Jonathan and Carla: San Francisco City Hall Wedding

DETAILS
San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco, CA
Elopement

Digital and 35mm Film

The Perfect SF City Hall Wedding Day

There are some weddings that feel like a wedding. And then there are weddings that feel like an adventure with your favorite people.

Jonathan and Carla’s San Francisco City Hall civil wedding was definitely the latter.

For starters, Jonathan is my sister-in-law’s brother, which meant this wasn't just another wedding on my calendar. Basically, I got to do one of my favorite things—photograph a beautiful wedding—while surrounded by some of my favorite people.

Not a bad workday.

And then there was the venue: San Francisco City Hall.

I've had photographing a wedding there on my bucket list, so even before the booking process was done and flights were booked, I was already mentally packing my camera bag.

And let me tell you: It did not disappoint.

A San Francisco Love Story that Started on Bumble

Jonathan and Carla met on Bumble in September 2023. Their first date was at Santana Row in San Jose, where they quickly bonded over three very important things: Travel. Food. Music.

Honestly, sounds like a pretty solid foundation to me.

They also got to know each other through Carla's Brazilian culture, adding another layer to a relationship already built around curiosity, adventure, and experiencing life together. And if you ever need proof that dating apps can actually work, here it is.

A Bumble match in 2023 eventually turned into a beautiful civil wedding at one of the most iconic buildings in San Francisco. And I'm very happy the algorithm did its thing.

San Francisco City Hall Is Seriously Unmatched

I've photographed beautiful venues all over California, but there is something completely different about walking into San Francisco City Hall. The architecture is next level.

• The enormous marble staircase.

• The soaring columns.

• The ornate details.

• The grand dome.

• The European-inspired architecture.

Everywhere you turn, there's another frame. It's the kind of place that makes you want to slow down and actually look around. And as a photographer, I was in heaven.

Jonathan and Carla wanted their photographs to feel timeless, romantic, adventurous, and full of genuine happiness. They loved the way I use lighting and framing in my work and specifically mentioned being drawn to black-and-white photographs.

Which, in a space like San Francisco City Hall? Oh, we were going to have fun.

The architecture gave us all of these incredible opportunities for dramatic editorial compositions, while the documentary moments between Jonathan and Carla kept everything feeling personal and alive. That's the balance I love most in wedding photography: beautiful enough to feel editorial, real enough to feel like you.

And Then the Sun Came Out

Now, San Francisco decided to keep things interesting. The week leading up to their wedding was pretty cloudy, so naturally we weren't counting on a ton of sunshine. But somehow, on their wedding day, the sun decided to make an appearance. And not only did it come out—it came out at exactly the right time.

During their romantics, sunlight started pouring through the windows of City Hall. The light hit the space in this soft, almost cinematic way, creating these beautiful pools of brightness against the darker architectural details. And for a photographer who is slightly obsessed with good light? You could say I was having a moment.

We took full advantage of it. The combination of San Francisco City Hall's architecture + the unexpected sunlight + Jonathan and Carla being completely in the moment gave us some of my favorite photographs from their day.

There are certain images where everything just comes together.

The light.
The location.
The couple.
The composition.
The feeling.

Those are the photographs I'm always chasing.

A Little Romance, A Lot of Smiles

One thing Jonathan made very clear in his questionnaire was that he wanted to capture Carla's happiness.
He told me: “Carla loves to laugh and I love her smile.”
Okay. Excuse me while I emotionally combust.

But seriously—that one sentence tells you so much about how Jonathan sees her. He wasn't looking for photographs where they simply looked perfect. He wanted photographs that showed her happiness. The real smiles. The spontaneous laughter. The little moments that happen when you're completely comfortable with the person you're with.

And that's exactly what we leaned into. Jonathan is more introverted, while Carla is definitely the extrovert of the two. But he told me he'd happily adjust his energy to match hers for photos. We mixed romantic portraits with movement, laughter, playful moments, and quiet little in-between interactions.

Because your wedding gallery should never feel like one long collection of serious faces. Give me the big romantic portrait. Give me the dramatic architecture. But also give me the laughing-until-you-can't-breathe photo. Those are the ones you'll want 20 years from now.

Then We Took the Adventure to Baker Beach

After their civil wedding, we packed up and headed to Baker Beach. And this is where Jonathan and Carla's adventurous side really got to come out.

Sandy beach.
Golden Gate Bridge.
Sunglasses.
Ocean breeze.

A completely different vibe from the grandeur of City Hall.

And I am OBSESSED with the contrast. We went from elegant European-inspired architecture to laid-back California beach portraits in the same day. And honestly?That's one of my favorite things about photographing a San Francisco elopement or civil wedding. You don't have to choose just one version of yourselves. You can have the grand, sophisticated City Hall portraits and the playful, windswept beach photographs.

You can put on the fancy outfits, then throw on your sunnies and run around at the beach. You can have the timeless black-and-white portrait and then immediately follow it with an impromptu dance sesh with the breeze sweeping through your hair.

Your wedding day can hold all of it.

And Yes… These Locations Are Rom-Com Royalty

Here's another reason I was particularly excited about this combination of locations. The Princess Diaries. The Wedding Planner. aka Two of my favorite rom-coms.
And both San Francisco City Hall and Baker Beach have connections to these iconic San Francisco films.

So naturally, my photographer brain was like: Wait… we can photograph a real-life love story in locations that already live rent-free in my rom-com-loving heart?San Francisco already has this incredible cinematic quality to it, and these two locations gave us completely different versions of that feeling.

City Hall felt grand, romantic, and timeless. Baker Beach felt cool, adventurous, and effortlessly Californian.

Together, they made the perfect backdrop for Jonathan and Carla.

San Francisco City Hall Civil Weddings & Elopements

If you're planning a San Francisco City Hall civil wedding, elopement, or intimate wedding, please know that you don't need a huge guest list or a traditional wedding venue to create photographs that feel incredibly special. San Francisco City Hall gives you the grandeur. The city gives you the adventure.

And your relationship gives the photographs their meaning.

Maybe your day looks like Jonathan and Carla's—City Hall portraits followed by an adventure at Baker Beach. Maybe it's wandering through the city together or grabbing dinner at your favorite restaurant. Maybe it's a tiny ceremony followed by champagne, dancing, and exploring San Francisco until the sun goes down.

Whatever your version looks like, I'm here for it.

As a San Francisco elopement photographer and Los Angeles-based destination wedding photographer, I love photographing couples who care less about following a traditional wedding formula and more about creating a day that actually feels like them.

Give me the architecture.

Give me the ocean.

Give me the weird weather.

Give me the sunglasses.

Give me the adventure, I'll bring the cameras.

And I'll make sure we leave room for the moments you didn't plan for, too. Because sometimes those end up being the photographs you love the most.

Planning a San Francisco City Hall Wedding or Elopement?

If you're dreaming of San Francisco City Hall wedding photography, a City Hall civil ceremony, or an adventurous San Francisco elopement followed by portraits around the city, I'd love to hear what you're dreaming up.

I'm a documentary and editorial wedding photographer based in Los Angeles, available for San Francisco and bay area weddings, elopements, civil ceremonies, and destination celebrations. Photographing in digital, 35mm, and 120 film formats to document your day in the most magical way possible. Your wedding doesn't have to look like everyone else's. It just has to look like you. If that means getting married under the dome at City Hall and ending the day barefoot at Baker Beach with the Golden Gate Bridge behind you…

Well.

I'm already obsessed.

Let's make it a movie. 🤍