British Couple to get married at San Fran City Hall -Seek reception venue for 35

1.

Member

7 posts

Newbee

paulmattock June 28, 2013 Warwickshire, England

Hi All,

My fiancée and I have recently got engaged on our holiday in San Francisco, and we well and truly fell in love with the place, that much we have decided to have our wedding there. We have recently booked our ceremony at City Hall for June 2013.

As our guest party of 35 (tbc) and ourselves will be travelling from England, we are trying to plan as much in advance as we can.

Having booked City Hall for an hour, we plan to follow our day with a tour of the city with the photographer (looking for transport i.e Retro VW Camper vans) for a couple of hours before heading to a restaurant around 6ish, for canapés and cocktails on arrival, followed by a three course dinner.

Would anybody be able to recommend any restaurants to cater for 35 guests, preferably small and quirky with a good vibe....the link below is one of my fiancee and I's favourite restaurant in Warwickshire, whether you have anything similar. We both love live music or if anyone knows anywhere that cat.ers that too

http://www.wildes.uk.com/index.php?content=pages/index.html

Any help would be appreciated

Kind Regards

Paul

4 months ago

2.

Member

4,261 posts

Honey bee

Treejewel19 May 18, 2012 Sonoma County, CA

Here is a link for local restaurants around SF that have a private room to accomodate your reception: http://www.opentable.com/san-francisco-wedding-reception-venues.

E&O Trading Co is amazing with an Asian fusion menu and great atmosphere (also on the above list).

Best of luck!

4 months ago

3.

Member

3 posts

Wannabee

SVeronica April 20, 2012 San Francisco, CA

Hi Paul - I would highly recommend checking out Absinthe which is just around the corner from City Hall in popular Hayes Valley and it sounds like it might be perfect for you (www.absinthe.com/). They have an intimate and private dining room for events, make a mean drink and the food is impeccable. They have also hosted wedding parties before, so defiitely check them out.

Additionally, I would recommend Axis Cafe (www.axis-cafe.com/ - a small garden restaurant serving New American fare) and Dosa on Fillmore (www.dosasf.com/fillmore_home.htm - South Indian food, but the decor is more upscale international hotel).You might also want to check out some of the smaller art galleries like 111 Minna (www.111minnagallery.com/) if you are comfortable setting up the place and bringing everything in.

I did a lot of research on this for my upcoming wedding. I am going to have closer to 100 people so I eventually went a different route, but initially I thought it would be a smaller crowd, so feel free to ask me any questions.

4 months ago

4.

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7 posts

Newbee

paulmattock June 28, 2013 Warwickshire, England

@Treejewel19:

That's great!!..Really appreciate that!

All the best for your big day!

4 months ago

5.

Member

7 posts

Newbee

paulmattock June 28, 2013 Warwickshire, England

@SVeronica:

Thank you for your help, I have emailed Axis Cafe and Absinthe for pricing. I have also come across http://www.zaziesf.com/zazie/private_parties.html....have you ever been or anywhere similar?

With invites of 37 to be sent out shortly, we are expecting dropouts...hence why we are think a restaurant would be better than your stereotype wedding venue.

With our wedding booked for the end of June, would anybody recommend an outdoor reception?..Is it warm in San Fran (remember we are Brits, anything in the high 70s is roasting for us!)

Thanks again

4 months ago

6.

Member

1,898 posts

Buzzing bee

ladyartichoke UK

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

Found this for you: http://www.sanfrancisco.com/weather/

4 months ago

7.

Member

172 posts

Blushing bee

instantcoffee April 24, 2011

Mark Twain had a famous quote: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." And as my husband says, "California...always colder than you think." :-) The city is famous for being shrouded in fog, but as you pointed out, being British it might just be perfect for you!

Truthfully -- the weather in the San Francisco Bay Area can vary widely over just a few miles (there's even a "sunny part" in San Francisco itself), as well as over the course of the day. My guess is that you will be fine outdoors, but definitely tell everyone to dress in layers!

4 months ago

8.

Member

3 posts

Wannabee

SVeronica April 20, 2012 San Francisco, CA

@paulmattock: Just saw your message about Zazie. Zazie is a wonderful cafe/bistro in Cole Valley. I had actually looked at them too, but they are just too small for our number of guests. They would be perfect for yours though! They have a charming garden and traditional French fare. I would be psyched to attend a wedding there and I hope it works out for you!

3 months ago

9.

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3 posts

Wannabee

SVeronica April 20, 2012 San Francisco, CA

@paulmattock: Just saw your message about Zazie. Zazie is a wonderful cafe/bistro in Cole Valley. I had actually looked at them too, but they are just too small for our number of guests. They would be perfect for yours though! They have a charming garden and traditional French fare. I would be psyched to attend a wedding there and I hope it works out for you!

3 months ago

10.

Member

110 posts

Blushing bee

SiriusOne August 24, 2013

You have received some great suggestions. There are two resources that could help you with regard to review of potential venues.

www.yelp.com

www.tripadvisor.com

I use them with the understanding that everyone's likes and dislikes vary widely. But, on the whole, they have served me well.

Oh, and the suggestion to dress in layers is serious! When the fog comes in, it can be downright freezing! It usually clears up by 2pm, but the dampness penetrates to the bone. Your venue should be able to give you some guidance, because the various areas of SF enjoy microclimates that protect them from some of the fog's penetration.

Congratulations to you and your sweetie, and best wishes for a wonderful wedding experience.

3 months ago

11.

Member

7 posts

Newbee

paulmattock June 28, 2013 Warwickshire, England

@SVeronica: Thanks very much for your advice, we have just sent our invitations out, and are just waiting for confirmation on numbers. Hopefully we will ale to start narrowing our search down... Zazie's certainly is top of the list.

If you have any more recommendations feel free to fire them across.

Thanks again and I wish you all the best for your big day!

3 months ago

11.

Member

7 posts

Newbee

paulmattock June 28, 2013 Warwickshire, England

@SVeronica: Thanks very much for your advice, we have just sent our invitations out, and are just waiting for confirmation on numbers. Hopefully we will ale to start narrowing our search down... Zazie's certainly is top of the list.

If you have any more recommendations feel free to fire them across.

Thanks again and I wish you all the best for your big day!

3 months ago

12.

Member

7 posts

Newbee

paulmattock June 28, 2013 Warwickshire, England

@SiriusOne: That's great, I really appreciate that!.... will certainly tell the guests about the San Fran Fog rolling in....knowing us Brits they will think its a treat!

I wish you all the best with your magical day!

3 months ago

13.

Member

7 posts

Newbee

paulmattock June 28, 2013 Warwickshire, England

Just putting it out there....What's Haight Asbury like for a wedding reception / restaurant , I have been there before but vaguely remember....Is it dodgy after hours?

3 months ago