City Hall Ceremony
Katie & Chris
With their dream venue booked for 2023, Katie and Chris couldn’t wait to be married, opting for an elopement in San Francisco’s beautiful City Hall. Here is Katie's story of an intimate ceremony and a backyard celebration surrounded by family and friends.
Photography by Love + Wolves Co
“Christopher and I got engaged in 2021 and when we started planning a wedding, the venue we wanted wasn’t available until 2023. We also had so many friends who had to push their weddings back during the pandemic, and quite the wedding calendar for the coming years, so we booked the venue for the summer of 2023. We didn’t want to wait that long, though, and I’ve always loved San Francisco City Hall. We thought we could have the best of both worlds and decided to have a small and intimate city wedding in San Francisco this year, and a big bash in the mountains of New Hampshire next summer.”
“I had seen these shoes on other brides and loved their whimsy and beauty — both romantic and fun at the same time, and I also really wanted a pop of blue because of the ‘something blue’ tradition. When I tried them on for my friend’s at home, they all gasped and said ‘you have to wear those!’ I think they made the look.”
“In my day-to-day I dress very simple and classic, and I knew I wanted to echo that with my wedding look. A silk slip dress was the obvious frontrunner from the start. From there, I was inspired by the beautiful flower work my amazing beauty person, Ash, does. And when is a better time to wear a flower crown than on your wedding day? I’m lucky that a dear friend had bought a beautiful Laure de Sagazan mohair sweater for her wedding, and she was kind enough to let me borrow it.”
“Our judge was so nice! The ceremony was way more intimate and personal than I would have expected from a City Hall judge who does weddings all day. It was sweet having our parents standing behind us, and a small group of our close friends and our siblings were able to watch from above. We got in trouble for cheering too loudly.”
“Afterwards, we had the loveliest, intimate dinner in the backyard of a close family friend. A couple people sang songs, we ate Sol Food (our favorite restaurant), and there were twinkly lights. It was perfect.”
“I had seen these shoes on other brides and loved their whimsy and beauty — both romantic and fun at the same time, and I also really wanted a pop of blue because of the ‘something blue’ tradition."
“A moment that I’ll remember — sitting around one big table under twinkly lights with my family members and loved ones. This was especially meaningful after two years of being far away from many people we care about during the pandemic. My dear family friend, who held me when I was hours old and was the maid of honor in my parents’ wedding, hosted the dinner in her backyard, a place where I’ve celebrated holidays, graduations, and other life events since moving to the west coast, and I’ve been visiting since I was a little kid. It was a very cool, full-circle moment to be celebrating our wedding in a place that is so meaningful.”
