Wedding Venue for $1,000: An Insider's Secrets Revealed!

Choosing a wedding venue is an extremely daunting task, especially if you're on a budget. As a wedding photographer and planner, I have seen the best and worst of venues. From lavish ballrooms to rustic barns, I have been in charge of planning and photographing weddings in many different types of venues. Many couples can't afford typical luxury wedding venues which start at $20k per event, but don't worry - there are affordable wedding venues that allow you to have everything you need for a beautiful event without breaking the bank! The two most important factors that budget-savvy brides should consider when choosing a venue are what your budget is and how much space you need for your guests. This blog post reveals my insider secrets about one of my favorite venues that you can rent for an intimate wedding for only $1,000!

Lisa and Juan recently chose this “secret” venue for their simple and elegant wedding. Their love story is one we all know well, boy meets girl, they fall in love and get married. However, not everyone can say they met at Chick-fil-A! While Lisa was eating her breakfast, she noticed Juan trying to be social, and he asked her if he could join her at her table. According to Lisa, they started to talk about life, and he was very sweet to her. They talked many days after that, and he eventually asked her on a date. When they finally went on the date, Lisa said she realized he was the man she was looking for, and the rest is history.

Wondering where this steal of a deal is? Well, here are the details! One of our most popular venues for a simple and elegant wedding is the Mayor’s Balcony in San Francisco City Hall. Not only does it offer a stunning vantage point of City Hall below, but it also rents for only $1,000 for a one-hour ceremony. That's right, couples can get married surrounded by the golden opulence of City Hall throughout the year for just one grand total. When most people think of a Courthouse wedding, they think of something plain and no-frills. This could not be further from the truth with the Mayor’s Balcony! If this sounds too good to be true, then read on.

The Mayor’s Balcony is a beautiful and intimate venue for your wedding. All of the details can be found on the SF City Hall Events website (http://sfcityhallevents.org/). The Mayor’s Balcony can be rented for one-hour from Monday through Friday, with the earliest ceremony beginning at 9:00 am and the latest beginning at 3:00 pm. The rental cost includes an hour of access for up to 100 guests. If you would prefer guests to be seated, chairs are an additional equipment rental, with the Mayor’s Balcony seating up to 40 guests. If you want an unconventional location with the perfect romantic atmosphere, this is the place for you!

Other great aspects of renting the Mayor’s Balcony include the ability to have your own officiant and hire acoustic musicians like a harpist to play for you for just one hour. City Hall does have a preferred vendors list to help you find the right musicians for your small wedding. Corelli Strings is one of the companies that we work with, and Jay Alvarez (acoustic guitarist) is also excellent. You can find a list of musicians to choose from on the http://sfcityhallevents.org/ website.

I love the atmosphere that is created when acoustic music is played at an intimate wedding. It can be light and airy or it can be soft and romantic. The quiet, gentle sounds of an acoustic guitar, harp, or solo violin can set the mood of the entire event. Some of the acoustic music you are allowed to have include: upright bass, violin, and harp. There are several ladies on the musicians' list that play the harp, and they are absolutely wonderful. The harp really elevates the wedding experience as the music gently drifts through the entire building. Acoustic music is a wonderful addition to an intimate wedding because not only does it sound beautiful, but it also creates the perfect ambiance for those who want something simple and elegant.

Weddings are not only a celebration of love, but they are also a wonderful time to get together with family. You have the opportunity to get beautiful pictures of your parents, grandparents, siblings, best friends, and other relatives or friends. Not only are we taking your wedding pictures, but we are more than happy to take photographs of you and your kids so that you have some beautiful family portraits of them on your wedding day. We are always going to take pictures of you and all of your family and all of your guests that you bring with you to City Hall so that everyone can cherish that day.