Personalizing your City Hall Civil Ceremony

Reminder: Your Civil Ceremony is still your Wedding Day!

No matter how large or small, your City Hall Civil Ceremony is still your wedding day! Whether this is the only ceremony you plan to have, or if you’re planning something larger down the road, you deserve to still make this day incredibly special. That doesn’t mean you have to turn your civil ceremony into a huge affair (unless you want to, of course). But adding your own personalization will transform your civil ceremony from a checkbox, to a core memory. Here are some ideas to personalize your civil ceremony so that your day feels uniquely yours, even when you’re sharing the same date and space as 20 other couples.

Choosing your Own Officiant

Did you know that you don’t HAVE to use the City Hall judges to officiate your wedding? As long as your officiant is ordained you can technically get married at City Hall. You might not necessarily get the spot at the top of the stairs, but there are so many other gorgeous spots around City Hall and you still get to have “San Francisco City Hall” on your marriage license!

Additionally, you don’t even have to get married at City Hall. If you want those beautiful photos at the Grand Staircase, then let’s go for it! But technically, you can get married on the coast, in a forest, on a boat, at the top of a mountain, etc. You don’t have to limit your wedding day to City Hall if you just want a short or intimate ceremony.

Personal Vows

Civil ceremonies at City Hall are very short (about 5 minutes), and do not allow time for personal vows. However, you can still take the time before or after your civil ceremony to exchange personal vows and express your commitment privately. I highly recommend taking the time to write personal vows and recite them at sunset. Imagine the Golden Gate Bridge as your witness. It’s unlike any other.

First Look vs. Getting Ready Together

You can still do what many couples do, and have a private First Look. Your photographer can coordinate this at your Getting Ready location, or even meet at City Hall for the first time! You do not need to forego some of the activities of a traditional wedding day.

Alternatively, you can get ready together for a very intimate experience that allows you to spend even more time together. This is especially powerful if you won’t have anyone else with you.

To have both, you can get mostly ready mostly separately, but put on finishing touches together. For example, having your partner pin your veil or boutonnière. Or even tying each other’s shoes. Your photographer can help coordinate this too!

Unity Ceremony

Some traditions can easily be incorporated into your civil ceremony. Jumping the broom is an excellent example of this. If you have a guests present at your civil ceremony, a beautiful way to include them is to do a ring warming in which every guest briefly holds the ring before the exchange.

Separately, you can perform a hand fasting ceremony, mixing sand, or even start a new tradition such as painting together. You can get creative on where these take place: your home, a park, a reception dinner, etc.

Transportation – Your way

Since the only people you really have to coordinate getting to/from City Hall are yourselves, you can literally take any method of transportation you’d like. Driving yourself or taking a rideshare are obvious choices, but also consider public transportation, which makes for especially cute photos. You can also rent out vintage or luxury cars for your “getaway” afterward. Or maybe you want a pedicab, hop on a double-decker tour bus, or tour San Francisco on a go-cart!

Little Details with Profound Meaning

Florals

You can symbolically design your flowers by mixing your favorite flowers, or choosing a color palette that incorporates your favorite colors. Further personalize your bouquet using ribbon with color symbolism or hanging a locket from the stems. You can also opt to to incorporate non-traditional foliage such as greenery only, dried foliage, local foliage, succulents, or even crystals and wiring.

Commemorative Details

Adding in tiny pins onto your coat, dress, or elsewhere. These are very subtle ways to honor someone who might not be present. For example, your parents or pets. You may even have a symbol that acts as a motif in your relationship, such as a butterfly, that can add a special touch to your outfits.

Gift Exchange

You can each give a meaningful gift or heirloom to the other partner, typically while getting ready together or personal vows. These gifts are personal to your relationship, and could be anything from a highly coveted perfume to wear that day, to luggage to inspire excitement for your honeymoon, or something hand-made to commemorate this special chapter.

Taking Sunset Photos

Your day shouldn’t end at City Hall! You’ve picked your outfit, got your hair and makeup done, and you’re both looking incredible. So go take some extra photos in a beautiful place! The fact that you’re having a smaller ceremony actually creates more time for you to specifically go to the place you want for your wedding photos since you don’t have to account time for other activities. You’ll be able to spend more time soaking in the beautiful sunset, and possibly share private vows or a first dance under the moon.

Sharing a First

Commemorate this new chapter of your relationship with a first dance, a first drink at the bar, a first game of Mario Kart, etc. Indulge in activities you already enjoy, or try a new one together as newlyweds. Your wedding day is all about you, so you can truly pick whatever you want!

Messages from Friends and Family

A really sweet way to include your loved ones is to have one person coordinate messages and letters from your friends and family. These could be physical letters, digital letters, or voicemails. I recommend sending a list of loved ones to one person who can contact and collect those messages and deliver them to you on wedding day.

Another option would be to take a moment and FaceTime loved ones. You can even assign someone to stay on the video call during your ceremony.

Celebratory Meal

Round off a perfect day with a delicious and special meal. This could mean splurging on a restaurant you’ve always wanted to try, or having fun at the taqueria at which you’re both regulars. Maybe you just want to share some s’mores with friends around a bonfire!

You don’t have to limit your wedding drinks to just champagne either. Drink beers, coffee, boba, sparkling lemonade, or whatever you fancy. And drink them out of cute customized mugs and glasses!

Another population option would be to book a luxury picnic or a private chef that serves you at your accommodation.

Give yourself Permission to Celebrate every part of yourselves during your Civil Ceremony

There are so many ways to personalize your wedding day, and you should never feel limited due to the length of your ceremony. The ceremony is just one part of your wedding day, and in reality, it’s just the legalization part. All that means is that you have even more time to celebrate you! The best part about small weddings and elopements is that the focus of the day is really about your relationship and that you do not have to function on anyone else’s timeline. You get to move from one activity to the next with complete freedom and take the day at your own pace.

If you are looking to hold your elopement or civil ceremony in San Francisco City Hall, reach out and I can’t wait to help you dream up a civil ceremony day that you didn’t even realize was possible.

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San Francisco City Hall Civil Ceremonies

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Don’t Just Hear it from Me

Here are some love notes from past clients

Words are not enough to describe how beautiful the whole experience with Marjorie was! Just look at the pictures, at how comfortable and happy we feel. Even though this was two months ago, I’m still looking at those pictures all the time.
I was happy to receive a couple of pictures in just two days. My parents were not able to come to our wedding, so at least I was able to send some of those photos!

Alina + Baran

We worked with Marjorie for both our elopement and Catholic wedding and she was such a joy. From the beginning, she was intentional about how we wanted to capture our day and made sure to bring out the best parts of us for both events. She is incredibly caring, patient, and our family and loved ones were so pleased with her professionalism and warmth. When we look back at our galleries, we truly feel that she captured the special moments of our days and we can’t wait to display our images in our home.

Jenny + Juan Pablo
Eloped in Big Sur, CA

From the moment we reached out, she handled every detail of our day with such care and expertise. She knows City Hall like the back of her hand, which made the whole process seamless and stress-free. Marjorie guided us through the day with incredible thoughtfulness, ensuring every photo captured the magic of the moment.

The photos themselves were absolutely stunning–each one told a story and felt so personal. I spent a long time searching for the right person, and Marjorie exceeded every expectation. Her talent, creativity, and ability to put us at ease made her stand out in every way.

Natalie + Clay

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