I recently got engaged (yay) and we have begun to look at wedding venues. I've gotten great recommendations from BI before, so I figured I'd give this a shot. Whether you got married there, will be married there, or attended a wedding there, if it is in SF, and you'd recommend it, I'd love your input. SF is where we met and live, so anything outside SF is a deal breaker (though the top floor of the new clubs at CMS is tempting, and she said she'd at least take a look if I make an appointment).

The wedding is going to be next Spring. I'd prefer something accessible to guests (FiDi or Nob Hill, for example). We've looked at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, the City Club, and the Bently Reserve. This week we look at the University Club of SF. They all have their positives and negatives, but if you have any experience with those venues, please chime in.

We'll have 125-175 people, if space is a concern.

Other than that, fairly open. Thanks for your input!

A buddy of mine got married at The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus. It was actually pretty cool. A little different, but still a good venue.

Lots of venues at the Presidio: check with the NPS.

Is the bride-to-be a Bear fan? You can rent out the club room at the renovated CMS - its really nice! Alternatively, you can book the women's faculty club on the Cal campus - beautiful. The men's faculty club is also a popular on campus wedding site, but not as nice as the WFC in my opinion.

I'm gonna give you 2 venues that I've been to for wedding that were awesome....both are different than what you might be used to but they are both beautiful on their own right..Neither of these is your traditional hotel venue but something different. Otherwise, any of the big hotels is good

Night time wedding..

I went to a venue on Treasure Island that was stunning at night with the views of S.F. I honestly can't remember the name (something like Admirals Club) ....it was beautiful. There is one over there called the Pavilion by they Bay which might be cool.








Daytime wedding.... Very beautiful grounds outside the hustle and bustle of the city

Presidio Golden Gate Club



http://www.presidio.gov/venues/Pages/Golden-Gate-Club.aspx

grandmastapoop;841899910 said:

---

I recently got engaged (yay) and we have begun to look at wedding venues. I've gotten great recommendations from BI before, so I figured I'd give this a shot. Whether you got married there, will be married there, or attended a wedding there, if it is in SF, and you'd recommend it, I'd love your input. SF is where we met and live, so anything outside SF is a deal breaker (though the top floor of the new clubs at CMS is tempting, and she said she'd at least take a look if I make an appointment).

The wedding is going to be next Spring. I'd prefer something accessible to guests (FiDi or Nob Hill, for example). We've looked at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, the City Club, and the Bently Reserve. This week we look at the University Club of SF. They all have their positives and negatives, but if you have any experience with those venues, please chime in.

We'll have 125-175 people, if space is a concern.

Other than that, fairly open. Thanks for your input!

---

GMP,

Congrats. I trust you are doing what some of us CAL grads/Bearinsiders have done and that is "Marry up."

So... first of all the cost of a wedding is at least 2 times the cost of a comparable party. Caterers, florists, etc. just charge a lot more for a wedding.

What about the Faculty Club at CAL? Outdoors on the lawn for the ceremony (bride and bridesmaids beware of high heal shoes getting stuck in the grass) and then reception indoors? Although the inside of the Faculty Club is not bad. I believe there are also a couple of other nice venues in theOakland/Berkeley Hills.

Obviously there are numerous indoor and outdoor locations in the city.

One thing you should seriously consider is finding a day planner to take care of all the day of planning to relieve the stress from you and the bride.

Also your role is to stay out of the way on all the planning and just show up on time, sober, and say "I do."

Best regards and GO BEARS!

PJLBEAR

Congrats. The Brazilian Room in Tilden Park is really nice. Great, rustic reception hall and nice outdoor area as well. http://www.herecomestheguide.com/northern-california/wedding-venues/brazilian-room/

I have also heard good things about the Brazilian Room.

I think the presidio, specifically the new Inn would probably be my top choice. But Ive been to one recently that was pretty great. The couple rented out a massive home, easily 20,000 sq ft with awesome gardens and views. The property had actually been on the market for over a year and so the owners in conjunction with the realtors, possibly Sotheby's, leased out the home for private events. All the common rooms were staged and everything else was taken care of by their planner, overall it was pretty beautiful. Apparently this is more and more common since the RE downturn. Check it out.

