San Francisco is a truly amazing city. The city just oozes amazing people with such beautiful backdrops. It is truly a photographers dream. What more could a wedding photographer ask for? Well for me, often times the only thing missing is the warm golden light! To really capture wedding photography in a fine art matter that will make the bride and groom look like characters from a love story it takes more than just a love and a camera. You NEED light! Light is everything. The warm caress of light reaching around a backlit couple can take an image that is nice and cute to something that is so much more, something that will evoke emotions of deep connection and an undeniable romance. "The Fog" often keeps these special moments from ever being captured. But don't worry, follow this Engagement Session and Wedding Photography guide and you will not have to compromise the light.
Plan your wedding in October: October wedding offer the most predictable weather. The fob is usually kept far enough off the coast while the weather is still warm. And the rainy season hasn't quite started yet. If you must have your wedding within the city limits, and want to take all your wedding photos in the city, this is definitely the best time to plan your wedding. The Indian Summers of October is not big secret so planning your wedding during this time maybe harder than other months. You may have to plan 2 years in advance, but your wedding photographs will thank you.
So you couldn't book an October wedding, now what? Have no fear, all you need is time. My next suggestion is to take your wedding images outside the city limits. There is no denying that San Francisco is a truly beautiful city. But so are the surrounding areas. To the north there is Sausalito, and one of my favorite places on earth, Mt. Tam. To the east there is Berkeley and Walnut Creek, and to the south there is San Mateo and Sunnyvale, All the places I mentioned are within an hour from the city, and have much better weather than San Francisco. You can easily either opt for a first look and take your Bride and Groom photos before the ceremony. If you are more traditional and seeing each other before the wedding is a "no-no" then you can opt to have an early ceremony, with a long break before the reception. This will also give you plenty of time to get out to nicer weather and find that beautiful light. These are also great places to have your engagement sessions. Engagement sessions are a way to familiarize yourself with your photographer, and how she or he works. They also will give you extra images that are associated with your wedding. If you have great engagement images with amazing light, maybe you can forgo needing Wedding Portraits with similar light.
Finally, you can decide to not have your wedding in the city at all. There are plenty of amazing picturesque areas around the San Francisco. Everyone knows that Napa is very close by, which is an amazing place to have your wedding. The light is just so beautiful there, and the backdrop of the vineyards will really make your wedding stand out. There are also many vineyards near Livermore east of the city. Another great unique idea would be to have your wedding on one of the rolling golden hills around East Bay. Find a lone tree, get permission and you are in for an amazing photo opportunity. Try to have your wedding around sunset when the light is just right. Then you can take all the bride and groom images around the fields and hills.