A San Francisco Wedding at Flood Mansion

This wedding is so gorgeous!  I will admit, I usually don't go for a wedding that has red, black, and white as the colors ... but the way this couple incorporated the red orchids and the black vases caught my attention and I just love it!  I also love how Cliff Brunk worked with their color theme in the photos (playing with the black and white background) ... sign of a great wedding photographer!  Adore it all below!

XO~ Heather

Our photographer, Cliff Brunk, was the first vendor we booked, and he was worth every penny. We still talk about how Cliff and his wife Malarie made our day extra special. They were so easy and fun to work with, and truly made the whole experience fun and enjoyable. One of our favorite moments was the 'first look', which we had not initially planned on but are so glad we did, as it was wonderful to share an intimate moment together before all of the guests arrived. Cliff also managed to capture our first kiss including our reflection on the marble floor! It is an amazing picture.

Their photos initially captured our attention when we saw them on a wedding blog. After seeing photos on blogs and the vendor's website, we decided to meet Cliff to discuss him photographing our wedding. He made us feel instantly comfortable, and it was obvious he knew the venue well and knew how to handle the lighting. On the day of the wedding he made capturing those photos fun and we had some good laughs, and by the end of the day it felt like we were old friends.

Lauren: The first look! It was so special to have an intimate moment together before the guests arrived. At first we did not think about having a first look, but our photographer mentioned that some of the couples he has worked with really loved it and we became open to the idea after seeing his beautiful photo samples.

Patrick: The vows. It was incredibly emotional and meaningful to be in front of all our friends and family to declare our love for each other. I am really happy we customized our ceremony to reflect the special bond we have. I could not have imagined a more special moment together!

Many of our guests noticed that our ceremony was incredibly personal. We spent months hand selecting readings, and even spent an evening brainstorming what we appreciate about each other so that this could be included in the ceremony. We made sure to remember those who are no longer with us, made it interactive by requesting responses from our guests, and custom made our unity candle with our wedding logo.

We wanted to have a formal wedding with a relaxed and laid back atmosphere. It needed to have great food and drinks, but without the pretention. We picked our colors, menu style, music, and decorations to match our light hearted spirit. When planning, we imagined our reception as if we were throwing one big dinner party!

Our florist was Floramor Studios. We really liked that they were able to incorporate our favorite flowers - orchids! There were potted miniature phalaenopsis in our wedding colors that lined our very long dinner table. The best part was being able to bring them home after the wedding. They continue to blossom and remind us of our special day.

We moved to San Francisco shortly after we got engaged, and we quickly fell in love with the city. Patrick is from Ohio and I am from Colorado, we went to college in St. Louis, and also lived in Chicago together, so there was not an immediately obvious location for our wedding. But once we got settled in San Francisco, it was easy to choose our favorite city for our big day! We found our venue on a whim during lunch one day when we decided to check out the Flood Mansion, a historical building with breathtaking views of San Francisco. As soon as we walked to the end of the Grand Hall and looked out the windows at the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay, we knew this was the place we wanted to exchange our vows.

Taste Catering catered our wedding reception. We love food and so we thought about every detail. We included local foods that we both love, had them pass some of our favorite cocktails - a strawberry basil concoction and a spicy jalapeno martini, and we also personally selected every wine that was served from wineries that we had visited in Napa and Sonoma. We especially loved the macaroon favors that the catering company created for favors that the guests could take home with them.

Most importantly, have fun! Making all of those decisions is a fun journey and you will learn a lot about each other along the way. It is easy to get overwhelmed with so many choices, but we prioritized by focusing on what is truly important to us as a couple.

Venue: Flood Mansion

Photography: Cliff Brunk Photography

Flowers: Floramor Studios

Wedding Coordinator: Marisa Yamamoto

Cinematographer: Justin Fone

Catering: Taste Catering

Wedding Desserts: Taste Catering

Beauty: Wow Pretty

Bride's Dress: Bridal Galleria

DJ: Denon and Doyle Disc Jockey

Stationery: Hello Lucky

Ceremony Music: Michael Udelson

Officiant: Weddings of Heart

Transportation: Bauer's