r/SanFranciscoWeddings

I know people plan weddings more than an year in advance but we are in the process of finalizing venues for our December wedding. Ceremony outdoors and Reception indoors. We want to spend under 7k for venue and shortlisted our top 4 and would love reviews, experiences for these venues:

1. Monterey Beach Station
2. Club at Ruby Hill
3. Half Moon Bay Golf Links
4. Silver Creek Valley Country Club

Also, photographer perspective would be nice to have if any of these locations didn’t have much variety for photoshoot.

Update:
Budget wise Monterey Beach Station > Ruby Hill > Silver Creek > HMB

Ceremony location HMB > Monterey Beach > Silver Creek > Ruby Hill

Reception location Silver Creek > Ruby Hill > Monterey Beach > HMB

I recently went to Garnet and Grace to try on dresses for the first time. I know they carry a wide variety of sizes and silhouettes so I wanted to just get an idea of the size I wear plus the styles I like before taking the bridal party. I was told I'm somewhere around bridal size 18.
I tried on most silhouettes and necklines so I have a much better idea of what I like (A-line, sweetheart, etc). However, the experience with the consultant made me a little uneasy. After a condescending conversation with the consultant, she basically told me I was going to have a really hard time finding dresses in my size and now I'm nervous about taking my bridesmaids shopping with me and not finding anything that would fit.

Is this the case in the bay area? I've found four shops to check out that should carry my size: Flares, Janene's, Elegant Lace, and Emerald City. Are there other size inclusive shops in the bay that I can look into? For reference, I'm willing to drive anywhere around the bay area. I know that Sparkle in Sac is also popular but I would prefer not to drive that far out of the bay area.

I’ve hired a Day-of Coordinator from Casa Real directly, but I’m unsure if that will suffice. I’m thinking about bringing in an external coordinator. Any past brides or grooms willing to share their experiences? Is the DoC enough for the big day? Thank you in advance!

Just looking for a recommendation for someone who can add a piece of tulle that’s already embroidered to my veil that I have. Hoping for someone in SF but I’m okay to travel as well as it seems to be harder than I thought to find someone to do this

Thank you!

The wedding venue that my fiancé and I are considering requires us to select preferred caterers. Between Park Avenue, Mazza Catering, and the girl and the fig - what have your experiences been with them?

Taste is very important for us for our selected caterers. Any insights would be helpful.

For vendors that charge so much for one day / up charge because it’s a wedding, but results are not what you expected, or were not great to work with, is there a forum or somewhere that calls these vendors out? Can we normalize transparency for disappointing vendors? Thanks.

Or just price transparency in general. Everyone just asks you for your budget and gives you ranges based on that. What is actually fair? What are other brides being quoted for the same vendor? It’d be nice to have an app or something that promotes pricing and review transparency for brides in the area utilizing the same vendors. Someone build this app or website lol.

Hi everyone!

For those of you who had your wedding or engagement photos taken at SF City Hall, how many hours did you book with your photographer?

I’m trying to decide what’s enough time. We’ll be doing a civil ceremony at City Hall and would like photos inside the building and maybe a few around the exterior afterward.

Was 1 hour enough, or did you wish you had booked 2–3 hours? I’d love to hear your experience and any tips.

Thanks!

Hi all!
My fiancé and I just locked in a Sonoma county wedding venue for August 2027. We are beginning the vendor hunt, and are curious if any of y’all have recommendations for photographer, a non-Hollywood cinematic videographer (think speeches & ceremony recorded and maybe some b footage for a home video), and band or DJ. Thank you!

Editing to clarify—for entertainment—looking for music for dancing & fun (including new stuff, classics, singalongs, and late 2010s college era).

Hi! Unusual request. We are considering adding a DJ to our private afterparty at a local bar/restaurant in the North Bay. We would only want 1-1 1/2 ish hour set from 10:45-12 and really looking for someone who can read the room & match the crowd’s energy. We have in mind starting with some throw backs mixed with funky/cheeky rnb hits and transitioning to a more after hour vibes to close the set (after the set the event will continue until 1:30 but I think people will want to be off their feet by then). That’s the idea but really want someone who will adjust to the crowd! Any recommendations for a DJ who would be interested in this? Any advice on how much we should expect this to cost?

we are just about to sign our contract with them but it seems there are new and added fees every corner, and they updated their fees for this year/changed them mid year in the middle of our email chain, which was a bit suspect for us

- they require small weddings 30 and under to use a cc though they offer ACH for weddings over 31 people (?)

