When to Get Married at San Francisco City Hall

When you’re planning your civil ceremony, a lot of couples wonder when to get married at San Francisco City Hall. When is it super busy? When is it quieter? What’s the vibe during a wedding at San Francisco City Hall? Is it different throughout the day? Throughout the year?

I’ve been a wedding photographer since 2008 and I’ve worked with dozens of couples getting married at having their civil ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. Since I’ve attended and photographed so many different weddings at San Francisco City Hall, I can share tons of great info about when and how to have the best San Francisco City Hall wedding for you!

Find my San Francisco City Hall wedding photography portfolio here and browse some galleries of past San Francisco City Hall weddings on my blog here. Reach out for a photography quote by contacting me here.

Couple in an empty San Francisco City Hall

When to Get Married at San Francisco City Hall –

When to get married at San Francisco City Hall all depends on what feeling you want throughout your day and throughout your ceremony. Are you looking for something a little quieter or a day with a party feeling in the air? Are you excited to see tons of couples celebrating with their families, check out all of the dresses, and hear cheers as people get married? Or do you feel the opposite: You’d prefer a quieter scene, less guests, and a simpler experience where you have more of the place to yourself. When to get married at San Francisco City Hall depends on all of that and you can make your choice based on what you’re most excited about and most looking forward to for the day!

What day of the week should we get married at San Francisco City Hall?

Mondays are a little bit quieter and Fridays are the busiest. If you want a quieter wedding, get married on a Monday morning, and if you want it to be busier, more bustling, with more guests and more couples getting married, get married on a Friday afternoon. Monday through Thursday will be quieter than Friday, with things getting progressively busier (generally) throughout the week.

Joanne and An An got married on a Monday around lunchtime and it was pretty quiet. Nick and Marina got married on a Friday and it was super busy and like a party!

Bride and groom in the stairwell at San Francisco City Hall

What time of year should we get married at San Francisco City Hall?

Any time of year is good! During December there is a huge Christmas Tree in the rotunda, so couples are married in front of the tree (Pierre & Natasha got married in front of the Christmas Tree). During Pride Week in San Francisco, City Hall is super busy and they usually bring in more Marriage Commissioners, often doing ceremonies in other locations around San Francisco City Hall besides the Rotunda (Ellie & Alex were married on the fourth floor during Pride Week).

Couple smiles after their San Francisco City Hall wedding during Pride Week

When is best for pictures at San Francisco City Hall?

If you get one of the first time slots at 9am or one of the last time slots at 3:30pm, you can either arrive early at 8am or San Francisco City Hall will start to empty out and you’ll get the building almost to yourself for photos. The San Francisco City Hall building itself is open from 8am to 8pm and is quietest for photos during the hours when no ceremonies are scheduled (8am -9am, or 4pm-8pm).

In terms of lighting, there is beautiful light at any time of day that the sunshine is out. During winter, pay attention to sunset times and make sure you’ll have time for photos in the building before it gets dark outside. In terms of morning or evening, a good photographer will make magic any time with photos in San Francisco City Hall.