Modern Bay Area Elopement | Binh & Cindy

A classy black & white affair

Cindy + Binh decided on a Bay Area elopement at San Francisco City Hall the day of their anniversary and then a reception at one of their favorite restaurants in Palo Alto a couple days later to celebrate 15 years together! They happened to be getting married in one of the worst storms the bay area had seen in years but luckily we were able to move their reception inside – crisis averted!

They had a clear vision for their day – modern minimalist with white florals, old Hollywood black and white outfit styling, and lots of candlelight to create a cozy dinner atmosphere. They got ready at El Prado Hotel and then headed to their food and fun-filled reception at Indo Restaurant that was complete with a voicemail guestbook, donut cake and their dog, Yuzu, of course!

El Prado provided a beautiful backdrop for their couple portraits with its sophisticated spanish architecture and boho accents. Every corner of the hotel is beautiful! And Indo Restaurant had some of the most amazing food – I got to try the sea bass, roti, and creme brulee. Highly recommended! You can host your event on their patio or do a buyout of the restaurant with or without the patio. Their staff is super kind and were fabulous to work with.

Non-traditional elements Cindy + Binh included in their wedding day that I loved:

Eloped 2 days before their reception on their anniversary at San Francisco City Hall!
Got ready together in their suite
Reception was at their favorite restaurant instead of a venue
They had their adorable dog the whole time at their reception!
Opted out of paper invites and a website to keep it simple
Used a voicemail guest book instead of a paper one
Opted for a tiered donut cake instead of a traditional cake
Skipped elements that didn’t feel “them” – first dances, speeches, bouquet and garter toss, and grand exit

Here is what Cindy had to say about my planning services

“We were lucky to have found Holly and have her fully plan and execute our 75 person wedding in Palo Alto, CA. Holly is patient, creative, and very detailed — she proactively caught details we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves. Once I reached out to Holly, she had a beautiful proposal mapped out by our next meeting. We chose a ‘minimal, modern, and monochromatic’ theme. She made our wedding planning very easy (we planned within 3 months) and also sourced vendors from rentals to photographer and makeup. She also came up with creative photobook ideas and designed all of our signage from drink menus to welcome signs. I looked forward to all of our catch ups with Holly!

On our wedding day, our guests couldn’t stop commenting on how well organized everything was! One example — we had a donut tower instead of a traditional cake that she graciously put together for us and she always made sure it was filled each time a guest enjoyed a doughnut. Holly reminded me of J. Lo from “The Wedding Planner”

We’d also like to mention our wedding occurred in the middle of one the biggest storms in CA. Holly proactively came up with a contingency plan due to the storm, kept her cool, and it worked out very well for us. We weren’t stressed, ever! We would 1000% recommend her and we’re grateful for her planning skills. Thank you again for making our wedding perfect!”