Best Real Weddings of 2017 :: Elegant Urban Wedding at The Chapel SF in San Francisco :: Adrienne & Grace

It’s hard to believe the end of the year is near, but it wouldn’t be December at Snippet & Ink without a round up of all our favorites of 2017. But before we dive into our favorite details, venues, gowns, and bouquets (check back with us next week!), we thought it would be best to highlight our most popular weddings of 2017… starting with this stunning urban wedding in San Francisco by photographer Christina McNeill.

=

Today’s feature really goes to show that weddings work out best when you rely on what matters most to you! This couple let their love of music guide their choice of unusual venue, The Chapel SF, which normally hosts rock concerts, not weddings, and in turn inspired their whole day. From concert tickets for guest admission, to romantic moody florals in crimson and blush pink (mirroring the venue’s colors), photographer Christina McNeill was on hand to capture all the meaningful details.  Plus, brides Adrienne & Grace have generously given us their budget breakdown, which you can see right here!

Did you include any traditions in your wedding? Adrienne: I wore a pearl necklace for the ceremony that belonged to my grandmother and now belongs to my aunt Donna. Also, my wedding band was my great grandmothers on my mother’s paternal side. I knew I wanted a very thin gold band to match my engagement ring and was having a tough time finding one the right shade of gold. Turns out we had one in the family that my aunt Laura was kind enough to give me.

Adrienne says, “My gown by Claire Pettibone was crafted from a stunning antique-inspired lace with blue and red embroidery. It had a sheer plunging back, and a long train which added to the drama. I fell in love with it when I first saw a photo of it going down the runway. The color and unique textiles made it exceptional. It was the only dress for me.”

Grace wore a Sarah Seven A-line gown with a pleated lace sweet heart top and silk organza strip skirts with lace pieces cascading down. She says, “I felt very comfortable in the dress right away and loved how it made me feel beautiful.”

How’s this for a meaningful (and fun) keepsake – the venue created ticket stubs for each guest when they arrived, just like they were going to a great concert!

The Ceremony

Why did you choose this location for your ceremony? We wanted a venue that was unique, intimate, romantic, and felt like us. Music is a big part of our lives and before booking the venue we knew we wanted The Dustbowl Revival (an LA-based band) to perform at our wedding. We happened to have seen them perform at The Chapel SF (a music venue attached to a restaurant/bar called The Vestry, that used to be an old mortuary) shortly before we were engaged, and one day it clicked that it would be a great venue for us. They had never done a ceremony and reception with a sit down dinner when we booked them (now they have done several) so we knew it would be a lot of work, but also a lot of fun and we could truly create something that felt unique to us.

What was your ceremony music? Our entrance and exit songs were really great. Entrance was Stringspace’s version of Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap and exit was Rather Be by Jess Glynne.

Tell us about any other traditions you included in your day. After the ceremony, I took off my veil and pearls and put on an amazing German antique tiara that is made out of paper and gilded in gold. Apparently it was traditional for the bride to wear the tiara and then the groom to wear the matching boutonniere, so in our case Grace wore that piece tucked in her hair.

What was your favorite part of the day? Between the ceremony and reception Grace and I walked around the area and went to an iconic San Francisco park, Dolores Park, where we have spent many a hot day with our friends. When we entered the park the place erupted in cheers for us! Hundreds of people got on their feet for us. It was unbelievable. We ended up in the official San Francisco Snapchat story through random peoples’ videos of us (something I don’t understand but my sister tells me is a big deal, haha!) It was a very cool moment. A random guy even came up and took of polaroid that he gave to us, which we loved.

Their photographer, Christina McNeill, says this moment was “truly magical to experience”. And luckily you can see and hear it right here for yourself, in their wedding video!

The Reception

What inspired you when planning your reception? The venue has mostly deep red walls, and rich dark wood tones. I knew we would have to riff off of that and work with it. We used my wedding gown (rich ivory with little pieces of blue and deep red) as well as the venue space to inspire the color scheme, and added light pink and lots of gold.

How would you describe your reception? Intimate, romantic, lush, and authentic. The tables were a dark rich wood, and my mom made fresh white table runners. Atop the runners where most importantly flowers, then lots of candles in gold votives, and the place settings, menus, and place cards. The flowers were a huge part of our décor – we wanted our reception flowers to mimic those in our bouquets. This meant lots of deep reds and greens, with small touches of pale pinks blue and white. And as many candles as we could fit, we had something crazy like 350 gold votives in the reception space! We also had special lighting, to add to the intimate feel.

Did you serve a signature cocktail? We did, Grace’s was a Spicy Margarita; mine was a Riviera Collins.

What was your first dance song? Standing Next To Me by The Dustbowl Revival. We choreographed it together, and we were super proud of the end result. Afterwards, Dustbowl came down into the floor to perform Down By The Riverside, it was so fun and got everyone singing along in a big circle.

What type of cake did you serve? Our desserts were a bit untraditional. We had one small cake for us to cut, a tres leches cake from Tartine. We also got a bunch of other baked goods from Tartine including lemon bars, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies.