What a terrific couple! Pani and Charlotte flew in all the way from London for their wedding at the gorgeous San Francisco City Hall. Despite having the second half of their flight canceled, and being stuck in Philadelphia, they still made it to San Francisco in time for the nuptials!
Charlotte is absolutely stunning, with perfect skin and amazing honey and green colored eyes. I just loved her vintage inspired dress! Pani, who is Greek, was so incredibly nice, and reminded me of a GQ model in some of his portrait shots. Wow! I love photographing couples like these!
After the ceremony in San Francisco City Hall, we ventured around the city and visited Baker Beach to capture some great shots with the Golden Gate Bridge. We then ended our time together down near the San Francisco Bay, near Pier 5. This is a great pier that reaches out into the Bay and over looks the San Francisco Bay Bridge. I just love all the wonderful park benches and vintage looking lamp posts this pier has.
And, as always, I’ve gotta send a big shout out to my assistant Mischa. I’ve included some of his great shots in the slide show, including the awesome ones looking down from the 3rd floor in the Rotunda!
Click here if you’d like to see more San Francisco weddings, View My Portfolio, or Contact Me. Have questions about getting married at San Francisco City Hall? Check out my Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA
http://www.sfgov.org
If you’re interested in the history of this amazing building, check out the following excerpt on City Hall, written by the talented Gregor Gosciniak. To read it in it’s entirety, please visit: http://www.citymayors.com/cityhalls/sanfrancisco_cityhall.html
Even though San Francisco has less than a million inhabitants, it has one of the biggest and most beautiful city halls in the US, with a dome taller than that of the Capitol in Washington DC. San Francisco City Hall, which opened in 1916 after the old City Hall was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, is one of the best examples of Beaux Arts architecture in the world, and it is considered to have one of the most important interior spaces in the United States.
The exterior of City Hall is made of granite from the foothills of the Sierra. The interior is lavishly finished in California marble, Indiana sandstone and Manchurian oak. Two large open light courts, covered with glass ceilings, are situated on either side of the rotunda. The northern court houses a cafe for visitors and city workers and space for public events. The southern courtyard is home to San Francisco history exhibits.
The dome of San Francisco City Hall is the fifth largest in the world. It was originally covered with gold leaf gilded copper. Since the gilding was applied incorrectly, the copper eventually took on its familiar green patina. Today’s restored finish is gold leaf on a special paint.
The City Hall’s ground floor houses state of the art broadcast studios. On the first floor incorporates the great rotunda and the two light courts, while the second floor includes the Mayor’s office, supervisors’ chambers and committee meeting rooms. The third floor is used for bigger press conferences and receptions.
San Francisco’s National Landmark had to go through a four-year earthquake modernization project after the earthquake in 1989. The $300 million project was designed to preserve the historic nature of the building, while preventing earthquake damage in the future. Therefore San Francisco City Hall may be the biggest building in the world that is actually not attached to the ground. The modernization project included separating the structure from its original foundations and leaving it to rest on top of 600 base isolators made of rubber and stainless steel. When the next big quake hits, the isolators will dissipate the tremor’s shock waves before they can damage the building and its dome.
In 1978 a tragic event took place in City Hall when former city supervisor Dan White assassinated Mayor Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official in San Francisco and much has been written about the importance of his election and his death. Many people have been married at San Francisco City Hall. One of the most famous marriages was the one between Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe in 1954. In early 2004, queues of gay and lesbian couples formed outside the City Hall, after Mayor Gavin Newsom allowed same-sex couples to be married by city officials.
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