Why You Want An All-Day Elopement — San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photography By Rachel Levine

What if you thought of your wedding as a luxury vacation? Just let that sink in for a moment. Luxury wedding vacation. I like the sound of that, and these days so do a lot of couples. It's the perfect opportunity to visit a new destination and make core memories together, or revisit someplace special that helped bring the two of you together in the early days of your love story. So much so, that elopement weddings are on the rise and most couples will spend under five thousand dollars on their whole wedding experience.

You're not going to be alone in planning your elopement experience. We're here to guide you through the process. First, you'll choose a date. (And please book an appointment for your California marriage license within 90 days of your wedding date) Next, you'll decide which package is for you. We have wedding officiants and fabulous hair and makeup artists that will come to your Bay Area accommodations.

NcKell and Andreya decided to stay at a luxury hotel in San Francisco in two different rooms the night before their elopement wedding. They live in the Atlanta area and chose our city as their elopement spot. They'd decided to have a traditional first look in the morning at their wedding venue, San Francisco City Hall. They opted for a five-hour photography and videography package, with hair and makeup, co-ordinating, but not identical, bridal bouquets, and a wedding officiant to perform their ceremony at their elopement venue.

They chose the best of the Bay Area for their destination elopement. There is one thing I haven't mentioned. Andreya had no idea where she'd be going on her wedding day! That's right, NcKell wanted the whole elopement day to be one long surprise love letter to her new wife. So where did they go and how did they get there?

Andrey's favorite color is orange, and the Painted Ladies Tour Company just happens to have a bright orange VW Bus named Poppy, that they were delighted to send over to pick up Andreya. Normally we rent their white wedding bus Pearl, so this was a fun change! NcKell drove to stop number one first, with our videographer Will ahead of Andreya.

The first stop was the world-famous San Francisco City Hall. It's so special that Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio here and there are pictures to prove it on the first floor. For those couples that crave French architecture and want to feel like royalty on their big day, but don't have a king's ransom, this is your wedding venue. It's open to the public Monday to Friday. We set up the "first look" on the Mayor's Balcony, followed by a wedding ceremony on one of the second-floor balconettes. (Think gold filigree railings and an epic view of a beautiful marble and sandstone atrium).

An hour later they'd said their "I do's" and headed out together to their waiting vintage VW bus. We briefly stopped by the Palace of Fine arts for one quick "Wow!" shot of their rotunda and columns and then crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into Mill Valley, California, and the waiting Muir Woods National Monument. I know that the brides had brought along a ton of customized rainbow and LGBT Pride items with them, and the forest was the perfect place to break out some of their Etsy treasures. Custom sneakers were a great idea for walking in the woods, after the high heels they'd worn for their City Hall wedding. Creating custom keepsakes for your wedding is a great tradition, especially if it's just the two of you making new memories.

We'd saved the biggest surprise for last! Alex created a custom picnic with charcuterie and a wedding cake right on Golden Gate Beach for the brides. I'm a HUGE fan of wedding cake, and you just can't get married without something sweet to bless your new union. They'd brought their own adorable cake topper to take home and keep as a memento. They might even be using it again at their reception for friends and family in the near future. They'd hugged, kissed, toasted, and danced their way through four stops, and could fly back home with big smiles and wedding rings as proof of their luxury elopement wedding.