California
Destination wedding · San Francisco
In short
Destination wedding in San Francisco starts at $4,800: 10 hours on location with a photographer who works in San Francisco, and 700 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 6 weeks.
Why choose Destination wedding in San Francisco?
Destination wedding photography in San Francisco is ten hours of coverage with a second photographer, or the same hours split across two days, priced from $4,800 for 700 or more retouched photographs, including the welcome party or rehearsal dinner. Couples who fly guests in usually want the city in the photographs, not only the venue, and San Francisco City Hall answers that better than any hotel ballroom: a Beaux-Arts rotunda under a dome, available to private weddings by package. A two-day booking lets the first day cover the welcome dinner in North Beach or the Ferry Building and the second day cover the ceremony and reception.
Worth knowing about San Francisco
A private wedding at San Francisco City Hall is booked through the City Hall Events Office, not the County Clerk, and the packages differ by size. According to the City and County of San Francisco, the one-hour package seats up to 100 guests on the Mayor’s Balcony or a Fourth Floor Gallery, while the two-hour Saturday package on the Grand Staircase allows up to 200 guests. The officiant is not included, so the couple brings one. Current fees are confirmed with the City Hall Events Office at booking, because they are set by city ordinance and change.
What does the session in San Francisco look like?
- San Francisco City Hall Grand Staircase
- A private Saturday ceremony on the marble staircase, with guests arranged in the rotunda below and the photographer on the upper landing.
- Ferry Building and the Embarcadero
- The clock tower and the Bay Bridge for a welcome-party frame of guests who have just arrived in the city.
- Marin Headlands
- The bridge and city skyline from the north for couple portraits on the second day, when the timeline is less crowded.
What does destination wedding in San Francisco include?
- 700+ retouched photographs
- Ten hours of coverage, or split across two days
- Welcome-party or rehearsal-dinner coverage included
- Second photographer throughout
- Venue liaison, and guidance on any permit the location needs
- Private online gallery within 6 weeks
FAQ — Destination wedding in San Francisco
How many guests can attend a private wedding at San Francisco City Hall?
It depends on the package booked through the San Francisco City Hall Events Office. The one-hour package allows up to 100 guests on the Mayor’s Balcony or a Fourth Floor Gallery, and the two-hour Saturday Grand Staircase package allows up to 200, with your own officiant in both cases.
Can a San Francisco destination wedding be photographed over two days?
Yes. The ten hours of a San Francisco destination wedding package can be split across two days, so a rehearsal dinner in North Beach and a City Hall ceremony the next afternoon are both covered, with the second photographer working throughout.