And yes, if possible, get a planner. She, or he, will make the months leading up to the wedding much more tolerable, or so I hear.

This may be a little too big for you, but a friend of mine had her wedding reception at SF City Hall. The bride and groom made their entrance walking down the grand staircase - it was really beautiful!

http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=988

June 12, 1999: David Arquette and Courteney Cox get married at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral.

June 12, 2012: David Arquette files for divorce from Courteney Cox.

So avoid the Grace Cathedral.

NYCalBear;841899934 said:

---

Congrats. The Brazilian Room in Tilden Park is really nice. Great, rustic reception hall and nice outdoor area as well. http://www.herecomestheguide.com/northern-california/wedding-venues/brazilian-room/

---

Brazilian Room is always booked a year out at least. Alcatraz or the Blue and gold Fleet!!!!

okaydo;841899947 said:

---

June 12, 1999: David Arquette and Courteney Cox get married at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral.

June 12, 2012: David Arquette files for divorce from Courteney Cox.

So avoid the Grace Cathedral.

---

Wow...I didn't know that..being raised Episcopalian, that was where I was confirmed and visited many many times...it sure is beautiful inside if you want a church ceremony....love the architecture....

Congrats! I second treasure island; not the old 'airport terminal' but the new site.

davetdds;841899952 said:

---

Brazilian Room is always booked a year out at least.

---

There's always the Tonga Room instead..

I know DiFi, but what is FiDi?

Just don't go with undergrad and use the Furd church. You will do just fine wherever you pick. Also of importance, pick a great honeymoon location!

Congratulations! My wife and I are both graduated from Cal and were married last September. We looked at many of the venues you mentioned and eventually settled on the Julia Morgan Ballroom in SF. We are still getting compliments from our guests on how how much they enjoyed the venue. It has that old-school class vibe. Scheduling/booking everything through the venue was really easy and the staff was super helpful. A couple of things you should consider about the venue (and all of them in general): 1) parking at the lots in downtown SF for our guests was a little expensive. Parking on the street is free after 6pm so if you have a Saturday afternoon wedding, people will have to park in a garage. 2) The ballroom hosts an event practically every night so we had to coordinate drop-offs at precise times. 3) The ballroom has a list of vendors they suggest/approve. We ended up using some of these and all were fantastic.

Good luck with everything!

SonaBear;841899941 said:

---

This may be a little too big for you, but a friend of mine had her wedding reception at SF City Hall. The bride and groom made their entrance walking down the grand staircase - it was really beautiful!

http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=988

---

I was also at that wedding...

Fort mason has a beautiful club room that overlooks the water.

Congrats! Just be sure to let us know the location you choose and the date and time to make sure it does not conflict with Cal football. See you at the bar!

Congratulations! My wife and I got married at the Swedenborgian Church in Pacific Heights. We were living in LA at the time but wanted to get married in SF as I consider it home and my wife and I met there.

The Swedenborgian is one of the most beautiful venues for a wedding in the city. The church is a gorgeous Arts and Crafts building built with local redwood. During our afternoon ceremony, it was lit by many candles and a large hearth fireplace. Also, they are quite progressive and accommodated us completely. I am a non practicing Jew and my wife is a non practicing Christian so we had a non religious ceremony. On the morning of our ceremony, the minister was so completely thoughtful that she asked me if I'd be more comfortable if they removed the crucifix from the altar. It was really a non issue for me but she insisted that she wanted me to be comfortable. That was incredibly kind.

Also, the cost was quite reasonable. We had our reception in the adjoining house and garden. It was lovely. Please do look into it.

Wherever you get married, I wish you both all the best. Mazeltov!!!

Jogging my memory on weddings I've been to in the city (and places people haven't mentioned)...

Hotels
The Palace has a great space - and relatively convenient.
The Fairmont or the Ritz would be good bet for hotels in Nob Hill.

Museums
MOMA, Asian Art Museum and De Young all rent space

Other
St. Francis Yacht Club is beautiful right on the water.
Ferry Building is another good option.
Flood Mansion (part of School of the Sacred Heart)
Hamlin Mansion (part of Hamlin School)

Obviously, some of the places you'll have to use their catering services while others will let you pick your own. That makes a big difference in cost.

