Quite often I get asked “What package is best for us?", “How long should our photo session at the City Hall should be?”

My answer is “It depends”. And here is what I suggest to consider:

Do you have a larger wedding party?
Have you booked the civil ceremony at the City Hall Rotunda or booked 4th floor or Mayor’s balcony?
Is it just the 2 of you?
Do you have specific images in mind that you must have?

MY RECOMMENDATIONS

30 minutes is truly designed to cover the ceremony. If it’s just you or have a small group of guests will take group photos after the ceremony and will have 10 or so minutes for just the 2 of you.
1 hour - If you have a wedding party and/or would like various photo combinations with them and a few couple portraits this is a great option for you. We can do a lot in an hour (samples below)
2 hours - If you have a specific images you’d like, specific locations including outdoors and potentially have a larger wedding party (10 or more) I would suggest this package
4 hours - couples that would like cover their reception after their City Hall session

I understand not everyone wants long sessions around the City Hall and couples are also cost conscious for very good reasons.

Keep in mind no session is alike. They are all unique because of the couples, their families and mostly because of space availability at the City Hall at the time.

My general recommendations when selecting the right package for you:

Here are examples of full session:

30 minute session - ceremony, family/guest photo (if present) and few portrait photos in 2-3 locations at the City Hall

1 hour session - more couple’s photos around the City Hall

1 hour session example 2 - more couple’s photos around the City Hall

2 hour session - for larger wedding party and more photos around the City Hall (especially if you have specific requests)

Boris PolisskyFebruary 27, 2023sfcityhallwedding, sfcity, sfweddingphotography, sfphotography, sfcityhallpackages, sfcityhallsession, cityhallphoto, cityhallsf, cityhallwedding, sfcityhallweddingphotographerComment

Alisson and Peter

When i photograph my couples I often start conversations on how they met. I’m naturally curious of how people meet. Often times they come from different backgrounds, different cities, countries and chances of them meeting …. well are very slim. But somehow they meet, have a wonderful relationship and want to take it to the next level by getting married. I meet couples that have been together for many years, but their relationship feels fresh, full of energy and obvious love for each other. So it’s really not how long the couple has been together but it’s finding the right person.

Alisson and Peter met via online dating app. A common story for many couples I photograph now. And it’s quite normal because people have more opportunities to meet someone they wouldn’t meet otherwise.

After getting to know them for 5 minutes the chemistry and how they balance each other out was obvious. Alisson is hyper, with tons of ideas… she literally can’t stand in one place. I’m very much the same way at times. Peter is very calm, thoughtful and fun at the same time. They both love dancing and they put on a performance for me. Alisson was born in Columbia and speaks perfect English, but Peter wanted to learn Spanish anyway. You can see that they care for each other and show it in small ways every day.

The result was a large collection of photos at the City Hall and Fort Mason. Their friends put together a picnic for them. Together with their 2 cute dogs - Burrito and Rico Suave they had a wonderful wedding ceremony and reception. We have photos to prove that