You could go all “social media” and use Facebook or create a MySpace page.  With Facebook one of the advantages is that it’s designed to handle events, photos etc and many of your real world friends may already be virtual Facebook friends already.  I can’t wait to twitter my way through the wedding…

…Our “dog of honor” just ran off with the wedding rings!  Last seen heading for the Bay…

…Bridesmaid just threw up. Again…

You get the idea.

Then there are the slew of customizable wedding sites which are typically offered as a service within an all-in-one wedding management (and advertising!) service, such as TheKnot.com or eWedding.com.  They offer the uninitiated a series of design options, and are specifically geared towards weddings so require little customization and can be up and running in 10-15 minutes.

If you enjoy being creative, and have some technical skills, then creating your own custom site may be the answer.  We registered our own domain, then used an iMac to create our own website based on a generic (non-wedding) template using the iWeb application.  Given my love of photography, Apple does a great job of visual media and web media integration so it was easy to get a fully customized website up and running in 2-3 hours.  This was complete with Google Maps to the venue and hotels, photos of us, links to hotels and registry.  We know down the line it will be set up to update out of town visitors with trip ideas for San Francisco, as well as posting photographs post the event.

Finally, you also have the option of adding security – which means that unfortunately for you dear reader, unless you’ve already been invited, you’ll just have to take our word for it!

This is something I am HUGELY passionate about.  As someone who is visual, and loves being behind a camera, seeing what can be captured in a picture when a camera is in the right hands, I needed to feel 100% confident that what we would end up with is a catalogue of photographs that never bore us and that will capture the emotions, spirit (and outtakes) of our wedding day.  And, that will last past the final mouthful of wedding cake (that we’re not having).

So recently we started looking into our options, and here’s where we ended up.

“Here Comes the Guide” was a good place to start, but Yelp! is where I really found some useful feedback.   Browsing through the recommendations I found a few gems that sounded as though they captured the style that we wanted – difficult to describe in a tangible way, but on the lines of photojournalistic, authentic, visually artistic; yet not at the expense of capturing the emotions.  The great part about Yelp! is that you can see what made each reviewers experience either great or terrible.  I guess that’s what makes choosing a photographer for your wedding so important – there are so many things that can make it special, and so many things that could leave a bitter taste in your mouth.  The personality of the photographer, their flexibility, their pricing, access to Intellectual Property, the quality of the album and of course the quality of the photographs you get from the day itself.

Armed with this information we settled on a list of Blonde Tulip, Orange Photography – I really liked Gene X Hwang’s photos,  Loic Nicolas, JennaBeth Photography and finally FC Wong.  With the constraints of social commitments and work travel, not to mention a good photographer being busy – we set up appointments with each of them over the next month, starting with Fu (FC Wong).

Armed with downloaded tips and questions from FrugalBride.com we met with Fu in his studio in Oakland and he very professionally took us through his experience, awards, a description of his style, pricing and some portfolio/album examples.  It was EXACTLY what we were looking for, so we did ourselves a favor and after sleeping on it decided to confirm Fu as our photographer for the big day next year.  It always feels good to cross off a few meetings with potential wedding vendors as well!

Fu made a good point – he shoots photographs for the bridal couple and the guests, but also for our children and grandchildren.  I think that’s one of the things that we liked about his style – it focused on the moment, not the current artistic trend – and felt timeless.  Yes, it’s a considerable part of our budget, but as my sensibly frugal fiancée told me (lucky me!) – you never hear anybody saying “we regret spending too much on our photos”, but you do hear “we should have put more thought and budget into our photographer”.

We’re looking forward to working with Fu and both feel really good about getting events and emotions of the day captured on (digital) film to look back on and share with others through the rest of our lives together.

Thankfully, my lovely fiance is an incredible photographer.  And lucky for you, he’s done his homework on SF area photographers.  And what’s even better; he will be our guest blogger on the topic!  Keep an eye out for his posting early next week.

The cards can be customized in 24 different colors and come in both Letterpress and Digital versions to fit any budget.

For those of us less clear about what the wedding day attire looks like I found a cool site by another blogger.  Check out http://bridechic.blogspot.com/

This blog, written by local fashionista Amy Jo Tatum, a wedding dress designer and owner of Bridal Alternatives is all about “Bride Chic”, and looks pretty inspiring.  At the very least it’s interesting and a little off the beaten path; a recent post is all about Goth weddings.  Yes, that kind of Goth. Kinda cool and creepy.

She also wrote a great piece about bridal gowns for your body type.  http://amyjotatum.googlepages.com/bridechicblog2 I really appreciate this as someone who, on the best of days and only after Pilates can claim  5’2 and 3/4′s.  But who’s counting?  Good tips for all our body challenges.  And, good advice for those of us who don’t want to look like a cake topper.

Register in advance at www.sfweddingfair.com tickets are $22 now and $24 at the door.  Valet parking at a discounted rate of $20 for wedding fair attendees.  Well, it is SF after all…

Have you been to a previous show?  Let us know what you thought!

• SF Film Center :  A beautiful Mission style building in the Presidio which can host both ceremonies and receptions.  150-250 capacity with reasonable rental fees of anywhere between $700-$5000.