On a somewhat related note, when you get to the bachelor party/bachelorette party planning stage, have your best man/your fiancee's maid of honor check out LastBash.com - a friend launched the site recently to make it easier to plan these group trips.

pjlbear;841899936 said:

---

I have also heard good things about the Brazilian Room.

---

I considered getting married at the Brazilian room also, but not sure it holds over 100 (unless you spill outside, which would then get messy)

LafayetteBear;841900099 said:

---

Congrats, GMP. You live in the City? I thought you indiacted in a prior post or two that you lived in Sacto. (?)

---

Thanks!

I do. I haven't lived in Sacto (actually, outside it) in a few years now.


And thanks for everyone's input. I have looked into every venue suggested, and quite a few look great - please keep the suggestions coming.

I will second an earlier suggestion for the Blue and Gold Fleet boat. I got married on a boat, and that was great - well, okay, so it did not work out in the end, but the ceremony was lots of fun.

NYCGOBEARS;841900046 said:

---

Congratulations! My wife and I got married at the Swedenborgian Church in Pacific Heights. We were living in LA at the time but wanted to get married in SF as I consider it home and my wife and I met there.

The Swedenborgian is one of the most beautiful venues for a wedding in the city. The church is a gorgeous Arts and Crafts building built with local redwood. During our afternoon ceremony, it was lit by many candles and a large hearth fireplace. Also, they are quite progressive and accommodated us completely. I am a non practicing Jew and my wife is a non practicing Christian so we had a non religious ceremony. On the morning of our ceremony, the minister was so completely thoughtful that she asked me if I'd be more comfortable if they removed the crucifix from the altar. It was really a non issue for me but she insisted that she wanted me to be comfortable. That was incredibly kind.

Also, the cost was quite reasonable. We had our reception in the adjoining house and garden. It was lovely. Please do look into it.

Wherever you get married, I wish you both all the best. Mazeltov!!!

---

+1 for Swedenborgian. Just perfect. Fort Mason #2, Treasure Island #3. I am so impressed by all of the suggestions.

You could do the ceremony at The Swedenborgian and then the reception at Ft. Mason as it is only a few blocks to the Presidio Blvd Gate from the church. A dramatic and beautiful drive through the Presidio en route to the reception would be quite romantic.

I won't be getting married any time soon but I'll have to remember some of these suggestions when the times comes.

Skip the wedding production.....You two may be the stars of the show, but you'll be relieved when the final tablecloth has been removed.....more than likely too many irons in the fire.

www.JustMauied.com

Me and the Mrs2th and our close friends Feb 29 2000.
Reverand Luki

Cheers!!

BearBorn11;841900015 said:

---

I was also at that wedding...

Fort mason has a beautiful club room that overlooks the water.

---

I went to a wedding at city hall on the steps in the rotunda. Gavin Newsom performed the ceremony and then people walked across the plaza to the Asian art museum for the reception. It was amazing. There is also the City Club, an Art Deco era building in the old stock exchange on Sansome.

You will notice that almost all of the venues are indoors.
SF weather in summer just not trustworthy enough for a outside event.
Anybody know about space at Pac Bell?

Fort Maxon officers Club (or whatever it is called now) was great for our wedding. Fort Mason chapel, and then the club right next door. Free parking inside fort mason.

My sister got married at the Swendenborgian and then had the reception at the green room at the War Memorial, which is where the UN charter was signed. That was also a nice event - plenty of space for dinner and dancing.

Don't mean to hijack the Thread, but for those Back East, my daughter was married last weekend (June 9,) on Cape Cod. A destination wedding. For those who may be interested in having their wedding there, send me a PM. it was held at the OceanEdge Resort on the beach. Turned out fantastic!

Now, back to Mr. Poop and his bride to be, Mrs. Poop. Congratulations.

GMP, congrats.

Top of the Mark ok for you? A friend's reception was at the hotel and it is pretty nice.

Also had a friend get married at the Grace Cathedral. It's pretty massive.