The Ultimate Guide For Elopement Photography Near SF City Hall!

You’ve booked your SF City Hall wedding and decided you can’t come to San Francisco and return home without taking photos around town. But then you look at each other, shrug your shoulders, and ask, “But where do we go?” I LOVE answering this question! Usually, we would have a phone chat, and I’d find out what vibe resonates with you. Are you into the grand landmarks? Funky secret spaces? Architecture or abandoned spaces? My most requested blog topic to write about next is “Where do we take the most beautiful wedding pictures in San Francisco after the wedding?”.

As I wrote this, I realized I was also writing a blog about the best places to have a beautiful pop-up wedding. So, use this guide for whichever purpose suits your needs. This was a big undertaking, but I will present you with the 2020 version and continue updating it.  I dug through thousands of pictures to pull the ones that show precisely how much swoon-worthy visual inspiration this city offers. Once you step outside, think of yourself standing in the middle of a seven-mile-by-seven-mile photo studio. I’ve gathered the inside information and images from weddings we’ve shot to show you precisely what you can expect. We will tell you the best times to take wedding pictures, how long it takes to get there, and what you can expect your portfolio to look like on YOUR wedding day!  I will start with the location that’s the farthest out of downtown and SF City Hall if that’s where you are getting married. Suppose you’d like a popup elopement at any of these spots. Click HERE to inquire.

The Marin Headlands

If you want the ultimate wedding day in the bay, travel a short distance over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin headlands. There is photography magic in these hills and vistas! If you are interested in a photo tour with a vintage VW Bus. It’s spacious, uncrowded, and true Northern California scenery if you know where to go. And we do!  It’s also a lovely location for engagement photos, and you can include the Muir Woods if you plan to make a reservation. The most common images you’ll see online are from the Marin Headlands side of the Golden Gate Bridge at Battery Spencer, but it’s often very crowded with cars and tourists…so we found some less crowded and equally gorgeous spots for our couples. Honestly, we want you to be yourself and hold hands, kiss, and twirl around if you feel like it, and that can be awkward when tourists are watching. Point Bonita Lighthouse is another hidden gem in the increasingly popular adventure wedding category. You can’t bring pets out to this location; otherwise, it’s stunning as daylight comes down and we head into the sunset. If you have a late afternoon wedding, you could time it just right for a champagne toast for two at sunset. There are trailhead parking and restrooms, which is nice to know when you’re out in the wild. If you’ve ever wanted a private lagoon, or better yet, a beach with both the roaring waves of the Pacific and the private lagoon, we’ll take you to the red and green pebbled Rodeo Beach. Just three short miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, it’s exhilarating and sprinkled with real treasure as jasper, carnelian, and jade can be seen  (but not taken) from the beach. With cliffs backing up the park, it’s perfect if you’ve ever wanted to recreate that famous kissing in the waves scene in “From Here To Eternity!” The couple featured in this section did a trash-the-dress session at the end of their shoot, and team member Julia got the shot of the day! 21 minutes to get here but longer at rush hour 9.1 miles away

Sutro Baths

Hauntingly beautiful and decisively unique, the ruins of Adolf Sutro’s 1894 visionary project are now the perfect backdrop for one-of-a-kind couples photography. Originally, the baths were once the largest collection of indoor heated saltwater swimming pools worldwide (How did he think of that?). For years, trains arrived daily and were filled with tourists and families ready to shop, swim, and enjoy the Cliff House restaurant. Although the baths were destroyed, what remains is a labyrinth of cement walls right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, with massive waves crashing behind you as you stand on the precipice of the pool’s outer wall. Standing on the edge, you’ll cast a perfect reflection into the pool, and I have some images below. Behind the pools, you’ll be nestled in cliffs filled with wild lilies, lush greenery, and cement boulders. The romantic majesty is breathtaking at sunrise and sunset, which are the best times of day to visit. We suggest avoiding weekends during the high tourist season. There are public parking, snacks, and a restroom. The north side of the baths has a walk through a cave where you can not only hear the waves crashing on its outer wall, but you can FEEL them as well! You might need to hold hands. It’s intense. If you look at the rock island right in front of you, you’ll notice a perfect heart cut out on its right side! Next door is the Cliff House restaurant, an authentic San Francisco tradition for romantic sunset dinners and part of the original experience. Book well ahead if you want to book a larger party for your wedding day, as they sell out. They also have a banquet room and a balcony.19 minutes6.1 miles

