San Francisco Wedding at the General’s Residence from Zach Anderson Photography
It's crazy how beautiful San Francisco weddings can be. Borderline unfair, if you think about it. Because if there is anywhere in the world that was built to host drop-dead gorgeous affairs, it's The City by the Bay. And this little gem of a wedding from Zach Anderson Photography? Well, it's exactly what we've come to expect from this Northern CA paradise with a sweet duo dedicated to putting special (+ personal) touches into each and every aspect of their Big Day. (Think vintage pieces sourced at flea markets and bunting sewn by friends.) Gorgeous? Yes, indeedy. See so much more in the full gallery.
From the Bride... Bernal Heights Park overlooks all of San Francisco, a geographic gem to the south of our city. Brad proposed to me there during one of our routine evening hikes up the hill. Our dog Henry was our only witness.
For the next six months, we would scour every flea market, garage sale, and antique shop in the Bay Area. As avid DIYers and vintage decor hunters, we knew what our wedding style would be and wanted pieces that would tell our story and make the wedding uniquely ours.
To that end, Brad and I also set out to create our own logo that would carry throughout our wedding. We asked talented graphic designer, Carina Skrobecki, to design a logo with a vintage feel that captured a key and olive branch (two important symbols we would bring to life during our ceremony). She incorporated it into our save-the-date mail tags, invitations, ceremony programs, menus, and all signage for the event. One of my favorite printed materials that I hand-printed on simple Kraft bags was the ceremony program with our logo, which we filled with lavender, in lieu of rice, for guests to toss.
As we envisioned and created each piece of our wedding, family was forefront in our minds -- from the arbor Brad and his father built where we hung photos of deceased grandparents so they could be with us on our special day, to the long table of family photographs on their own wedding days. We felt like our family, past and present, were with us at our ceremony and reception.
To tie our families together, Brad and I planted an olive tree with our parents as part of our wedding ceremony. Both sets of parents, who are each avid gardeners, brought soil from their gardens and we combined it with soil from our garden. In the roots we buried the intentions written by our parents for our marriage.
Instead of a guestbook, we collected hundreds of old keys and had our guests write their “Keys to a Happy Marriage” on tags, tiny gifts of marriage wisdom, which were then hung on a vintage shutter. As our gifts to them, my avid-potter father threw miniature pots branded with our logo. We potted each with a succulent which did double-duty as part of the table settings.
We had our entire family helping us pull together our perfect day with every little detail in mind-- hanging bunting (hand-sewn by my maid of honor) folding dish towel napkins, tying string around the bread, setting out every photograph, and laying down each burlap runner. Every dear friend had a hand in making this the most special day of our lives.
Wedding Photography: Zach Anderson Photography | Wedding Venue: General’s Residence, Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California | Floral Design: La Fleuriste | Coordinator: Paige Hogan (paigedhogan@gmail.com) | Caterer: Bi-Rite | Dessert: Pacific Puffs | Ceremony Music: Peter Di Bono (accordionist) | DJ: Big Fun DJ | Furniture Rentals: Classic Party Rentals | Vintage Rentals: Tarnish & Twine | Wedding Invitations: Carina Skrobeki | Calligrapher: Tim Gately | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Alterations: Glenda Pongiglione (415.282.2161) | Bridesmaids' Attire: J.Crew | Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Groom’s Attire: Ted Baker | Groom + Groomsmen Bow Ties: David Hart & Co | Makeup: Professional Makeup Artistry