How to get married at San Francisco City Hall
January 9, 2024
A city with iconic architecture and history. San Francisco City Hall is a beautiful location. Its grand walls sets the stage for an intimate and unforgettable ceremony. It serves as a breath taking backdrop for your San Francisco City Hall wedding day.
I created these field notes to give you all the info you will need about how to get married at the San Francisco City Hall. If you still have questions, feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly!
I’m Aleena, a California Elopement and Wedding Photographer. I’ve photographed numerous San Francisco City Hall weddings and I’m so excited to share all my knowledge and experience with you so that YOUR wedding day is simple, easy and stress free! I hope this is helpful to you and I look forward to hearing from you when you are ready to book your wedding photographer!
Lets get into the different locations for ceremonies at the San Francisco City Hall. I recommend booking your ceremony location first because these locations book up fast! We’ll get into details of why a little later.
Civil Ceremony
Cost of a Civil Ceremony: $103 (subject to change. See fee schedule here.)
How to book: SF.gov
Location within the Hall: Rotunda (at the top of the grand staircase)
When: Monday – Friday -excluding federal holidays
Time: Every 30 minutes between 9am – 3:30pm
Maximum Guest Count: 6 people -including witnesses, children, photographer, etc.
When to Book: Maximum of 90 day before desired ceremony date, Minimum same day
For a civil ceremony, you’ll need to have your marriage license with you already and at least 1 witness. First, you will check into Room 168 (County Clerk’s Office) 15 minutes prior to your ceremony appointment time. The check in process could take up to 30 minutes.
A civil ceremony is the simplest type of ceremony offered. Its a quick 3-5 minute ceremony. An officiant will be provided. You’ll meet him/her at the Rotunda, which is the area at the top of the grand staircase. Sometimes you can request another location, but it will be up to the officiant for the final location choice. The officiant will begin the ceremony, you’ll both say your “I dos” (which can not be personalized or changed), a ring exchange (optional), your first kiss, and then you’re married!
1 Hour Rental
Cost of a 1 Hour Rental: $1000 (subject to change.)
How to book: San Francisco City Hall Events
Location within the Hall: Mayor’s Balcony or Fourth Floor Gallery
When: Monday – Friday -excluding federal holidays
Fourth Floor Gallery Time: 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm
Mayor’s Balcony Time: 10am, 12pm, 2pm
Maximum Guest Count: 100 people
When to Book: Maximum of 2 years before desired ceremony date, Minimum 4 weeks
A 1 hour rental gives you a lot more freedom to customize your ceremony. You can personalize your ceremony to have a wedding party, recite your own vows, have a religious or civil ceremony, a display table, floral decor and up to 2 acoustic musicians!
A typical ceremony can last around 30 minutes (with a wedding party and all!) so you’ll still have time to take formal photos in your rented area without the public interfering. A marriage license, an officiant and chairs are not provided. You must obtain your marriage license prior to your ceremony date. You will have to provide your own officiant and chairs as well. Musicians and chair rentals must be selected from a list of their qualified vendors. You’re free to hire any photographer you wish, like me! Food and beverage service is not permitted within the 1 hour rental. The city hall is still open to the public during this time, whilst the area of your chosen rental location will be blocked off to allow for your guests only.
Your location choices for a 1 hour rental is the Mayor’s Balcony or the Fourth Floor Gallery.
For popular dates, I recommend booking as far out as possible because these locations fill up quickly! To book, you’ll need to sign the contract and put down a $750 deposit paid by money order. You’ll submit your contract and deposit to Room 495, the Events Office.
2 Hour Weekend Rental
Cost of a 2 Hour Rental: $5000 (subject to change.)
How to book: San Francisco City Hall Events
Location within the Hall: Entire Building – Ceremony will take place on the Grand Staircase
When: Saturdays -excluding federal holidays
Time: 9am or 12pm
Maximum Guest Count: 200 people
When to Book: Maximum of 2 years before desired ceremony date, Minimum 4 weeks
You’ll have the entire city hall to yourselves! No people in the background truly makes this a private and romantic experience. 2 hours at the city hall allows you to personalize your ceremony to have a wedding party, recite your own vows, have a religious or civil ceremony, a display tables, floral decor and acoustic musicians! The best thing about the 2 hour rental is that you may have up to 200 guests!
With this rental, chairs are provided! You will have to provide your own officiant and other vendors if choose to have florals or musicians. These types of vendors must be chosen from the qualified vendor list. Your are free to hire any photographer though, like me!
Marriage License
Now that you have chosen and booked a location to have your ceremony, you HAVE to get a marriage license. You can not get married in California without a marriage license. You may obtain a marriage license in any county in California, it does not have to be the county you are getting married in. (Some counties have lower costs for marriage licenses.)
Current Cost of marriage license in SF county: $120 (subject to change without notice. See fee schedule HERE.) This is a seperate fee from the ceremony/location fee. I recommend booking the ceremony location first because they book out quicker than the license appointments do. Marriage license can be obtained up to 90 days prior to your ceremony date. This is also why you should book a location first, in case the date/location you’ve chosen is further out. Your license expires after 90 days if its not used. To obtain your marriage license, both partners must be present and have a current ID. I highly recommend you obtain your marriage license prior to your ceremony date so there are no delays in appointments/waiting times.
San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photographer
Choosing a photographer for your wedding day is just as important as any other decision you make for your wedding day. I recommend hiring a photographer who is familiar with the City Hall, such as myself! I understand the process of a wedding day at the San Francisco City Hall. I’m flexible and patient with the process. I know that it could feel like a daunting, but exciting event, I can assure you that its not as hard as it seems.
As your wedding photographer, I will help make this process stress free. Together, we will create a timeline of your wedding day and plan it out from dawn to dusk. I am available to document your entire day, not just the ceremony and photos afterward. This is your WEDDING DAY and your legacy for generations. Your journey and your love story deserves to be told in the way that feels unique to you. It deserves to be told in a way that showcases the love that you have for each other. I’d be so honored to bring your memories to life after your wedding day has come and gone. Your wedding day will fly by, but your favorite moments don’t have to. Relive your wedding day through timeless photos by having me photograph your wedding day. If you’re ready to create timeless memories, contact me here and lets get this adventure started!
