San Francisco City Hall Wedding: Shelby and TJ

This San Francisco City Hall wedding was a dream! You may remember Shelby and TJ from their engagement session in 2022. Well, now they’re ready to tie the knot in sunny California!

Wedding Planning

Shelby had a vision for her wedding and nothing in Austin quite captured the aesthetic of what she envisioned. They researched online, called some venues, and even did walk-throughs, but nothing felt “right.”

But when this bride-to-be stumbled upon San Francisco City Hall on Instagram, it was everything she pictured, and so much more! So this Austin couple got to work on planning their dream destination wedding.

The Big Day

After almost a year of planning, Shelby and TJ’s wedding day is finally here!

The most calm bride ever:

I love the sweet little moments between Shelby and her mother.

TJ’s mom popped in to get ready with the ladies:

The bride and groom really wanted to enjoy the celebration with their guests and utilize all the photo opportunities, so they opted to include a first look on their wedding day at the Fairmont.

Shelby also wanted as much color and greenery as possible in her photos. Luckily, the Fairmont has the most beautiful and lush rooftop garden:

Going to San Francisco City Hall

Shelby and TJ rented transportation for their wedding party and their guests. This made it super convenient for everyone to enjoy themselves without the stress of driving in the city, finding parking, and avoiding drinking and driving!

Once we arrived, we had some time for more photos. Just look at the elegant architecture! This is a photographer’s dream!

To say I’m obsessed would be an understatement…

San Francisco City Hall Wedding Ceremony

As their photographer, I loved how intimate their wedding was. Because Shelby and TJ’s wedding was a destination wedding, they chose to only invite their closest friends and family. They kept the list small so they could keep their wedding intimate and focus on their guests’ experience.

Everyone was in awe of the ceremony space. The rotunda and its architecture is a sight to see. Everyone couldn’t stop taking photos and talking about how perfect the space was!

Last minute change: instead of going down the aisle, Shelby and TJ made a grand entrance down the steps of city hall!

They are officially married, y’all (we may be in California but you can’t take the Texas out of us)!

The ceremony was followed by family formals:

Later, the couple’s first dance as husband and wife:

Shortly after that, of course, more photos:

Time to Eat!

Finally, the newlyweds and their crew headed out on their shuttle to the Waterfront Restaurant. And the shuttle was a blast! Everyone was in celebration mode!

At the restaurant, they enjoyed some good food, great conversations, fun and sweet toasts, and cake-cutting.

After dinner, Shelby and TJ surprised their guests by taking them to the Presidio of San Francisco…

Specifically to get a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and some photo opportunities.

A Little Later …

Till we ended at the Top of the Mark for their after-party, but not before another chance to take photos in the streets of San Francisco. The one below is one of my favorites. Not only is it cute, but you can even (barely) spot a trolley in the background (to the right of Shelby)!

When we got to Top of the Mark, the newlyweds enjoyed drinks, some dancing, and wedding gifts:

Originally, these two wanted photos on the beach, with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. However, they were exhausted, it was super windy (hello, mouthful of sand), and didn’t want to stray far from their hotel. So instead, we went back to their hotel for some final couple’s photos before ending my night with them.

TJ is a romantic and even picked a flower for his bride:

I absolutely adore the hotel series below:

From Shelby and TJ:

“The best decision I made during my wedding planning process was hiring Naomi! She was beyond helpful and truly went above and beyond. I would recommend her without reservation to anyone needing a photographer.”

Thank you for the kind words and congratulations to this amazing couple. I so enjoyed being your wedding photographer, spending the day with you two, and capturing all of your beautiful moments! Maybe we can even do a little trip back to San Francisco one day …. 

San Francisco City Hall Wedding Team