- they say online they have a shuttle to their homes but it only runs weekdays business hours and you have to find your own transport for guests from lodge back to lodge owned homes (never heard of this seems kind of crazy to only offer this service on weekdays)

-require day of coordinator but only seen in fine print and never explicitly mentioned to us until we directly asked about it

- didnt tell us you can ammend f&b minimum up if needed, but not down, so better to start with small guest count

- like i said above, from the time i reached out a month ago, to now, they told us they changed site fees for 2026 (different then what we were first quoted), increasing our site fee by 4k

i dont know but i am getting weird vibes and just wanted to see what peoples experiences have been

Hi! I ordered a 24x36 welcome sign from Zazzle but it arrived damaged 😞 I tried ordering from Staples but it only gives me a delivery option. Any places where I can pick up foam board in person? I live in Mountain View, so preferably somewhere around this area. My wedding is about a month away. Thank you!

I'm looking for recommendations for a photographer for a June 2027 wedding at Dawn Ranch in Sonoma, ideally around $10k or less. The package would need to include 2 hours of rehearsal dinner coverage and 10 hours of wedding day coverage with a mix of film and digital for both events.

Stylistically, we really like Ali Beck, Samantha Dean Olmos, Catherine Marie Taylor, and Brandi Crockett. We're looking for really elevated film shots and portraits mixed with very lively candids, true to color editing, and would want to see strong examples of film and digital work in bright and cloudy conditions.

Looking to resize my engagement ring as I’ve lost weight and it’s top heavy so keeps rotating.

I searched past posts and didn’t find any east bay jeweler recommendations so would appreciate any input! I got my ring out of the country, so not familiar with who is reputable. Thanks!!

Me and fiancé are from The Bahamas and same sex marriage is illegal so we’re coming to San Francisco to get married. We picked January 7 2027 at San Francisco city hall so we have to time to plan. Currently we’re looking for a looking for photography coverage.We’re planning a full day with multiple locations and I’d love to get a clear quote based on our timeline.

• Early morning portraits at Palace of Fine Arts (around 7–8 AM)
• Ceremony at San Francisco City Hall at 9:00 AM
• City Hall portraits afterward
• Optional quick street/cable car photos (about 30 minutes max)
• Sunset beach photos (1–1.5 hours)

We’re also open to guidance and suggestions as we’re not from the country. Our budget is 3k-4k

The vibe we want for our photos are cinematic editorial fine art documentary luxury elopement storytelling we want the photos to feel grand because it’s two of us that’s gonna be there no family or friends

There are so many talented city hall photographers it’s a bit overwhelming. My partner and I have decided to forgo a large wedding this year to have an intimate civil ceremony with a nice dinner afterwards with our immediate family. I’m hoping to find someone who leans a little less traditional. Thinking like more in the moment, something that we can look back on and remember the feeling. I enjoy film and digital so ideally someone who would be willing to do both. Budget is pretty flexible since we’re forgoing an expensive event but don’t wanna go overboard since we’re don’t have a ton of event to capture (if that makes sense?) - date is tbd because of booking but we’re hoping for 10/09/2026.

Also if anyone has had experience with dinners after for a party of 8-10 (again no budget here) where would you recommend?

Thanks for all your recs!

Looking for an officiant with an actual title, not just some slob who filled out a couple forms online and got ordained.

I want someone with a real title to officiate my wedding. A Knight of the British Empire, a ship captain, a sitting or retired judge, a mayor, a baron, that kind of thing. Someone who walks in with actual gravitas and makes the whole thing feel like an occasion, not a guy reading vows off his phone in a blazer that doesn't fit.

I'm dead serious about this and I have time to do it right. Wedding is in 2027, so I'm not in a rush. I'd rather track down the right person over the next year than settle.

A few things I'm trying to figure out:

Has anyone here actually booked someone like this? Knight, judge, captain, peerage, elected official, whatever. How did you find them? Agency, personal connection, cold outreach, sheer luck?

What did it run you? Trying to budget realistically. I assume there's a wide range depending on who and how distinguished, so even ballpark numbers help.

Any specific names, agencies, or leads worth chasing?