San Francisco (SF) City Hall Mayor's Balcony - The Ideal Spot for Weddings!
From providing a fantastic vantage point to offering the perfect cozy marriage setup, Mayor's balcony is undoubtedly a classy wedding spot.
So, if you're planning a cozy, intimate wedding with fewer guests, you can never go wrong with SF City hall Mayor's balcony as your wedding venue
The breathtaking Mayor's balcony lies under the Big Clock on the 2nd floor of the SF city hall, easily seen from Polk street. Here's a simplified mind map to reach this wonderful venue:
Enter from the main door
Take the elevator on your left
Go up one floor
Exit the elevator and take a left
And guess what? You're on your way to the Mayor's balcony.
Unique Features of Mayor's Balcony
The long waiting times and paperwork at the County Clerk's office may be tiresome. And it’s something you don’t want to face on your big day.
So why go through the hassle when you can rent the Mayor's balcony as a private space for your wedding? Here are a few reasons you should book this place:
The Exceptional Architecture
The relaxing spot features classic Beaux art architecture that is guaranteed to make you feel like a King & Queen getting married in a castle.
An Elegant Vantage Point
The backdrop features awe-gazing views of the Grand staircase, rotunda, marble walls, floral decorations, and mystical golden railingSimply put, the entire hall is visible, allowing photographers to click on wedding portraits that exhibit the grand view of the city hall in the background.
An Elegant Vantage Point
While you don’t have to have a final guest list until a bit later, when thinking about how to plan a wedding step by step, coming up with an estimated guest count early on is important
An Elegant Vantage Point
Taking into account work schedules, holidays, family conflicts, etc., and narrow things down to a few choice dates. Having some potential wedding dates in mind will be very helpful during the venue selection process.
How to Book SF City Hall Mayor's Balcony?
The booking process is straightforward.
• Reach out to the SF city hall events teams' office on the 4th floor.
• Identify a date from the available slots
• Deposit 75% through cashier's check or money order
Remember that the duration of each slot is an hour long, costing around $1,000. If you want to add chairs, you might have to pay more. Although the seating capacity is limited to 40 guests, the Mayor's Balcony can accommodate up to 100 individuals.
Furthermore, you may hire up to two acoustic musicians, provided that the SF City Hall team pre-approves them. No amplification is allowed for any instruments or voice.
What's the Best Time For Your the Mayor's Balcony Ceremony?
it is common to hear the advice that it is recommended to book either the earliest slot (9-10 am) or the last one (3 pm) since the crowds across the on the same floor (2nd floor) are the usually smallest during this period. But, keep in mind that the 2nd floor acroos from the Mayor's Balcony is always a busy area due to the Rotunda weddings taking place there . There is no getting around strangers in the background for any wide angle photos taken at a Mayor's Balcony wedding.
Photographic considerations: Since strangers in the background is a part of the City Hall Mayor's Balcony experience, look for a photographer that edits the these distractions out of delivered photos.
The Mayor's Balcony is the darkest area for weddings at City Hall, since natural light only comes from above on the 4th floor and walls on either side of the Baclony block some of this light. If you book early or late in the afternoon, the natural lighting may be better, provided the sky isn't covered with clouds. Even when the light is strong, it does not illuminate the couple's faces and will require the photographer to pump up of the light sensitivity settings in the camera. This will make the beautiful architecture behind the couple turn white with little detail. The only good solution is to use professional off camera lighting, to light the couple angled from the sides as to not get into the camera frame. This point cannot be emphasized enough. The Mayor's Balcony requires professional off camera lighting for good photos , even on a bright cloudless day.
When you arrive at the County Clerk's Office, you will be asked to present valid photo identification for both parties. The application process takes about 30 minutes. You will then be given a civil ceremony appointment time and provided with information about how to obtain your marriage license presented at the time of your marriage license reservation if it ended within the past 90 days of your marriage license reservation date.
Choose SF City Hall Mayor's Balcony For a Beautiful Wedding Ceremony!
Celebrating your big day with close associates and family members is always a great idea. But it gets much better if the wedding location is as grand as the beautiful SF city hall Mayor's Balcony.
And in case, you are looking for expert wedding photographers to capture marvelous portraits at the ceremony, look no further than San Francisco CIty Hall Wedding Photography.