Your wedding planning guide featuring the Muir Woods area, San Francisco, and Monterey + Carmel, California.
San Francisco is a stunning city for weddings, with its rich history and vintage architecture. In this blog, we explore two popular locations for couples: San Francisco City Hall and the Legion of Honor Museum. City Hall, built in 1915, offers elegant Beaux-Arts design, perfect for intimate elopements. The couple's day began with getting-ready photos, a first look on the second floor, and a thoughtful exchange of love letters and gifts. After their ceremony, they headed to the Legion of Honor, a French neoclassical venue, for more romantic shots, creating a timeless wedding portfolio with classic traditions like cake cutting and celebratory toasts.
When John and Richard met twenty years ago at Pride weekend in London, they knew right away that they had something special. After a year of long-distance dating, they decided to live together and twenty years flew by in the blink of an eye. When they reached out to me from England to plan their destination elopement for their twentieth anniversary (plus one long-time friend as their witness!), I was so excited to show them the best of everything that San Francisco and the Bay Area had to offer for their wedding. They knew they wanted a San Francisco elopement planning company that really knew SF City Hall inside and out, and we did all of the wedding planning for the two of them.
Pride month was founded on June 28, 1970, and I would turn three years old the next day. At the time, I had no idea that this unofficial holiday would become a symbol both personally and nationally for anybody who wanted to celebrate the joy and freedom of being their authentic self. There are currently 1.2 million same-sex households in America, and that number is growing every year. I'd love to send a big "Happy Pride" and a rainbow hug to each and every one of you celebrating Pride in the month of June.
San Francisco has so many iconic spots, and I'm sure you've noticed them over the years on popular sitcoms and in famous movies. One of the reasons that San Francisco is such a popular destination for weddings and elopements, is that many people feel like they already know us, having grown up with our city as the backdrop on their big and small screens!
Sometimes you just have to go with your gut instincts. Actually, I'd say that's always a golden rule to follow. Our inner compass never fails to guide us to what's meant for us.
When I first spoke with Ashley and Jonathan, they had so many wonderful ideas for their elopement day and when the day arrived, even I, was in awe of how many little details made up this very special, intimate wedding day. But, the day did not start out smoothly!
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!
Nothing is more romantic for an elopement than the Palace of Fine Arts. The Grecian architecture, surrounded by the most enchanting gardens San Francisco has to offer, makes you feel like you could find Aphrodite hiding beneath the columns. The Bohemian arch centered this gorgeous elopement ceremony while swans dipped in the pond behind.
Earlier in their relationship Chantel had popped the question to Monique. Since they're a perfect match, she said yes. They'd been living in Southern California, and they knew that they wanted to live in San Francisco. When Chantel scored a job at a real estate management company that included a free apartment in this pricey city, they packed their bags along with their giant dog, Big Sur.
Love has a way of finding you in the most unexpected places. Not expecting an office romance, Ryan and Elizabeth met when they worked together at the same company. It wasn’t long before they started dating. They decided to take the big step, and they moved in together just as the pandemic was starting. They picked out their wedding date not knowing if they would be able to have their dream wedding because of the pandemic.
Did you know that you could hire a surprise proposal planner? Asking somebody to marry you is scary enough, so we make it easier for you to put your best foot forward. From a simple setup to luxurious picnics, we create spaces that will set the stage for romance. With our entire lives shared on social media, there's extra pressure to create a proposal experience that will be sweet, heartwarming and that they'll be proud to share with friends and family online. There are many ways to propose. While some are super casual and spur of the moment, based on the overwhelming urge to blurt out "Will you marry me?", others are more akin to a movie script in their attention to detail with moment by moment sequences and steps already mapped out in advance. And for those folks, there's the Proposal Planner.
San Francisco is a stunning city for weddings, with its rich history and vintage architecture. In this blog, we explore two popular locations for couples: San Francisco City Hall and the Legion of Honor Museum. City Hall, built in 1915, offers elegant Beaux-Arts design, perfect for intimate elopements. The couple's day began with getting-ready photos, a first look on the second floor, and a thoughtful exchange of love letters and gifts. After their ceremony, they headed to the Legion of Honor, a French neoclassical venue, for more romantic shots, creating a timeless wedding portfolio with classic traditions like cake cutting and celebratory toasts.
When John and Richard met twenty years ago at Pride weekend in London, they knew right away that they had something special. After a year of long-distance dating, they decided to live together and twenty years flew by in the blink of an eye. When they reached out to me from England to plan their destination elopement for their twentieth anniversary (plus one long-time friend as their witness!), I was so excited to show them the best of everything that San Francisco and the Bay Area had to offer for their wedding. They knew they wanted a San Francisco elopement planning company that really knew SF City Hall inside and out, and we did all of the wedding planning for the two of them.
Pride month was founded on June 28, 1970, and I would turn three years old the next day. At the time, I had no idea that this unofficial holiday would become a symbol both personally and nationally for anybody who wanted to celebrate the joy and freedom of being their authentic self. There are currently 1.2 million same-sex households in America, and that number is growing every year. I'd love to send a big "Happy Pride" and a rainbow hug to each and every one of you celebrating Pride in the month of June.
San Francisco has so many iconic spots, and I'm sure you've noticed them over the years on popular sitcoms and in famous movies. One of the reasons that San Francisco is such a popular destination for weddings and elopements, is that many people feel like they already know us, having grown up with our city as the backdrop on their big and small screens!
Sometimes you just have to go with your gut instincts. Actually, I'd say that's always a golden rule to follow. Our inner compass never fails to guide us to what's meant for us.
When I first spoke with Ashley and Jonathan, they had so many wonderful ideas for their elopement day and when the day arrived, even I, was in awe of how many little details made up this very special, intimate wedding day. But, the day did not start out smoothly!
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!
Nothing is more romantic for an elopement than the Palace of Fine Arts. The Grecian architecture, surrounded by the most enchanting gardens San Francisco has to offer, makes you feel like you could find Aphrodite hiding beneath the columns. The Bohemian arch centered this gorgeous elopement ceremony while swans dipped in the pond behind.
Earlier in their relationship Chantel had popped the question to Monique. Since they're a perfect match, she said yes. They'd been living in Southern California, and they knew that they wanted to live in San Francisco. When Chantel scored a job at a real estate management company that included a free apartment in this pricey city, they packed their bags along with their giant dog, Big Sur.
Love has a way of finding you in the most unexpected places. Not expecting an office romance, Ryan and Elizabeth met when they worked together at the same company. It wasn’t long before they started dating. They decided to take the big step, and they moved in together just as the pandemic was starting. They picked out their wedding date not knowing if they would be able to have their dream wedding because of the pandemic.
Did you know that you could hire a surprise proposal planner? Asking somebody to marry you is scary enough, so we make it easier for you to put your best foot forward. From a simple setup to luxurious picnics, we create spaces that will set the stage for romance. With our entire lives shared on social media, there's extra pressure to create a proposal experience that will be sweet, heartwarming and that they'll be proud to share with friends and family online. There are many ways to propose. While some are super casual and spur of the moment, based on the overwhelming urge to blurt out "Will you marry me?", others are more akin to a movie script in their attention to detail with moment by moment sequences and steps already mapped out in advance. And for those folks, there's the Proposal Planner.
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