San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photographer
TIMELESS IMAGES FOR HAPPY COUPLES IN LOVE
DEDICATION TO CRAFT
My name is Lilia Ahner, and I am a San Francisco City Hall wedding photographer with over 16 years of professional experience. Featured in People Magazine, Style Me Pretty, and The Knot. Modern and stylish photography for your City Hall wedding.
MOMENTS TO LAST A LIFETIME
Let me capture the magic of your wedding day — the beauty, real moments, and authentic emotions. My expertise will help you have a stellar wedding experience at City Hall.
AS SEEN IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE
KIND WORDS
"From the very start, we were so pleased with everything she did to make it the best choice we made… I would not change a thing! It is a complete pleasure to recommend Lilia as a wedding photographer.
We never met her in person beforehand. But her gorgeous portfolio & initial phone conversation were enough to give us complete confidence in her personality, talent & vision. We got married at San Francisco City Hall, just the two of us, and Lilia knows every in and out of the process. Her guidance, hard work, patience, creativity, time, thoughtfulness and open-mindedness were invaluable to us on that very special day. She went above and beyond as our witness, creative director and photographer."
COUPLE
Lisa Marie & Richard
LOCATION
San Francisco City Hall
KIND WORDS
Lilia was just amazing to work with from start to end. The photos we received were beyond all expectations and a dream come true! I knew I wanted to hire her as her photos were exactly to my taste and she has so many years of experience photographing SF City Hall.
Lilia is really great with setting up a phone appointment to chat and get to know you initially. She maintained great communication throughout my planning process and helped me plan a timeline. The day of, I felt like I knew her so well and we both felt completely relaxed with her. All the photos we took felt very natural and not awkward at all. I never felt rushed throughout the day, at all, but we did great with time. She was able to herd us all through City Hall and beat other groups to the prime locations! She was also so gracious in staying later than we arranged for since the ceremony ran late in order to get all the outdoor shots done. Thanks so much for making our day extra perfect!
COUPLE
Justine & Scott
LOCATION
San Francisco City Hall
KIND WORDS
If you’re looking for THE BEST wedding photographer in SF/Bay Area, Lilia is your way to go! She’s not only the kindest and the sweetest person, but you can tell by her professionalism the huge experience she has.
Our wedding photoshoot was at San Francisco’s City Hall and each picture was AMAZING. The angles, the light, the spots, and every single detail handled by Lilia was perfect!
Great communication (pre and post photoshoot), friendly, respectful and detail oriented. Lilia will capture your essence and make you feel YOU. We had so much fun with her!!
We only have good things to say about Lilia because she went above and beyond with everything! We LOVED our pictures.
COUPLE
Alicia & Cesar
LOCATION
San Francisco City Hall
- FEATURED LOVE STORIES -
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
BOOKING INFO
Reservations are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. To reserve your wedding date with Lilia, a signed contract and a $250 non-refundable retainer is required. The retainer is applied towards your balance.
FREE PHONE CONSULTATION
You can schedule a free phone consultation with Lilia to discuss what is important to you on your wedding day.
Lilia would love to learn more about the two of you. She can also give you more information about the experience of getting married at City Hall.
PRICING
Pricing is only for weekday (Monday – Friday) San Francisco City Hall weddings.
Lilia is happy to create a custom package for you based on the number of hours that you need.
Lilia is available for reception coverage, micro weddings, as well as photos on location in San Francisco following your City Hall ceremony.
PHOTO FILES
24-hour turnaround on preview photos.
4-week turnaround on all of your wedding photos. You will receive high-res photo files delivered at DropBox, and access to an online proof gallery.
The online gallery is available for 4 weeks.
PHOTO EDITING
You will receive high-resolution digital photo files edited with basic color correction and Lilia’s signature style applied to every photo. Lilia edits all of the photos herself.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
24-hour turnaround on sneak peek preview photos. You can expect to receive about 40 preview photos the day after your wedding.
FORMS OF PAYMENT
Lilia accepts credit cards, PayPal, cash, or personal checks.
HOW TO GET MARRIED AT CITY HALL
MARRIAGE LICENSE
You must have a marriage license issued by the State of California in order to get married.
On the official City Hall website, you can make two reservations. The first reservation is for your marriage license. The second appointment is for your actual ceremony time.
If you are getting your marriage license and ceremony appointments for the same day, you need 1 hour between the two appointments. For example, if your ceremony is scheduled for 1pm, then you would want to schedule your license appointment for 12:00pm.
You can acquire your marriage license from any county in California.
CEREMONIES
Ceremonies are available Monday – Friday from 9:00am – 3:30pm. Slots are available each half hour.
You are allowed to have 6 guests join you for your ceremony in the Rotunda.
Keep in mind that there will be two other couple also getting married in your time slot. Expect some time delays because it takes time for the marriage commissioner to check in each couple before their ceremony. Each couple is married one at a time in the Rotunda.
The ceremony is concise and lasts about 5 minutes long. Although brief, the ceremony itself is quite meaningful and well-worded.
CEREMONY LOCATION
Most couples have their wedding ceremony in the Rotunda. This is the area at the top of the grand staircase in the center of City Hall under the dome.
If you are having a large group of family and friends at the ceremony, you must reserve either the Fourth Floor or the Mayor’s Balcony.
There are many reasons why you should have a private ceremony at City Hall:
- You have a private area for your ceremony and family portraits.
- You can reserve your wedding date a year in advance, rather than 90 days with the Rotunda ceremonies.
- When you have hired your own officiant, you are not at the mercy of the City Hall schedule which usually runs late.
- You can rent chairs, therefore your guests are comfortable during your ceremony.
If you reserve either the Fourth Floor or the Mayor’s Balcony for your wedding, I highly recommend hiring your own officiant for a personalized, thoughtful ceremony.
CITY HALL HOURS + HOLIDAYS
City Hall is open to the public on weekdays (Monday-Friday). It is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays.
City Hall is closed on the following dates…
- New Years Day: January 2, 2023
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: January 16, 2023
- President’s Day: February 20, 2023
- Memorial Day: May 29, 2023
- Juneteenth: June 19, 2023
- Independence Day: July 4, 2023
- Labor Day: September 4, 2023
- Indigenous Peoples Day / Italian American Heritage Day: October 9, 2023
- Veterans Day: November 10, 2023
- Thanksgiving Day and the Day After: – November 23, 2023 & November 24, 2023
- Christmas Day: December 25, 2023
CITY HALL PARKING + TRANSPORTATION
Parking
There is limited metered street parking at City Hall.
An underground parking garage is located across the street below City Hall Plaza. You can enter the parking garage at 355 McAllister Street, San Francisco.
Parking is also available at UC Hastings and the Performing Arts Garage.
Public Transportation
City Hall is located within walking distance of the Civic Center BART and Muni Station. You can use the Trip Planner or Google Maps for more info.
Ride Sharing
You can use ride sharing services like Uber or Lyft.
WEDDING OFFICIANT
If you are getting married in the Rotunda, one of the official City Hall marriage commissioners will perform your ceremony.
If you are getting married in one of the reserved areas like the Fourth Floor or the Mayor’s Balcony, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you hire your own officiant, or have a friend or family member perform your ceremony.
Here are some of my favorite officiants that you can hire: Cynthia Gregory, Reverend Anita Joe, Virginia Van Zandt, Irene Kane, and Lissin Lev Chaya.
LIMITATIONS
Photography is no longer allowed inside the County Clerk’s Office (Room 168) or in the hallway leading up to the County Clerk’s Office.
This page was updated on July 26, 2023.
