A moment for the cable cars the crisscross Nob Hill and chime their bells throughout the day!

Some of my favorite weddings are the ones where a couple simply walks into their day. Bri and Greg started theirs a few blocks from the party, getting ready at the Stanford Court Hotel on Nob Hill.

Before the ceremony, the two got ready at the Stanford Court Hotel (a less than one minute walk to the University Club) and then stepped outside for a First Look.

The First Look, right outside the Stanford Court Hotel.

Right after having a moment together, the two walked together to the University Club. There is something wonderful about a couple who arrives at their own wedding on foot, side by side, already laughing before the day has fully begun. It was a sunny and perfect spring day.

The couple walking hand in hand to their wedding at the University Club!

I have photographed weddings at the San Francisco University Club more than once, and I never tire of these rooms. The club has stood on Nob Hill since 1890, and the clubhouse at 800 Powell Street opened in 1909, rebuilt by the architects Bliss & Faville after the 1906 earthquake reduced the original to rubble. Every room carries stories and so much architectural detail.

A view into the ceremony room from the billiards room.

The library came a few years later, in 1917. When you walk in, you feel all of it. More than a century of gatherings has settled into the dark wood and the grand rooms, and the building carries a weight of history that a newer space simply cannot replicate. Filled with wall antique books that go all the way up to the ceiling, it’s the perfect location for a couples’ first look, wedding party photos, or smaller groupings of family photos.

Have some fun with your wedding party in the library!

That history is exactly what makes the club such a natural home for a wedding. The rooms hold the occasion for you. There is a steadiness to a place that has watched over this much life, and couples feel it the moment they step inside. Bri and Greg just had to bring themselves and their love and commitment to one another. The venue and supplied the rest.

Outside on Nob Hill, with the University Club right behind the couple.

Their florals set the tone. Bri loves the California poppy, so Beija Flor Botanicals worked those golds and oranges through the designs, then lifted them with blues and purples. Against the club's deep, moody woodwork, the color came alive in the rooms. Warm poppy tones glowing in the low light, cool purple hues catching against the paneling. It was the perfect complement to a dark and historic space.

The fireplace is one of the two backdrops couples can choose for their ceremony background, and adding florals softens the dark wood and architectural lines.

The bride got ready in a Pronovias gown, and one of my favorite details was the hairpiece made for her by a friend. That is the sort of touch that tells you who a couple is before the day even begins. Nothing about this wedding was borrowed from a template. Every piece of it came from the people who love them.

The bride getting ready, on black and white film.

We gathered the wedding party in the Library for photos. This traditional room, dark wood from floor to ceiling, lined with wonderful old books, turned out to be the perfect place to catch this group being themselves. There was a real playfulness to these pictures. You can see the closeness between everyone gathered, the easy affection between family and friends who clearly adore this couple.

The library is the perfect gathering spot for before and after the ceremony, as well as great backdrop for photos.

The ceremony took place in the Lounge, one of the club's most recognizable rooms. Dark wood pilasters, patterned wallpaper, a grand fireplace anchoring the space, and a vintage floor clock keeping time in the corner. It is a room with presence. And in the middle of all that history, the ceremony itself was warm and touching.

The couples’ two friend officiated, sharing stories about the couple, and making the ceremony feel so special.

Two of the couple's friends co-officiated, which set the tone right away. Instead of a distant formality, their vows were held by people who know and love them. And no wedding party was more complete than this one, because Izzy, their sweet dog, served as dog of honor. She was doted upon and thoroughly spoiled all day long, exactly as a dog of honor should be.

The bride entering the ceremony with her father.

As the newlyweds processed back up the aisle, their guests skipped the flower petals and waved ribbon wands instead. The room filled with color and movement, everyone reaching out to celebrate them as they passed. It is one of those small, personal choices that tells you everything about a couple.

Guests waved ribbon wands as the newlyweds processed down the aisle.

Cocktail hour carried a wonderful speakeasy feeling, spread across two of the club's most character-filled rooms. The Game Room served its purpose, with its light-green William Morris-style wallpaper, an antique wood pool table beneath green-shaded pendant lights, and framed artwork covering the walls. At the University Club, guests flow from space to space. Each room with its own character while still feeling like a seamless experience with the wedding timeline and flow into each room.

Guests gather for cocktail hour in the billiards room.

Alongside it, the Fourth Floor Bar offers floor-to-ceiling dark wood paneling, deep leather seating, and a classic wooden service bar. Guests drifted between the two with drinks in hand, and the whole hour felt like slipping into a private club from another era, which, of course, is precisely what it is.

We stole a few minutes at sunset to step outside and walk the top of Nob Hill together. This is where San Francisco does the work for you. Classic cable cars rolled past behind them, bells ringing, the city glowing gold at the end of the day. These are the frames that lend the city its turn of the 20th century nickname: The Paris of the West.

Back inside, the newlywed’s grand entrance included a run through the long guest tables at the dinner reception. Guests stood cheering them on, as the couple ran right onto the dance floor and kicked off their First Dance.

An amazing grand entrance into their reception!

After dinner and toasts, the Cosmo Alley Cats took the stage and filled the room with soulful, jazzy, vintage sound. The dance floor did not stay empty for long. It was the right music for the room and the right music for this couple, a little old-world, and a lot of fun.

The Cosmo Alley Cats were a perfect fit for the University Club.

What stays with me about Bri and Greg's wedding is how unpretentious it all was. A grand old club on Nob Hill, more than a century of history in the walls, and a couple who filled it with dogs and ribbon wands and friends officiating and easy, genuine smiles. There is a particular kind of beauty in that combination. Casual elegance and historic charm in the same breath. It was quintessential San Francisco, and quintessentially them.

Bri and Greg's wedding was only one chapter I have been lucky enough to photograph. Their San Francisco engagement session at Buena Vista Park came first, and since the wedding I have documented a maternity session and their baby's very first photos at home. As Bri put it afterward, she wanted photographs that were authentic, beautiful, and so them, the same feeling they had from their engagement session. That is exactly what I hope to give every couple. Watching a couple's life unfold across the years, from two people in love to a growing family, is one of the great gifts of this work. That is really what photography is for. We cannot hold on to a moment, but we can keep the picture of it, and I am grateful beyond words that Bri and Greg have let me be the one behind the camera for so many of theirs.

The city view from the University Club. It never gets old!

If you are dreaming of a wedding at the University Club of San Francisco, I would love to hear what you have in mind. These historic walls have held countless celebrations, and there is room in them for whatever version of the day is truly, irrevocably yours.