Lands End & the Legion of Honor Museum

Next up is Lands End. Think forest, rugged rocky outcroppings, and windswept cliffs at the ocean’s edge. The southernmost part overlooks the Sutro Baths, but as you walk through it, you end up with a stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge as the park wraps around and turns you north. It a perfect choice for some adventure wedding style photography without having to leave the city. You can enjoy the wide-open path near the public parking lot that’s easy enough for a stroller or if your fur kid is joining the photo session. If you’re up for a short but steep hike down, you can score a secluded beach for a romantic picnic. Ask us, and we can help you set that up! Lands End can give you two different experiences. Park at Sutro Baths, and you have an ocean view and a cliff view of the ruins. Park on the other side, and you will have the museum, pillars, and a Golden Gate Bridge view—two parks in one.

Sunset shots are nice, but it’s doable if you need to go midday. The Museum has parking, and this side of Lands End Park has plenty of street parking. We’ve not seen snack shops or restrooms .19 minutes, 5.6 miles.

Crissy Field & the Golden Gate Bridge

Driving in, I always feel like I have the best present for you. The view of the bridge is a show-stopper, and we’re going to hit it from all points! I love having newlyweds snuggled up in the back of my car and heading for this area. Motoring down Bay Street past the swanky houses and the boats bobbing in the marina, we come upon the entrance to Crissy Field. An army airfield in a former life is now part of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.  It also boasts the most enormous, perfectly green lawn you’ve ever seen, with the Golden Gate Bridge photobombing every shot you take. Just accept it; your friends may get jealous. It’s clean and safe, has parking, and a great snack bar, the Warming Hut. They have picnic tables and the beach if you’d like to grab lunch and take some picnic photos or take a lunch break for a little bit. Photography is hard work, and sometimes it calls for lunch. We can also walk right out in front of the cafe to the wood-planked Torpedo Wharf for a few more shots and that vintage feel. While many photographers visit Baker Beach on the Ocean Side of the bridge, I prefer the smaller, crescent-shaped West Bluff Beach on the sheltered and far less windy bayside. Baker Beach’s wind gusts are not always your friend for brides with a veil. Also, It’s a much easier walk to the water’s edge in a wedding dress or brand-new shoes, and let’s be honest, the money shots all risk getting splashed. You can also take your shoes off, and I usually have some baby wipes in the car for just these situations. There’s also something about putting your bare feet in the Pacific Ocean that just feels like a fresh start. Next, I’ll take you up to Battery East, and you’ll be high above the bay, almost on a level with the cars driving across the bridge span. There’s a whole system of bike trails, a little cave you can walk through that brings you to a very secret spot with an unbelievable view, and walking trails that take you toward a view of Alcatraz. All of these locations are spot-on for incredible wedding photography. This section has a public parking lot. Sunset shots are outstanding, but fog and sun are just fine, too. Sometimes, atmospheric days and a bright red umbrella are just as exciting as sunshine. The Golden Gate Bridge is near and dear to my heart. My grandfather came across the country and helped with the cement part of its construction, so I always feel like I have a friend waiting for me every time I see it. We can and do take photos above, below, and on all four sides, bringing me to our next stop…..13 minutes and 3.9 miles.

