California
Wedding photography · San Francisco
In short
Wedding photography in San Francisco starts at $3,500: 8 hours on location with a photographer who works in San Francisco, and 600 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 6 weeks.
Why choose Wedding photography in San Francisco?
Wedding photography in San Francisco is eight hours of continuous coverage with a second photographer, priced from $3,500 for 600 or more retouched photographs, planned with a venue walk-through and a timeline. A San Francisco wedding day usually moves between microclimates. A ceremony at a coastal overlook can sit in cool fog while a reception venue in the Mission or SoMa is in sun, so the timeline builds in a portrait window wherever the light is good that afternoon rather than at a fixed landmark. The second photographer matters more here than in most cities, because getting-ready rooms, ceremony site and portrait locations are often in different neighborhoods.
Worth knowing about San Francisco
A wedding ceremony on the Golden Gate National Recreation Area coast is never exempt from paperwork. The National Park Service requires a permit for a wedding or outdoor ceremony of any size, held at one of its mapped ceremony sites, with a non-refundable $60 application fee credited toward the permit cost. Initial review takes 4 to 15 business days and applications open one year ahead. Photography of an authorized wedding needs no separate permit, so the photographer works under the couple’s ceremony permit.
What does the session in San Francisco look like?
- An approved GGNRA outdoor ceremony site
- Ocean or bridge views on National Park Service land, at one of the sites the Park Service lists on its ceremony-site map.
- Palace of Fine Arts
- The rotunda and lagoon for the couple portrait between ceremony and reception, at sunrise or late in the day when the crowds thin.
- The reception venue
- A Mission or SoMa warehouse, a hotel ballroom or a Presidio hall, photographed empty before guests arrive so the details are recorded.
What does wedding photography in San Francisco include?
- 600+ retouched photographs
- Eight hours of continuous coverage
- Pre-wedding venue walk-through and timeline planning
- Second photographer for ceremony and reception
- Private online gallery within 6 weeks
- Print release for personal use
Permits at these locations: Palace of Fine Arts: A paid photographer needs an SF Recreation and Parks film permit: $369 per day per site, five business days ahead.
FAQ — Wedding photography in San Francisco
Do we need a permit for a wedding ceremony at a San Francisco national park site?
Yes. The National Park Service requires a permit for any size of wedding or outdoor ceremony in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, at an approved ceremony site, with a $60 non-refundable application fee and an initial review of 4 to 15 business days. No separate photography permit is needed for the wedding itself.
Why does a San Francisco wedding need a second photographer?
Because a San Francisco wedding day often spans two or three neighborhoods, such as a hotel downtown, a ceremony in the Presidio and a reception in the Mission. With two photographers on the eight-hour day, one can stay with the couple while the other covers guests arriving and the reception room before it fills.