Scrap everything you think about a typical City Hall wedding, because this day is completely next level. It’s what happens when a bride has been planning the Big Day since around age 11, and brings on amazing talents (looking at you Bash Please and This Love Of Yours Photography) to bring the vision to life. The Vault is chock-full of ballroom moments fit for a princess, not to mention a bridesmaid confetti toss that’s kind of the best idea ever.
From The Bride…Our vision for the day was Ouést Coast Whimsy – a classy West Coast event with splashes of fun, like a streak of neon, funfetti cake, surprises for the guests and each other. Jason is an emotional guy, which is one of the things I love most about him, so he teared up several times on the big day. It wasn’t until the ceremony was over and we had walked out of the rotunda where we had a couple seconds to ourselves before the wedding party even made it to us, and we just looked at each other and burst into ugly tears. I think we were holding it in during the ceremony, but we couldn’t control it anymore and we just cried, then laughed at our ugly crying faces. Seconds later we were hugging all of our bridesmaids and groomsmen – it was the best moment of the day.
When I moved to San Francisco 3 and a half years ago I happened to see City Hall and knew instantly I wanted to get married there. Jason and I actually moved to the city on the same day and reconnected from undergrad. The city became a very special place for us as it was where our love began – and there is no place more breathtaking that the inside of City Hall.
As a gift I gave all the bridesmaids gold bracelets that had the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates of where we first met. Jason’s groomsmen got to wear any black tux. His gift to them were The Two Guys’ Bow Ties where the city they met at or that meant a lot to them were engraved on the wood.
I am in love with love and have been obsessed with weddings since I was a child – literally subscribed to BRIDES magazine at age 11. So I always dreamed of a beautiful wedding, but what was most important was always who I would be standing up there with – and then I met Jason. It was most important to me to have elements that reflected us, and specifically him, throughout the day. I wanted to it be very clear that it was a wedding for us and not just a traditional event that everyone puts on. I wanted to surprise and delight him throughout the day.
When planning your own wedding just remember there are no rules. You can do whatever you want to make the day your own and honestly I think people appreciate it more when the wedding reflects the couple, and not a bunch of rustic Pinterest photos.
Our photographers are amazing. I loved loved loved working with them! Something I didn’t really think about beforehand that made a huge difference was having 2 photographers instead of 1. This way they are able to capture so many more moments and the same moments from different perspectives. They were both so easy going and willing to do anything we wanted. I would recommend them to everyone.
Photography: This Love of Yours Photography | Event Planning: Bash Please | Floral Design: Angella Floral Arts | Wedding Dress: JLM Couture, Inc | Cake: Momofuku Milk Bar | Bride's Shoes: Rene Caovilla | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Rent The Runway | Groomsmen Bow Ties: Two Guys Bow Ties | Groom's Attire: Custom | Venue: San Francisco City Hall | Groom's Bow Tie: Tom Ford | Groom's Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo