Kate Waterman Rose - Northern California Wedding + Elopement Photographer

San Francisco Urban Elopement in the Mission District

In the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunny and Brian celebrated an enchanting virtual elopement on their San Francisco balcony. With an amazing floral installation by a friend of the couple, the intimate space felt deeply romantic and festive, filled with joy and excitement. They were joined in-person by the bride’s mother and sister, and virtually by a multitude of friends and family, as well as a videoconferencing justice of the peace from San Francisco City Hall.


After a short and sweet ceremony with the justice of the peace, they celebrated virtually with family and friends, brought out their sweet new puppy to enjoy the day with them, and set off an a celebratory walk through the lively Mission District. Once they got back to their building, they took the elevator up to the roof for a few private moments, taking in the sights of the city and enjoying some quiet time together before returning to their apartment, puppy, and family.
San Francisco Urban Elopement in the Mission District: Vibrant pink and yellow orchids dangle from the wedding ceremony arch, setting the scene for a colorful urban elopement
As the beginning of the ceremony approaches, the bride and groom's rings await them in a small golden dish under the arch
A close view of the bride and groom's hands, which are clasped together in front of a video screen; on the video screen, we see the face of the justice of the peace from San Francisco City Hall who will virtually officiate the marriage
As the view zooms out, we see the bride and groom more fully. As the groom speaks his vows, the bride smiles and blushes as she looks down at their joined hands
The bride gently places the groom's ring on his ring finger
The brief ceremony concluded, the bride and groom kiss passionately below their floral wedding arch
Following their wedding ceremony, the bride and groom set themselves down at a small table with a laptop where they can virtually chat with distant friends and family; the bride's mother joins them for a brief word
The bride and groom grin as they speak into their laptop camera, excited to share this moment with the people they love who could not be there in person
The groom turns to look at his new wife as he speaks, smiling
The bride gazes sweetly at the groom as he continues to speak
We zoom out to see more of the environment around them; though they are eloping in San Francisco's urban Mission District, the balcony is full of flowers and surrounded by the vibrant green of plants from the apartment building's inner courtyard
The bride beams as she receives video messages from her loved ones, congratulating the pair
The groom looks at the bride seriously; she looks down at her bouquet thoughtfully
The two kiss in front of the laptop
The grin and giggle, speaking to each other as well as their distant friends
The bride's mother joins them behind the laptop, wrapping her arms around the pair, a passionate look on her face. The bride and groom smile contentedly
The bride and groom laugh
The two huddle in close to each other and to their laptop screen, enrapt
They laugh and grin, holding hands with each other
They smile attentively at the screen
The bride and groom rock backwards, laughing
The bride looks at the groom lovingly
They return their attention to the video conference in front of them
They lean in to each other and hold hands tightly; the groom looks down shyly as he speaks
A close view of the couples' hands, wrapped together tightly
The groom grins at the bride as she rocks backwards with laughter once again
They smile at the computer screen
The bride's sister walks up behind them and leans in towards the computer screen, announcing the next step in the wedding ceremony
The bride's mother carries over a tray of sweets to feed to the bride and groom, an Indian tradition
As the bride chews, the bride's sister feeds a sweet to the groom
They all laugh as the bride's mother feeds him one as well
The bride and groom bring out a bottle of champagne and pour themselves glasses
They clink their wedding glasses together in a toast, together with their virtual community
The bride beams with excitement as the groom looks down at their joined hands
The bride's mother and sister watch from the other side of the balcony; the sister has her phone out, recording
The bride pours another flute of champagne
They toast with champagne again, this time focused on the family members who are present with them on the balcony
The groom grins and laughs as the bride's sister asks him something
The bride and her sister laugh as the groom pours more champagne
The bride and groom laugh and chat with their family
The bride's sister reaches out a hand to gesture as she says something to her new brother-in-law
The bride's mother gestures playfully as she speaks
The groom brings their new puppy out onto the balcony so she can join the celebration; a black and white boston terrier pup, she has been decorated with a floral collar for the wedding
