San Francisco City Hall and Mission District Wedding

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Wanting a relaxed and intimate wedding, Sarah and Garett considered eloping, but living in San Francisco - a city with arguably the most beautiful and iconic city hall in the country - they decided a civil wedding ceremony made more sense to them. They chose to have a few close friends by their side at city hall before having more friends join them for celebratory drinks and dinner in the Mission District. And did we mention there were donuts involved? Donuts!

Special thanks to D.lillian Photography for sharing photos of the happy couple and their special day with us!

Sarah, 28 & Garrett, 32

Wedding Date: July 12, 2013

Number of Guests: There were 9 of us at City Hall and 40 of us at dinner

Wedding Cost: $4,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: City Hall

Wedding Reception Location: We had dinner in the private dining room at Beretta (a restaurant in the Mission district), and cocktails afterward at the private bar in The Armory Club (a vintage style bar, also in the Mission district).

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

Neither of us had ever wanted a big, expensive wedding. We both feel a bit uncomfortable with all eyes on us and we just wanted a relaxed, intimate moment to share our vows with only a few close friends present. We had seriously considered eloping, but we already live in a beautiful city with an iconic City Hall. It was great to stay local and have more friends join us after the ceremony for dinner and cocktails.

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

It felt like there were fewer resources to help us plan. All of the "to-do" lists or planning tips on wedding websites weren't very helpful because they were so traditional. Even creating invitations for our dinner was difficult because none of the templates fit what we were doing. It felt like we were just creating our own kind of event, which was awesome, but we didn't have many places to look for inspiration - except for IntimateWeddings, which saved my life and made me feel normal. {Glad we could help, Sarah!}

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

We both have a lot of close friends, big families and many people we care about. In order to keep it intimate we had to narrow it down, which was tough.

Did you have any 'issues' with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

We chose not to have family present on our actual wedding day. We ended up having separate parties with each of our families to celebrate, and everyone was really understanding and supportive. If anyone had issues, they kept it to themselves.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

We actually both loved seeing each other before the ceremony. It was great to meet at City Hall and to give each other a big hug and kiss before signing our marriage certificate, which is done before the ceremony. It felt very intentional, and solidified that this was a commitment we were entering into together.

What were the highlights of the reception?

Friends' toasts, all of the food at Beretta, grabbing Garrett's face and saying "we're married!", dozens of heart-to-hearts, Garrett trying every kind of whiskey, wearing my leather jacket over my dress, the donuts we had from Dynamo Donuts, hugs, hugs, hugs...

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

It felt very true to who we are. We try to focus on the things that really matter, and for us that was just getting to marry each other and party with some friends. It felt good knowing we weren't spread too thin and that we were actually able to spend time with everyone there. Having an intimate wedding also allowed us to put most of our money and effort into our honeymoon - an incredible two weeks in Kauai!