san francisco city hall elopement - rachel christopherson photography

Minimalist San Francisco City Hall Elopement

If you’re looking to have a sweet and simple elopement packed with tons of love and emotion, this minimalist San Francisco city hall elopement is just the inspiration for you!

san francisco city hall elopement - rachel christopherson photography

From Big Wedding to San Francisco Elopement

Lauren and Chris originally planned to have a large wedding, but shortly after booking everything, they discovered they were pregnant!! Which is so exciting and gave us something extra to celebrate!! We pivoted plans and used their engagement shoot as a partial pregnancy announcement too. They also decided to forego the big wedding and elope at the gorgeous San Francisco city hall. 

Rachel Christopherson Photographer-SF, San Francisco city hall elopement, san francisco wedding, bride and groom walking down stairs, candid portrait

We arrived about an hour before their ceremony started so we could take our time exploring the building and capturing some photos! There are so many gorgeous areas to capture photos!! Whether it’s the grand sweeping staircase or hallways or side rooms up on the higher floors!

Rachel Christopherson Photographer-SF, San Francisco city hall elopement, san francisco wedding, bride and groom walking down stairs, candid wedding portraits
Rachel Christopherson Photographer-SF, San Francisco city hall elopement, san francisco wedding, bride and groom walking down stairs, candid wedding portraits, black and white
Rachel Christopherson Photographer-SF, San Francisco city hall elopement, san francisco wedding, bride and groom candid wideshot portrait

I highly recommend eloping on a weekday if possible, as it’s pretty crowded and can be difficult getting photos without anyone in the background. If you don’t like having people in the background of your photos you have a few options. You’ll need just to be extremely patient and persistent with getting the spot you want. Find a photographer that’s okay with doing a lot of photoshop! The third option would be to rent out city hall for your celebration! This is an especially good option if you’re having a micro wedding like Lauren and Chris did! 

san francisco city hall elopement - rachel christopherson photography
san francisco city hall elopement - rachel christopherson photography
san francisco city hall elopement - rachel christopherson photography

The SF City Hall Ceremony

Their ceremony was short and sweet and took just a few minutes. After that, we went outside for some group photos! We also got a few more solo photos with the iconic City Hall doors!! While I just captured their ceremony, the couple and their families headed back to their hometown of Sacramento to enjoy dinner with an even bigger group of people!!!

Rachel Christopherson Photographer-SF, San Francisco city hall elopement, san francisco wedding, bride and groom just married, in front of SF city hall ornate doors, ivory wedding dress, gray grooms suit

However, if you’re having a true elopement with just the two of you, I highly recommend making a day of it! Going from city hall to somewhere like Kirby Cove, Sutro Baths, or any other gorgeous outdoor spot would be super fun and add a more unique adventure to your day!!!

Rachel Christopherson Photographer-SF, San Francisco city hall elopement, san francisco wedding, family wedding photos

If you’re looking for an elopement photographer for your minimalist San Francisco city hall elopement, fill out my contact form, and let’s do this thing!!!

Need more location ideas for where to elope in Northern California?? Click here! For some engagement, session inspo click here!!!

Photos by San Francisco elopement photographer, Rachel Christopherson Photography