As the groom holds the puppy, the bride dotes on her lovingly
The bride takes the puppy in her arms as they continue to chat on the balcony with their loved ones
Still talking, the bride and groom look at each other and grin, the puppy held gently between them
As they take a moment to adjust her floral collar, the whole family crowds around and dotes upon the puppy
The bride's sister picks up the puppy and admires her floral collar
The bride and groom hug tightly under the wedding arch
The bride's sister and mother do a little dance on the other end of the balcony, celebrating
The bride, groom, mother, and sister pose together, smiling, under the wedding ceremony arch
The bride and her sister playfully tug-of-war over her bouquet
The bride laughs, exhilarated, the wind blowing her hair
The bride and groom pose with their puppy under the arch
The bride and her sister pose, hugging
Battling playfully once again, the sister runs towards the camera as the bride leans back and roars with laughter
In a calmer moment, the bride leans over the puppy, changing the pup's costume
No longer in her floral collar, the puppy now wears a little, pink, puppy-sized tutu
The bride's sister turns her head as she speaks animatedly, gesturing with one hand
The bride's mother leans in thoughtfully and adds a remark
Through the balcony door, we see the bride on the balcony, surrounded by flowers and light from the courtyard beyond
The bride and groom descend to the apartment building's courtyard and snuggle together on a wicker sofa
We zoom in on their faces as they speak animatedly with one another
They lean together and laugh
The puppy approaches their feet, begging to be picked up. The groom joyfully acquiesces
The puppy in their arms, the bride and groom look at her lovingly
As the puppy squirms, the groom pretends to eat her, playfully; the bride laughs
The bride and groom sit calmly together on matching chairs in the Mission District courtyard; the bride reaches over to hold the groom's hand and grins
They lean in for a deep kiss
The bride and groom look up at the blue sky, appreciating the weather and the vibrant plant life around them
As the groom wanders off to tend to something, the bride spends a moment alone with the puppy, holding it in her lap
She laughs as the puppy squirms playfully
She sets the puppy down on the concrete ledge beside her, still wearing the pink puppy tutu
As we zoom in on the puppy, the puppy looks dubious about being removed from the bride's lap
Back in her arms, the puppy squirms to lick the bride's face as she laughs
The bride continues to laugh, her dark curls bouncing as she moves
The puppy comfortable on her lap, the bride sits more calmly, stroking the puppy's head
The bride and groom go outside to wander the neighborhood in their wedding clothes, white dress and swanky vest contrasting with the urban environment
The bride and groom walk down a colorful Mission District Alleyway, grinning
They kiss passionately in front of a blue mural painted with the number "415", the San Francisco area code
The groom dips the bride backward into a deep kiss in front of a second mural, which contrasts the disastrous effects of climate change with the possibility for urban and natural renewal
Donning their pandemic face coverings, the pair dances playfully in the colorful urban alleyway
They lean in and nuzzle their faces together intimately
Back at the apartment building, they take the elevator up to the roof, where they slow down and calmly take in the city skyline around them, snuggling together as they enjoy each other's company; the groom kisses the side of the bride's head
The bride and groom snuggle together on the rooftop and lean their heads together gently
They lean in for a kiss, the outlines of the city behind them
As they hold each other on the urban rooftop, they look into each other's eyes
On a different part of the rooftop, they snuggle together again. Behind them, beyond the rooftops of the Mission District, we can see San Francisco's Twin Peaks in the distance; a kite flies above them
The bride helps the groom adjust his waistcoat; the wind catches her lacy white skirt and draws it out behind her, revealing strappy golden high heels
Back down on the balcony, the bride and groom cuddle again; we see their wedding rings together, their fingers intertwined
The groom sits in a chair below the floral wedding arch and the bride sits on his lap; they snuggle playfully
We zoom in on a few details of the wedding celebration: a small spray of flowers on a golden dish with the couple's rings
We focus on the rings to see their details: a golden band and a diamond eternity ring
On a table in the courtyard, we see the couple's cake and a floral arrangement
We zoom in on the label of the special champagne the couple chose for their elopement, a Dom Perignon
In a closing shot, the champagne sits in a golden ice bucket with the bride's bouquet, ready to be enjoyed

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