For this #WeddingWednesday, I am sharing what I think is the single most important part of your wedding day (besides a happy loving couple) – the venue! The venue sets the mood and the tone for the event, whether it’s formal or casual, traditional or modern, a dance party or a great dinner party. When Mr. R and I were thinking of ideal venues, we struggled between something outdoor and rustic and something traditional and grand. Our relationship started by making trips to the wine country with friends, so we felt that a winery wedding was the setting that made the most sense of our love for great wine, outdoor weather, and showing our east coast family and friends what the bay area was all about. But simultaneously we wanted a black tie wedding, an open bar (with liquor) and a party that lasted into the night.
Unfortunately trying to put all those things together proved tricky, so we ended up deciding on a beautiful location well situated in the center of San Francisco, that provided a wealth of historical weight and allowed us to dress up and party into the night. Mr. R and I were both immediately struck by the beautiful interior architecture of City Hall, the gorgeous winding marble staircases, and the drama of the lofty carved ceilings. We also loved the linear rows of trees leading up to the entrance of City Hall, which provided us with enough green to get our ‘outdoor’ photos and provided a nice counterbalance to the interior detail of the building.
The last location which is in the pictures below is the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. It’s where the Bridal Party got ready (in the Hotel Vitale), and where Mr. R and I had our first look, and is one of our favorite locales in the city. We loved that we were able to have some images of the bustling city behind us, our favorite farmers market in the distance, with land, ocean and bridges all in view. The locations were the perfect mix of traditional architecture and outdoor adventure, and I think our photographer Amanda Crean killed it in understanding my vision and blowing me away with her amazing photography. Check out the images below for references of our beautiful wedding venues!
View of the Ferry Building from the Hotel Vitale
First look in front of the Bay Bridge
Our gorgeous wedding party in front of the ferry building
Mr. R and I in the trees in front of City Hall
Walking into City Hall underneath the famous entrance!
Our stunning ceremony!
Looking down on our guests from the 4th floor during the cocktail hour
Me striking a pose
Us on the 4th floor above our guests during cocktail hour
Love the winding stairwells!
Flipping the dance floor during cocktail hour
Dance Party!
My amazing friend Laura singing “Someone to Watch Over Me” during dinner
Happily dancing into married life!
Other posts from my wedding here:
