San Francisco city hall weddings
Planning a San Francisco City Hall wedding comes with a few details that are easier to handle when you know what to expect ahead of time. This guide covers ceremony options, marriage license basics, guest limits, timing, portrait planning, and what two hours of photography can realistically include.
Whether you are planning a simple civil ceremony or something a little more involved, the goal is to help you build a City Hall wedding day that feels organized, realistic, and still like yours.
A COURTHOUSE WEDDING CAN STILL FEEL LIKE A WEDDING DAY
A San Francisco City Hall ceremony can be simple without feeling rushed or impersonal.
You can exchange vows, include the people closest to you, take portraits throughout the building, celebrate outside, and continue to another San Francisco location afterward. The key is knowing which ceremony option you are booking and leaving enough time around the appointment.
Jolie & Rae Photography photographs San Francisco City Hall weddings with coverage available for civil ceremonies, courthouse elopements, intimate celebrations, and extended portrait plans throughout the city.
sAN fRANSICO cITY hALL AT A GLANCE
LOCATION:
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, California
Civil Ceremonies:
Available by appointment through the San Francisco County Clerk
Civil Ceremony Guest Limit:
Six people or fewer, including children, witnesses, photographers, and videographers
Civil Ceremony Fee:
$113
Marriage License Fee:
$129
Marriage License Validity:
A California marriage license is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued
Private Wedding Reservations:
Separate one-hour, two-hour, and evening wedding options are available through the San Francisco City Hall Events Office.
Choosing your ceremony
Which San Francisco City Hall option is right for you?
San Francisco City Hall offers several ceremony options, and each one creates a very different wedding-day experience. The best fit depends on your guest count, budget, preferred ceremony location, privacy needs, and how much time you want inside the building.
Option One: The Civil Ceremony
The standard civil ceremony is the option most people picture when they think of a San Francisco City Hall wedding. These brief weekday ceremonies are performed by a Deputy Marriage Commissioner and typically take place near the Rotunda at the top of the Grand Staircase, although the exact location may vary depending on building activity.
Civil ceremonies are not private. City Hall remains open to employees, visitors, tourists, other couples, and additional photography sessions. Another ceremony may happen shortly before or after yours.
- Current ceremony fee: $113
- Guest limit: Six people or fewer, including children, your photographer, and videographer
- Officiant: Provided by the County Clerk
- Ceremony length: Usually only a few minutes
Best for:
Couples planning a simple courthouse ceremony, elopement, or intimate wedding with a very small guest list.
Important note:
Your ceremony appointment is not the same thing as photography coverage. Allow additional time before or after the appointment if you want portraits, family photographs, personal vows, or another San Francisco location.
Option Two: The One-Hour Wedding
The One-Hour Wedding package gives couples private use of either the Mayor’s Balcony or a Fourth Floor Gallery for up to one hour. It offers more room for guests, vows, music, and portraits while still keeping the wedding day relatively simple.
These reservations are available Monday through Friday. City Hall remains open to the public, but the reserved ceremony space itself is private during your rental.
- Current ceremony fee: $1,200
- Availability: Weekdays
- Guest limit: up to 100 guests
- Ceremony locations: Mayor's Balcony or Fourth Floor Gallery
- Officiant: Not Included
- Reserved Time: up to one hour
- Chairs: Available as an additional rental
Best for:
Couples who want more privacy and control than a standard civil ceremony without planning a full traditional venue wedding.
Photography Tip:
Hold the ceremony near the beginning of the reserved hour. That leaves more of the private rental time available for couple, family, and wedding-party portraits.
Option Three: The Two-Hour Saturday Wedding
The Two-Hour Wedding package offers a larger private City Hall experience centered around the Rotunda and Grand Staircase.
These weddings are available on select Saturdays, when City Hall is closed to the public. The full two-hour reservation includes load-in and load-out, so the ceremony and portrait timeline needs to be planned carefully.
- Current ceremony fee: $6,000
- Availability: Select Saturdays
- Guest limit: up to 200 guests
- Ceremony locations: Rotunda and Grand Staircase
- Officiant: Not Included
- Reserved Time: Two hours, including load-in and load-out
- Chairs included for up to 200 guests
Best for:
Couples who want a larger guest list, a private ceremony, and the experience of having City Hall largely to themselves.
Photography Tip:
Schedule the ceremony toward the beginning of the reservation so there is still time for couple, family, and wedding-party portraits before the rental ends.
Option Four: The Evening Wedding
San Francisco City Hall can also host full evening weddings with space for a ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and reception.
Evening weddings involve a larger rental commitment and more planning for staffing, insurance, security, equipment, vendors, and production. Availability and total pricing depend on the spaces used, guest count, date, and event needs.
Best for couples who want San Francisco City Hall to serve as both their ceremony and reception venue.
Pricing & what’s included:
Evening wedding pricing varies by guest count, rental areas, staffing, security, insurance, equipment, and production needs. Request a current estimate directly from the San Francisco City Hall Events Office.
Before booking:
Review the current event guide, available spaces, rental rates, insurance requirements, vendor rules, and estimated additional expenses directly with City Hall Events.
Getting your marriage license
You need a valid California marriage license before the ceremony can take place.
The license does not have to be issued in San Francisco. A public marriage license obtained from another California county may be used for a ceremony anywhere in California, as long as it is still valid on the wedding date.
A California marriage license is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued.
If you plan to get your marriage license and have your ceremony at San Francisco City Hall on the same day, the County Clerk recommends allowing enough time between appointments. Booking the license appointment on a separate day can make the wedding day feel less rushed.
For your marriage license appointment, bring:
- Your original California marriage license
- Valid identification
- Your appointment confirmation
- Any required witness
- Your rings, if exchanging them
- A protective folder for the marriage license
Do not fold, damage, or write outside the designated areas of the license.
your wedding day timeline
A civil ceremony may only last a few minutes, but the full San Francisco City Hall experience takes longer. Build in time for security, check-in, possible appointment delays, moving through the building, the ceremony itself, family photos, couple portraits, and anything you plan afterward. Avoid scheduling a restaurant reservation, transportation pickup, or second location immediately after your ceremony appointment. City Hall timing can shift, especially later in the day. Your photography coverage should account for the full experience you want documented, not just the ceremony itself.
Do not plan around the ceremony alone
A sAMPLE tWO-hOUR tIMELINE
STEP 01
PORTRAITS BEFORE CHECK-IN
We meet inside City Hall and begin with your priority couple portraits before you enter the ceremony line. Starting with portraits protects some of that time in case check-in or ceremony timing runs behind later in the day.
STEP 02
CHECK-IN & WAIT
When it is time to check in, you will need to stay available for your name or number to be called. We can photograph nearby details and candid moments when possible, but the exact wait time can vary.
STEP 03
cEREMONY & FAMILY PHOTOS
Once you are called, we photograph the ceremony, ring exchange, reactions, and congratulations. Family and guest combinations are photographed immediately afterward while everyone is still together.
STEP 04
uSE THE TIME THAT REMAINS
Any remaining coverage can be used for more couple portraits, City Hall exit photos, exterior images, or personal vows. If you want several portrait areas or another San Francisco location, longer coverage may be a better fit.
Two hours can work well when your priorities are focused.
Want more time to explore city hall?
Two hours can work well for a civil ceremony, priority couple portraits, and a short family photo list. Because City Hall controls the check-in and ceremony timing, unexpected delays can reduce the amount of portrait time available afterward.
If you want portraits across multiple floors, personal vows, a larger family photo list, exterior photographs, or another San Francisco location, longer or custom coverage may be a better fit.
Where can you take your Wedding photos?
San Francisco City Hall has more portrait options than just the Grand Staircase.
Depending on public access, building activity, special events, and the time available, portraits may be taken around the Grand Staircase, Rotunda, upper-floor galleries, window-lined hallways, balconies, entrance doors, exterior steps, and the surrounding Civic Center area.
Access to a specific location cannot be guaranteed during public hours. Rather than spending your coverage waiting for one exact photo spot, we work with the spaces available that day while prioritizing the locations that matter most to you.
looking for a photographer for your ceremony?
Send your ceremony date, appointment time (if it is already booked), estimated guest count, and a little about what you are planning. We can help you figure out whether two hours is enough or if longer/custom coverage would make more sense for the day you have in mind.
Coverage can stay focused on City Hall or include family portraits, personal vows, another San Francisco location, or a small celebration afterward.