Located on Treasure Island, just 10 minutes outside of San Francisco, Mersea restaurant was the venue for this gorgeous September wedding. Mersea offers arguably the best view of the San Francisco skyline including the city itself, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge!

It promises an unforgettable wedding day experience, with a price tag that won’t break the bank. 

Mersea is a shipping container kitchen & bar that features elevated comfort food, right on the sparkling bay. It’s been serving up food and cocktails since 2018, on the prestigious Great Lawn location.

‘Come for the view, stay for the food’, as Mersea’s Instagram page invites us! 

Mersea Restaurant Wedding
Mersea restaurant exterior and views – Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography, associate photographer

More about Mersea restaurant for your wedding

What makes this venue even more unique? The restaurant is made out of multiple shipping containers, a huge amount of outdoor seating, a putting green, a bocce ball court and cornhole, all of which can be used for your wedding!

Expect to see repurposed pallets artistically stacked to form outside seating areas and herb garden planters. There are tables from old Treasure Island bowling alley lanes and doors from the military kitchen on the gravel patio. 

Almost everything on the premises has been upcycled in an uplifting and loving way, most of it by the owners’ own hands. 

The restaurant is perfectly named, with ‘Mersea’ being the old-English word for ‘Island Oasis’. 

The kitchen at Mersea is helmed by Chef Parke Ulrich of both Epic Steak and Waterbar fame. They have many excellent comfort-casual dishes. 

Their private dining and special events menu has been carefully designed by Chef Parke to bridge the gap between classic comfort snack-bar beach fare and traditional fine dining. Expect sustainably-soured, local, seasonal selections. 

Mersea’s owner MeeSun Boice is a tech entrepreneur and local legend! She was part of the Treasure Island Museum’s oral history project.

The chef and the owner partnered in order to build a “destination restaurant”.

Food and drink at Mersea Restaurant

Some trademark dishes at Mersea are the Oregon pink shrimp roll with Old Bay-seasoned fries,  Brussels sprouts, mahi mahi ceviche, caesar salad, cheese pizza with house-made crust, fish tacos and not forgetting their delicious fish and chips.

Example photos of food at Mersea Restaurant Wedding
Mersea restaurant wedding appetizers – Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography, associate photographer

To finish, I’m told that if you want to go all out, you must let guest sample their M3 cocktail — coconut vodka, pineapple juice, and ginger beer. 

Or maybe the twisted espresso is more your style? This is an alcoholic version of affogato made with vanilla and salted caramel soft serve, espresso and 103 proof whiskey! 

I love the indoor/outdoor feel of the space. The indoor dining room has glass walls so it brings the outside in. The views are really where it’s at!

About this wedding couple

When I connected with this couple, they told me they had initially started looking at traditional wineries and venues but eventually realized that wasn’t them. They prioritized food, family and friends so they opted for a restaurant where food was front and center of the offerings. 

They met on Coffee Meets Bagel 3 years prior, and K, the bride, had just downloaded the app. Their relationship developed gradually, until they went ring-shopping together and E proposed at home.

K&E describe themselves as a ‘chill, low-key couple’ that likes hanging out with friends and going indoor rock-climbing. but ‘also really enjoy each other’s company at home’ and are very content playing games, baking cookies and growing tomatoes. 

bride and groom posing for photos outside Mersea Restaurant on wedding day
Wedding photos outside Mersea Restaurant – Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography, associate photographer

For the wedding vision, K said the wedding would be casual, combining some components of a traditional wedding but really for it to feel more like a gathering of friends and family.

They wanted guests to enjoy the amazing view of the San Francisco skyline, lawn games and putting green, and great food and drinks. Having a relaxed feel to proceedings was also a priority for K&E, rather than feeling like they were rushing through their day. 

About their Mersea restaurant wedding

We had an excellent planner (who also officiated!) on this wedding – Bing from Go Bing Go. The photographer was Meganne from our team of associates. 

Luckily the team was solid, because the day didn’t go exactly as planned – their mid-September wedding was a wash-out! Though luckily, by later in the day the rain abated, but it just goes to show; weather can be unpredictable and sometimes windier than elsewhere on the island!

They moved the ceremony indoors into one of the light-filled interior spaces. I love the backdrop for toasts and speeches being indoor/outdoor beside the iconic, quirky shipping containers. 

One other special touch was K’s surprise change into hanbok prior to cake-cutting! I’m sure many of the family members appreciated that, and it made for a fun change for the photos. 

bride changing outfit at asian wedding at Mersea Restaurant
Bride’s surprise outfit change – Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography, associate photographer

Capacity of Mersea Restaurant for weddings

AreaStanding CapacitySeated Capacity
Boardroom6050 (with buffet tables, 30)
The Games Patio5040
Venue buyout250150

Vendor Credits

Venue: Mersea Restaurant

Photography: Associate Photographer, Zoe Larkin Photography

Planning & Officiant: Go Bing Go

Floral design: Momo’s Flowers and More

Dress: AT Romance

Rings: Vrai

HMUA: Aurelia Kim

Cake: From Flour

Video: Triluu Films

Photos from Mersea restaurant wedding

guests arriving to Mersea Restaurant for wedding rainy day wedding at Mersea Restaurant, Treasure Island candid bride and groom photos on rainy day wedding at Mersea bride and groom photos with San Francisco skyline behind them Interior of Mersea Restaurant set up for wedding ceremony groom waiting for bride to walk in to indoor ceremony at Mersea Restaurant Wedding, SF indoor wedding ceremony at Mersea Restaurant, Treasure Island candid moments during san francisco wedding at Mersea indoor wedding ceremony in San Francisco details and food and drink at Wedding at Mersea Restaurant San Francisco candid photos of guests greeting bride at Wedding Mersea Restaurant, San Francisco CA wedding first dance at unique Sam Francisco wedding venue with shipping containers first dance Photos from Mersea Restaurant Wedding Wedding photos from Mersea Restaurant San Francisco Mersea Restaurant intimate San Francisco wedding photos wedding candid photos at Mersea Restaurant, Treasure Island Treasure Island wedding venue with shipping containers wedding food at Treasure Island wedding venue Mersea Restaurant bride changed outfits at Mersea Restaurant, Treasure Island wedding indoor guest photos with flash at wedding at Mersea Restaurant San Francisco cupcakes served at Mersea Restaurant, a San Francisco Wedding Venue newlywed couple cutting cake at Mersea nighttime bride and groom photos on wedding day with San Francisco skyline behind

About Zoe Larkin Photography 

Looking for a San Francisco wedding photographer? You can learn more about our services at the button below: 

And more about our team of associate photographers here. Hoping we’ll be back at Mersea Restaurant soon, shooting your lovely wedding! 

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Photos from Mersea Restaurant Wedding, Treasure Island | Zoe Larkin Photo

Zoe Larkin

I’m Zoe, a wedding photographer based in San Francisco! My style is candid, capturing authentic moments for my couples all over the Bay Area and Northern California. Creating content is my passion! Follow along the blog and Insta!

Mersea restaurant treasure island wedding by Zoe Larkin Photography

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Mersea Restaurant Wedding (Treasure Island, San Francisco)

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