I am an expert San Francisco city hall wedding photographer, but definitely not a dress designer. However, over my 12 years of taking pictures in this amazing building I have definitely learned what works well when it comes to wedding gowns from a photography standpoint. Here are some other ideas from the general public regarding choosing the best Courthouse wedding dress. Before we get into the details of this article, let me make one thing clear… A SF City Hall bride should wear any kind of dress they want to regardless of my opinion or others. The most important thing about a wedding gown is the bride who wears it. She will look beautiful no matter what style or color chooses. The real point to this article is to discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of various wedding gown types. We will talk more about convenience, appropriateness and practicality. Most of all, we will discuss what types of dresses work the best for wedding pictures at San Francisco city hall. For more information about getting married at San Francisco city hall including many more example of different kinds of wedding dresses, please click the highlighted link. We have just about every style of dress imaginable on our website, so it can give you a great idea of what works best.
Long Flowing Wedding Dresses at City Hall
Advantages of Long Wedding Dresses
A long elegant gown can be perfect for San Francisco city hall. We see many brides wearing them for Reserved weddings on the 4th Floor North Gallery or the Mayor’s Balcony. The Grand Staircases is an amazing place to pose the bride with her long dress. The train and/or long veil looks incredible if it is draped down the stairs below the bride and groom. Many long wedding gowns also have fine detail which can be captured very nicely by your San Francisco city hall wedding photographer. For those of you who wonder if this venue is elegant enough to work with a formal gown let me assure you that it is! San Francisco city hall is not a typical Civil Ceremony wedding location. We see many long formal gowns here on a daily basis.
Disadvantages of Long Dresses
We love it when our bride wears a long dress, but there are a few issues to be aware of. Our San Francisco city hall photo tour involves a lot of walking through the building and going up stairs. A heavy dress on a warm day can be hard for the bride to handle. In the summer the building can get fairly hot since there is no central Air Conditioning so just be aware of that. In addition, a long dress takes longer to set up for wedding photography. We do not mind a bit taking the time to arrange your train and veil perfectly, but be aware that your photo session could take longer. Also, if you are planning a civil ceremony (non-reserved) just be aware that a big dress may not fit in the small space allowed for the actual wedding celebration in the Rotunda. In general, long formal dresses cost more also. Of course, we love them and it really works well with so many locations at city hall.
Short Wedding Dresses for City Hall Wedding Photography
Advantages of Short Wedding Dresses
Many brides feel that a short, less formal dress is more appropriate for a Civil Ceremony at San Francisco city hall. In general, I do not think that is true. My experience is that both long and short dresses work great and that it really depends upon the individual and also the type of wedding. Certainly hot summer days work great for a short and less heavy wedding gown. Candid photos can be a bit easier to pull off with a short dress because it does not have to be laid out for each picture. Dynamic posing (wedding pictures depicting movement) also works a bit better with a shorter dress. Legs can be positioned in various ways to create beautiful portraits of the bride. Spinning shots work with both long and short dresses, but they can be especially fun with a shorter wedding dress. In general, they cost less and are more comfortable.
Disadvantages of Short Wedding Dresses
Less tall brides may find that a shorter dress is not as complimentary to her figure, but this is not always true. Short wedding dresses tend to be a bit more seasonal. Most brides would not choose a short dress in winter and if they did, there could be some issues with outdoor photography if it is cold outside. This is also a matter of opinion, but some would say that a short dress lacks some formality for a wedding. From what I have heard from our San Francisco city hall brides, there tends to be less options and choices in the dress shops for shorter gowns. We handle posing completely different with short dresses, but no in a negative way.
San Francisco City Hall Wedding Gowns With Color
Advantages of Wedding Gowns with Color
We have long discussed what we consider to be the only negative aspect of wedding photography at San Francisco City Hall. The beautiful architecture and marble present throughout the building are amazing for wedding pictures, but the backgrounds lack color. Most of San Francisco city hall is made up of different shades of gray. Adding a bit of color in the wedding dress can really make it stand out as compared to the neutral walls in the background. For some brides, darker colors (besides white) can be more complimentary. One thing our San Francisco city hall brides have told me is that they like the fact that they can wear the wedding dress for other occasions. It can be like a cocktail or party dress. If cost is a consideration, this a big advantage. Here is a link to one of my favorite city hall wedding dresses with color.
Disadvantages of Wedding Gowns with Color
Some would say that a colored wedding dress is not traditional enough and does not set the bride apart enough from everyone else. Some of our San Francisco city hall brides have told us that they found that there was a very small selection of non-white dresses to choose from. The one issue all of them had was that they did not want their wedding dress to look like a prom or bridesmaid dress. That makes complete sense and just adds another challenge. In summary, non-white wedding dresses can be difficult to find, but worth it if you find the right one.
Summary and Conclusions
Choosing a wedding dress is a very personal decision. The bride should look for something that works well for her body type and figure. As discussed, the typical long white dress is not for everyone. Some brides have reported to us that White is “not their color”. All of these factors need to be considered by the bride when she is choosing the perfect San Francisco city hall wedding dress for her. The great thing about City Hall is that anything works! We encourage our brides to check out our website to see all of the different wedding dresses pictured. This may help you make some decisions!