The Palace Of Fine Arts

Almost every couple from out of town who researches photo locations comes to me with this spot on their list. It was originally designed as a fictional ruin from another time for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition and was built as a temporary structure. Think paper machete and chicken wire. It wasn’t supposed to be up for more than a year, but the residents of SF couldn’t part with it, and by 1964, the folks of high society had raised funds to have it demolished and rebuilt as a permanent structure. There is parking & restrooms, except on Mondays,  and it’s easy for pets, kids, and those with mobility issues to tag along. An excellent spot for a popup wedding, you can get married by the lagoon, under the Rotunda, or in a more secluded spot on the footpaths. If you’d like a sit-down wedding for up to 250 guests, you can reserve the Rotunda for $489 with a $140 per hour fee and a minimum of two hours. So, $769 for two hours doesn’t mean that tourists can’t wander into your space. You can rent law enforcement for $70 per hour to shoo them along, though! We’ve met several charming horses that the mounted police ride, and it’s worth it. they’ll let you pose for photos with them. Speaking of animals, the palace is practically a wildlife sanctuary, and at any shoot, we expect to have swans with their babies swimming by or a sighting of the majestic blue herons that nest in the trees. It’s a truly magical spot for romance.9 minutes2.9 miles

The Lyon Street Steps and Marina Neighborhood

Looping back over the bridge and heading into the city, the Marina District is a sought-after address for the up-and-comers. Trendy shops line Chestnut Street, and overlooking all of it, high atop the hills, you’ll find the Lyon Street Steps. Running vertically between Vallejo Street (where we’ll park) and down several long tiers to Lyon St, this area is a locals-only secret and not nearly as often photographed by tourists as all of the scenery below that you get a bird’s eye view of from the top of the steps. Suppose you’d like to add a bit of fantasy to your session. In that case, we can put you in front of one of the palatial homes on Millionaires Row owned by people like Oracle founder Larry Ellison and members of the Levi Strauss family, situated right next to the top of the steps. (It’s excellent for your vision board!)This fabulous view includes the Palace Of Fine Arts, and if you look closely at the dome, it might remind you of R2D2 from Star Wars. It’s said that George Lucas got his inspiration for his famous droid by looking at its domed structure. Lucas has offices just across the street, so it’s possible. Also visible is the Presidio Forest, which includes Lover’s Lane, a great inner city stop with towering eucalyptus trees, and a switchback walkway lined with logs, formerly the spot Army sweethearts used to stroll hand in hand when the base was open, back in the day.9 minutes 2.9 miles.

Golden Gate Park

The most common misconception about this location is that it’s in the same place as the Golden Gate Bridge, but it isn’t. (Crissy Field is though) This park is massive and seems like many, many places in one. Have you been to Central Park in New York City? It’s 20% bigger than that! There are endless specialty gardens, Corinthian columns and fountains, lakes and bridges, live buffalo, and Dutch windmills. The Japanese Tea Garden is one of the most famous attractions in the park, but avoid the tourist season on the weekends. It’s $8 to get in, but it’s worth it for the landscaping, lagoon, and authentic red pagodas.

The Celebration garden was fully renovated in 2019 and is the largest and most accommodating space for seating guests and larger groups. The Moon Viewing Garden provides a platform over a lagoon, and the Redwood Grove will make you think you’ve left the city altogether! Site fees apply here. They have an authentic tea house to enjoy when you’re done and strategically placed stone benches to snuggle on to gaze at the scenery or each other. Generally, the park is so large that it doesn’t feel crowded, but the Tea Garden is one of the smaller spaces, enclosed by high walls that create a sense of intimacy, like a little kingdom. This park is another excellent spot for a micro wedding; meet your officiant and find a beautiful place. The Shakespeare’s Garden is behind the Academy of Science Museum, where there is safe pay parking, free street parking, and restrooms. Off the beaten path just a little bit, walled in by tall trees and a very pretty black iron gate with the garden name on it, this is another quiet spot that you can rent for a more extensive sit-down wedding from the Parks and Rec’s department for the same fee structure as renting the Palace Of Fine Arts. It has its aisle with delicate trees, making a perfect canopied walkway that’s very nice for a wedding or couples’ photography after SF City Hall. If you’ve left your car at SF City Hall, it’s a short drive for me to take you back to it.8 minutes 2.9 miles.