How to Plan a Wedding at San Francisco City Hall
City hall weddings and courthouse elopements have been trending like crazy, and it’s so easy to see why. They’re intimate, they’re romantic, and they’re absolutely stunning! Planning a San Francisco City Hall elopement is very different from planning a big wedding, but as a Northern California wedding photographer, I have all the tips you need for planning your wedding at San Francisco City Hall in this city hall elopement guide.
Table of Contents
- Your Wedding at San Francisco City Hall: The Three Different Types
- 3 Super Simple Steps for Planning Your Wedding at San Francisco City Hall
- A San Francisco Wedding Photographer’s Guide to Your City Hall Wedding
- FAQs About Getting Married at San Francisco City Hall
- Veronica and Avery’s San Francisco City Hall Elopement
- Grace Thao | San Francisco Wedding Photographer
Your Wedding at San Francisco City Hall
Before getting into the nitty gritty details of planning your elopement, let’s discuss the overview of San Francisco’s City Hall and each of the different types of weddings you can hold there to see which fits your vibe the best!
San Francisco City Hall Information:
Address: 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, CA 94102
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
- The Civil Ceremony/Elopement
First, there’s the civil ceremony, the easiest, most quintessential San Fran courthouse wedding type. This is your classic quick and simple San Francisco elopement for those dreaming of that courthouse wedding aesthetic!
– When it’s available: Monday-Friday 9:00 am-3:30 pm (Every half hour)
– Guests allowed: 6
– Witnesses needed: 1
– Officiant included?: Yes
– When to book: Maximum of 90 days out
- The 1-Hour Wedding
San Francisco City Hall also has an option to book a package for a one-hour wedding, which includes use of the Mayor’s Balcony or a Fourth Floor Gallery (which are both stunning locations) for one hour from Monday through Friday between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm.
– When it’s available: Monday-Friday 9:00 am-3:00 pm (Every hour)
– Guests allowed: 100
– Witnesses needed: 1
– Officiant included?: No
– When to book: Maximum of 2 years out
- Evening Weddings
The final option is essentially using San Francisco City Hall as your wedding venue. You’re able to rent it out for basic building services on weekdays and weekends, but note that other areas in the City Hall will still be open to the public on weekdays until 8:00 pm. You can exchange vows on the Grand Staircase, host a cocktail hour at the North Light Court, and finish out the evening celebrating in the Rotunda, which are all stunning.
3 Super Simple Steps for Planning Your Wedding at San Francisco City Hall
If an elopement or courthouse civil ceremony is more your speed, I’m so with you. I just love the simplicity of it all and letting the romance really shine through. It proves that you’re doing this for you two, not for anyone else!
Luckily, the steps to eloping at the San Francisco City Hall are easy peasy. There are really only three steps, and it doesn’t take long to get through them if you’re planning on a shorter timeline!
- Get Your Marriage License
First, you’ve gotta get the legal stuff squared away! You can make an appointment to get your marriage license here. There are no waiting periods in San Francisco, and your license is valid for 90 days after you get it. It’ll cost $127, so make sure to bring that and a valid form of ID for each of you.
- Book Your Civil Ceremony Appointment
Next, you book your appointment for your actual city hall ceremony. You can book that here to get on the list! Ceremony appointments are available Monday through Friday, every half hour from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Unfortunately, you don’t get to choose the room for your ceremony (as they are first-come first-served), but both of the options are equally as gorgeous: the private ceremony room and the rotunda.
Another note: your city hall ceremony will cost $111 (angel numbers!) or $332 in the case of a weekend or holiday.
- Arrive on Your Scheduled Ceremony Day
When you show up for your elopement at San Francisco City Hall, make sure you have one witness, no more than six guests, your marriage license, and a valid form of ID for each of you. Then, you say “I do,” celebrate, and start forever together!
A San Francisco Wedding Photographer’s Guide to Your City Hall Wedding
I’ve given you the boring legal stuff that you need to know for your San Francisco City Hall wedding, but now let’s get into the fun stuff (and my best city hall wedding tips)!