• Top of the Mark :  The historic Mark Hopkins hotel built in 1926 came in high on the list.  Their Peacock Ballroom is a popular reception site but it’s the Top of the Mark that wins the hearts of natives.  The 360 degree view of the city is worth showing off to visitors so, if nothing else, head there for your after party!  Prices vary widely depending on your type of function.  Luncheons start at $43 per person with dinners starting at $135.  The Hotel can accomodate 90-160 seated and 150-800 standing.

• Cliff House :   While the building we see today bares virtually no resemblance to the ornate 1863 Victorian mansion precariously perched on the Point Lobos cliffs; the views remain the same.  Stunning and wild the spectacular Pacific Ocean crashes against that rocky shoreline and Seal Rock and San Franciscans continue to be drawn to this landmark.   Completely renovated six years ago to its previous neoclassic splendor of 1909, the restaurant has once again won awards for its food and  great service.   Ceremonies are hosted on the Terrace Deck with views of Seal Rock, the Terrace Room can hold 120-180 for receptions.  Prices range from $42 – $75 per person with a $1000 deposit required at signing.

Great stuff so far!  Keep the suggestions coming!

I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary these two fit the bill!  I have to admit that when I first heard that Foreign Cinema did weddings I wasn’t exactly sure that it sounded like a good idea.  I was picturing myself, in a wedding dress, climbing out of a car in the Mission. The pieces weren’t quite fitting together!  However, after seeing the space, I was impressed.  The place somehow manages to feel really cool and modern, while at the same time being intimate and warm.  Another great thing about this venue is that it is an all inclusive package.  Yes, there is some sticker shock when you first see the quote, but when you realize it includes everything, and I mean everything, it’s not entirely unreasonable.   And let’s be honest, you know the food will be great!

The Hamlin Mansion was our second stop.   I really liked its old SF beauty and its cozy feeling.  I can just imagine how lovely it would be with the fireplace lit and the fog sweeping in across the Bay.   The location is great – on top of Pac Heights at Broadway between Buchanan and Webster.  The drawback of this venue is that the rooms are small; meaning your guests will be forced to segregate for cocktail hour.  This may, or may not be,  a drawback for you depending on your party size and personality; you poor children of broken homes know what I’m talking about!   Um, just kidding, Dad.

So, all in all, another good night.  Two very different and very special places with a real SF feel.  I’ll keep you posted on our next trip out this weekend.

Our first stop was the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio.   While the inside is not exactly beautiful on it’s own, the GGC finds redemption with its great views, accessibility to the city and it’s budget friendly price tag.   The rooms are all quite bare, but I imagine that with flowers and some nice lighting they would look really special.   The Presidio Main Post Chapel is within walking distance and is a very sweet and intimate ceremony location if you decided not to utilize the GGC itself.  The Golden Gate Club has a very extensive list of approved vendors; which, I am learning, is a real bonus if you are working on a budget.

Second stop was the Legion of Honor.  This is a beautiful and dramatic site.  It is definitely suited for a more formal affair as the space is full of marble and both modern and classic artwork.  We came to look at the Terrace level, which would include the lower level of the gallery.  This level includes the grand hallway full of classic Greek and Roman artwork as well as the Cafe and patio. Until recently the rest of the museum was available only as an entire site buy out and was really expensive.  Happily, the Board of Trustees has just approved rental of the first three galleries as you enter the museum.  They are a stunning setting.   It’s hard not to love the elegance and beauty of the setting here, however, it does have it’s drawbacks.   Namely, the same location that offers the great views and sweeping expanses of lawn with no concern for noise ordinances, is the Legion’s biggest problem.  It is way the heck out there.   We were told that taxi service is nearly non existent meaning shuttles would need to be rented to accommodate all the guests, including locals.   Additionally, while not being the most expensive venue in the city by any means, you would end up having to rent nearly everything.  I found that their list of approved caterers are all on the mid-to high end of the price tag.  The costs could really start to add up.

Next stop was 1 Fort Mason.   Originally the Commander General of the Western Army’s home, the venue is located in Upper Ft Mason – you enter off of Bay at Franklin, not down by the Safeway in the Marina.  The setting is stunning.  The views from the back lawn sweep out over the Bay and towards Ghirardelli square , while the house itself, is tucked back into a little nook with big oak trees in front offering just the right amount of privacy.    Much like the Golden Gate Club, the space itself doesn’t scream elegance, but with the floor to ceiling windows in every room and that view to look at, who cares?  We were lucky to see it being set up for a wedding that was about the same size as what we are expecting, so we got a really good idea of how the venue would look.  1 Fort Mason is a little pricier than the others but the dining room chairs and tables all come with the space, so it’s really more in line with the others than we initially thought.  This is a great venue for out-of-town guests and locals alike.  Taxi service is available and it’s close to hotels.  The one ‘con’ is that they have a very small list of approved caterers and this is a non-negotiable.  Again, like the Legion, their caterers run a mid- to high price tag.

We’ll be seeing a few more sites this week so check back for updates!