PRO: The San Francisco City Hall is just beautiful! It's majestic, and classic and timeless. It's hard to find a location to hold the wedding ceremony that would offer such grandeur and in the heart of San Francisco, no less.
CON: One of the biggest disadvantages of having your ceremony at the City Hall is that it's not very private or intimate. In fact, you are one couple on a conveyor of brides and grooms, parents, friends, photographers, etc. It feels to me like maybe some of the magic of the wedding day is lost, waiting in line with brides before and after you for the same officiant who has already married 50 couples before you.
PRO: A ceremony at the City Hall is short in duration and if you've ever squirmed through a 45-minute long ceremony at a friend's or relative's wedding, you know it's an advantage! If you are not particularly sentimental about the ceremony piece, it is actually an advantage to have it over with quickly and not to have to pay the photographer for time spent circling you like a vulture as you are standing in one spot and not much is changing.
CON: Of course, a short ceremony by the City Hall officiant is not going to include anything that is particularly personal or sentimental to you. The officiant is not going to be a friend or family member and will not be recalling episodes from your toddler years as part of his speech. Nor will you and your fiance have the chance to exchange your own personal wedding vows. There is a script and everyone follows the script. So, if the ceremony piece is important to you, the somewhat truncated City Hall version may not be right for you.
PRO: The price of a City Hall ceremony (not to be confused with the separate marriage license fee) is only $75 as of the date of this post (source: Office of the County Clerk) and it includes both the location and the officiant and you don't have to pay to decorate! This is very inexpensive, especially given my first point about how beautiful it is. If you are a price-conscious bride and are only going to have a small restaurant reception after the formal ceremony, holding the ceremony at San Francisco City Hall could be a great way to save money and still have a magnificent ceremony venue.
CON: Many couples opt to have the ceremony and reception at the same location. It's the best way to ensure that most of your guests make it to both and that your guests do not need to re-park to get from the ceremony to the reception. While it is possible to do both the ceremony and reception at City Hall (see Special Weekday Intimate Wedding Packages and Weekend Wedding Package), these end up being no less expensive than a wedding elsewhere and may lack a certain warmth (just my personal opinion). The vast majority of couples that get married at San Francisco City Hall are only having their wedding ceremony there and the reception at another venue. Ceremony reservations at San Francisco City Hall are available between 10:00 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. That means, a weekday wedding. And that means that you are going to get married pretty early in the day on a weekday. Some guests may not be able to make it, which is just what's intended for a City Hall wedding. According to the rules, only up to 6 guests total may attend the ceremony, including the photographer, videographer, etc. I have yet to see this rule strictly enforced, but the idea is clear--you are not supposed to bring all 80 or 150 of your wedding guests to City Hall to celebrate with you, unless you are purchasing one of the [more expensive] packages mentioned above.
PRO: The San Francisco City Hall is centrally located. After the official ceremony, which as we said happens fairly early, the bride, groom, and their small wedding party can head out for a bridal session for a few hours before their reception.
CON: A central location also translates into no free parking. If you and your guests are driving to City Hall (as opposed to arriving by limo or taxi), you will most likely have to resort to paid parking.
PRO: A City Hall wedding is by definition secular. It celebrates a civil union and is free from religion. If you are deeply religious, this, of course, is not so great. But if you are deeply religious, I suspect you've been dreaming of and can visualize every aspect of that perfect traditional church (sinagogue, mosque, you name it) wedding that your religion calls for and I doubt you are even contemplating a wedding at City Hall. For the brides who don't feel strongly affiliated with any particular religon, or who perhaps don't share religious views with their future spouse, a secular ceremony is the perfect answer.
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong decision. Whether City Hall is the right choice for you depends on the weight and importance that you ascribe to the factors described above. And whatever reception venue you choose, I wish you the most brilliant wedding!
Until next time!
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