Swedish American Hall Wedding

One of my favorite color palettes for weddings has always been green and white. There’s something so organic and natural about the way the colors play off each other, and after seeing this wedding photographed by Sun and Life Photography you’ll know exactly what I mean. Thanks to Danielle Amato of The Box for her skilled coordinating and Chestnut and Vine for their absolutely amazing floral designs!

From the bride, Lindsay: Early in our relationship we worked as tour guides in San Francisco, developing a love of the city, it’s history, and each other. When we told the old tour company that we were getting married, a couple of our favorite tour bus drivers offered to take an open top double decker bus out as our transportation for the day. Wind swept hair be damned it was worth it! Picking a concept sucked! After crying about whether we were “book-y”, “forest-y”, or “vintage-y” enough to define a whole wedding around, we just said eff it and aimed at throwing a great party – rocking music, delicious drinks, a location with atmosphere, laughs, tears, great outfits; something unexpected.

The Victorian living room backdrop was inspired from the Victorian houses of San Francisco and from a picture wall “photo booth” the bride saw on Pinterest. Luckily the father of the bride is carpenter and had built sets for plays in the past, so he was able to bring it to life. He handmade the crown molding, sourced cloth as the wall paper, and collected family photos from both sides. It was an unexpected surprise when after the ceremony, the family went back up to the stage, went behind the wall and opened up the biggest pictures turning the backdrop into a photo booth.

Even while we constructed exactly what we wanted to experience, we tried to keep all our guests’ comfort in mind, young and old. Though remarkably we got away with everything, no one complained about a thing – string metal during the ceremony, Danzig as the mother’s dance, parking at the funeral home next door, burgers for dinner, circus bands at the after party, throwing a concert in the venue downstairs after the “official wedding” so all of our friends and acquaintances could crash. In the end, the families loved the weirdness. Go for it, your family will be more understanding than you’d think.

View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Music:
Processional: “Noae Kadae,” Judgement Day
Recessional: “Raining Blood,” Slayer (Cover by Judgement Day, Transcribed by Whitney George)
First Dance: “I Love How You Love Me,” Groom’s dad covering Jeff Mangum covering The Paris Sisters

Wedding Location: San Francisco, CA / Photographer: Sun and Life Photography / Event Coordination: Danielle Amato of The Box / Floral Design: Chestnut and Vine / Pre-Ceremony Portrait Venue: The Conservatory of Flowers / Venue: Swedish American Hall / Wedding Dress: Wtoo Brides by Watters via The Wedding Party / Headpiece: Mignonne Handmade / Makeup: Crystal Fitzgerald of Beauty and the Bay / Groom’s Attire: Jos. A Bank / Wedding Caterer: Cafe du Nord / Cake and Desserts: Ashley Burrow / Music: Judgement Day String Metal / Rentals: Abbey Party Rents SF / Wedding Invitations: Janette Mercede / Videographer: Greg Thomas