Holiday City Hall Elopement » San Francisco, California / by Vivian Chen

When Olivia and Sant contacted me about their elopement plans, I was so excited to hear from them. Olivia is the sister of one of my previous brides and I was happy to have any chance to work with her family again. Olivia and Sant chose to get married at San Francisco City Hall the day before Christmas Eve. Both of them had been so busy finishing up graduate school and med school on the East Coast, it just made sense to get married while visiting their families in the Bay Area over the holidays. The day started with a bit of a mix up with some missing paperwork but after a mad dash back home, a little sweet talking from Olivia’s sister Claire, and a very nice, accommodating county clerk, everything was back on track, albeit a bit behind. We made up for it by taking the first half of our time at city hall for Olivia and Sant to exchange private vows on the fourth floor before wandering around the rest of the building for portraits. When it was time for their ceremony, their excitement had an extra layer of joy given the uncertainty that had started the day. Afterwards, we headed over to the Embarcadero’s Pier 7 for a few more portraits before they headed off to their lunch reception with family. Truly a testament to going with the flow and trusting in the process!