Candid city hall photos are my absolute favorite. I couldn’t have been happier to capture Rosie and Alex’s very emotional ceremony at SF City Hall.

The story

6 years to the day after Rosie & Alex met, they got married at San Francisco City Hall.

They said hi to each other while attending a college orientation and are recent graduates of SF State.

The SoCal couple find themselves ending their chapter in San Francisco. Soon they’d be moving on to a new life in Pittsburgh PA.

The day of their wedding was T minus three days from the big move!

For this and other reasons, it was a super emotional wedding with lots of time for candid city hall photos.

Yes, there were tears and many hugs, but there was also much laughter and a real sense of intense connection.

Intimate City Hall wedding

The wedding was an intimate affair, with a total of 10 guests, some of whom came over especially from Mexico to see the special pair tie the knot. It was just immediate family present with a best friend or two thrown in for good measure.

Rosie and Alex’s wedding was as simple and beautiful as they come. Flowers were foregone. Rosie’s dress was $16.99 from Ross.

She wore the boots she wore when she met Alex.

It was the moments and the connection that made it what it was. Goes to show you don’t need the most expensive dress of the fanciest fairytale shoes to have a wedding that’s beautiful, candid and meaningful.

The wedding ceremony

Their ceremony took place on the rotunda at the top of the grand staircase, the most popular location for short ceremonies. After that, we did posed family portraits on the top floor. Soon after, we said goodbye to the rest of the wedding group for a short while and got creative with couples portraits around City Hall.

To end my 3-hour coverage we finished up with the portrait location they had chosen for more candid City Hall photos.

Their idea was to embrace the chaos of the City Hall/ civic center area. Rosie says,

‘I know it isn’t particularly pretty, but the spirit of the gritty part of the city is attractive to me. I like the thought of showing us in the city; it’s sort of like showing that we’ve survived and thrived in San Francisco.’

Chaos and thriving

I loved this idea of working amid the chaos of normal city life, pedestrians, traffic, construction and all the rest of it in this very urban spot. Even more so when it has a personal significance and meaning.

Rosie also wanted to utilize the War Memorial Opera House which houses the San Francisco ballet, and specifically the beautiful steps out front.

This day was stunningly beautiful and what leaps out in my mind when I think back to Rosie & Alex’s wedding day was the intense emotion that everyone was going through, particularly the groom’s brother and mom.

It made for some electrifyingly candid City Hall photos. Also, the connection between the young couple was palpable and ever-present.

A super special day at life’s crossroads. Good luck, young lovers!

For more info about my services please visit my SF City Hall info page.

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