- Schedule your ceremony with optimal photoshoot times in mind
San Francisco’s City Hall is going to be far less crowded first thing in the morning or right before closing time. For the best photos with the least foot traffic, try to schedule your civil ceremony to be there right around those times!
- With that being said, also think about the time of year
If you’re trying to avoid most of the public traffic at the courthouse, also take the time of year into consideration. If you’re wondering about the best months for a wedding at San Francisco City Hall, note that the least busy ones will be January, February, and July.
- Be flexible
There are so many gorgeous spots to get photos at the city hall, so you honestly can’t go wrong. The grand staircase is a popular photo-op spot for a reason. It’s absolutely gorgeous and you should definitely get some photos there, but don’t miss out on the less popular spots that are just as beautiful! As a NorCal wedding photographer who’s done it all, I know how to navigate the space and use my creativity to get you the courthouse wedding photos of your dreams. My strategy? We take advantage of the empty locations before working our way to the iconic spots so we’re spending more time shooting and less time waiting. And another pro tip: since it’s all indoors, bad lighting is never a worry here.
FAQs About Getting Married at San Francisco City Hall
What should I wear to my San Francisco City Hall wedding?
Truly, wear whatever feels most like you. If you’re eloping, this ceremony is fully for you and your love, so you should wear something that makes you feel comfortable and like yourself! For an elopement or civil ceremony here, brides tend to opt for a short elopement dress or something sleek and simple. This looks stunning against the ornate, magical setting of the courthouse and lets the space speak for itself.
What vendors are allowed in the City Hall?
For a weekday civil ceremony or a one-hour wedding, you won’t be able to bring a full vendor crew with you. Keep in mind that your maximum guest count is 6, and that whatever you bring with you will have to stay with you. The dream vendor team for a courthouse wedding? A photographer (hi!), a videographer, a gorgeous bridal style that feels so you, and a gorgeous bouquet from a fantastic florist.
What happens if I need to cancel or reschedule?
There is no way to reschedule your ceremony appointment, but instead, you’ll have to cancel through their website and then schedule a new date. Note that you won’t get your money back for cancellations, so plan strategically!
How long does a civil ceremony take at San Francisco City Hall?
If you’re opting for a city hall elopement, they’re pretty quick at the San Francisco City Hall. There’s no real fluff in the ceremonies, just the legal necessities! With that being said, they typically last about 5 minutes.
How should I celebrate my San Francisco City Hall elopement?
I’m so glad you asked, because there’s so much to do in San Francisco. My personal favorite thing to convince couples to do after their civil ceremony is to go take elopement pictures downtown. I love classic city shots for this, but also popping over to the Golden Gate Bridge, Conservatory of Flowers, and Blue Heron Lake! If you’re not feeling more photos, go grab a bite to eat at your favorite spot, hit an arcade, or go get cozy at home!
Veronica and Avery’s San Francisco City Hall Elopement
Veronica and Avery’s elopement was the epitome of the courthouse wedding aesthetic. They had it all: the cute, simple elopement outfits and the giddy, excited love that just translates so well in photos.
We followed the same advice I always give couples who are getting married at San Francisco City Hall: to start photos at the less crowded spots and work our way towards the more popular ones. The timeline? It flowed perfectly. Between the photos and the love shared between these two, it literally felt like they were the only ones in the whole building. And that’s something magical that you just don’t see every day.
Grace Thao | San Francisco Wedding Photographer
If you’re here, chances are you’re planning your own wedding day (and considering a San Francisco City Hall wedding, and I love that for you). You can find tons more inspiration on my blog, like this Golden Gate Bride engagement photoshoot, or more intimate weddings, like this Bodega Bay wedding.
Ready to plan your very own wedding at San Francisco City Hall? Perfect, I’ll meet you there. 😉 But seriously, if you want to inquire about me capturing your day, click here!
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