda

Lily and Bailey rented out the entirety of San Francisco City Hall for their wedding. The rotunda, the grand staircase, the marble halls — all of it — filled with over 100 of their people. Two brides. Every echo in that building theirs. I want to walk you through how their day unfolded, because almost everything that made it work is something you can think about for your own.

San Francisco City Hall wedding, bride lifted on a chair during the hora as guests celebrate on the dance floor, black and white

San Francisco City Hall wedding reception table with blush roses, navy napkins, gold cutlery and crystal glassware on white lace

San Francisco City Hall wedding ceremony on the grand staircase with guests seated in the rotunda below

A First Look, a Slipped Shoe, and a Staircase Entrance That Shook the Marble

Lily and Bailey couldn't stand still all day. Not during their first look, when they took each other in and realized how similar their dresses were, but also how beautifully different. Not during the breaking of the glass, when Bailey's shoe slipped off mid-stomp and Lily knelt down to slide it back on, both of them dissolving into laughter. Not during their grand entrance, when they swept down the staircase to a roar of cheering guests that I swear shook the marble.

This is the part City Hall couples underestimate most: the building gives you these once-in-a-lifetime moments, but only if you build your timeline to let them breathe. We didn't rush the first look. We didn't rush the staircase. When the shoe slipped, we had time to actually be in that moment instead of racing to the next thing. That's not luck. That's a timeline built around how the light and the space actually behave throughout the day.

San Francisco City Hall wedding, bride's grandmother helping button her gown by the window while getting ready

San Francisco City Hall wedding reception with navy linens, gold chairs and floral centerpieces below the grand staircase

San Francisco City Hall wedding, two brides celebrating with family and friends on the grand staircase with arms raised

A Judge They Met on a Cruise and a Ceremony Worth Crying Over

Lily and Bailey's officiant was Judge Hannah Blumenstiel, a federal judge they originally met on a cruise and grew close to over the years. When they asked her to officiate their wedding, it was a huge honor.

Standing in the Rotunda, Judge Hannah spoke about the long, unfinished history of marriage equality. She shared that when Proposition 8 passed in 2008 — amending California's state constitution to ban gay marriage — she vowed she would not marry another couple until every couple could marry the person they chose. In 2010, a federal court ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated same-sex marriage in California. In 2015, the Supreme Court legalized it nationwide. Which brought us all to July 13, 2024, watching Judge Hannah joyfully marry Lily and Bailey in the most beautiful building in San Francisco.

She told the room she believes love is love, and that every couple deserves the right to marry the person they choose. The room erupted.

There's a particular kind of joy that only fills a room when love like this gets to be celebrated out loud. That was this room. And it's the kind of moment a venue alone can never give you — it comes from choosing someone to marry you who actually knows your story.

San Francisco City Hall wedding, two brides laughing over champagne with a officiant beneath the marble arches of the rotunda

San Francisco City Hall wedding, two brides kneeling together on the grand staircase during their ceremony, black and white

A Dog Cake Topper, a Shared Parent Dance, and Energy That Never Dipped

The whole night, guests kept rushing in for one more photo. Lily and Bailey's cake had a tiny figure of their dog peeking through the tiers (a detail I still think about). Their parent dances were one shared song, both brides on the floor with the people who raised them. Their love is electric — you can feel it in every single image from their gallery.

City Hall is one of the most photographed wedding venues in the world, which means the building does a lot of the work for you. What makes a day there yours is the details no one else would think of. The dog cake topper. The shared parent dance. The officiant who actually knows your story. Those are the things I'm watching for behind the camera — because in twenty years, those are the things you'll want to see again.

A wedding like Lily and Bailey's is exactly what San Francisco City Hall was built for.

Planning your San Francisco City Hall wedding? I'm a wedding photographer based in Monterey who travels to San Francisco often. If you're drawn to imagery that makes you feel, puts you back in the moment, and captures effortless emotion, you're exactly where you need to be. I'd love to hear what you're dreaming up.