Get Married in the Bay Area
I recently met Ema Drouillard, the Owner, Minister, Photographer, Floral Designer & Planner of San Francisco Destination Weddings. I figured since she is to the go to person for couples wanting to get married in the Bay Area she would probably have some great suggestions on fun things to do around the Bay Area. Below is an interview with Ema.
What do you love most about the Bay Area?
Experiencing childhood on the Great Lakes naturally gave me a deep connection to everything nautical. Being raised in a small waterfront town that built Chris Craft Boats was a tangable part of my life. My grandfather owned the tool and dye plant that made the parts for Chris Craft. My father built boats and houses as a hobby. I was raised on Main Street and our back yard was the lake and in the dock rested our Chris Craft Cruiser. Summer days on the water, watching the sunset…
I often refer to myself as a local tourist, enjoying all the treasures of the Bay. Sunset Sails, Photographing the Tall Ship Parade. Recording the Maltese Falcons Visit. Photographing it drapped with the landmarks of the San Francisco bay. The Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, the Valley of Vineyards, the Seasonal delights of fields filled with mustard and lavender. It all fills me with awe.
Where is your favorite place to hike in the Bay Area?
Phoenix Lake in the rain, early in the morning, with the air filled with the crispness of fall. Walking around the lake is spirit food for me. Anytime.
Favorite Park?
Golden Gate Park forever and a day. Alta Plaza Park in Pacific Heights offers a sweet weather pocket with sweeping views of the city.
Favorite place to take your dog?
Blackie’s Pasture in Tiburon…Great walk along the bay with even a little beach for the dog, Jesse.
What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
The French kitchen the San Francisco Ferry Building boulettes larder. Sitting at the community kitchen table in this working kitchen is the most nurturing experience. The food is the best. It is a double delight for me to take the ferry to the ferry building and have lunch at the kitchen. Such a treat!
Then there is Millennium Restaurant dedicated to supporting the essential earthly concepts of organic food production, small farms, sustainable agriculture, recycling and composting. Cooking fresh produce delivered every day, and choose organic whenever possible. A gourmet dining experience created out of vegetarian, healthy, and environmentally friendly foods.
What is your favorite place to get coffee?
Hands down…nothing better then Philz Coffee. Whenever I’m in the area, it’s a must stop. When I guide private photography tours of the mission murals, I always finish by taking my guest to Philz Coffee. If you are serious about coffee, I recommend you immediately fly down to Phliz Coffee and try a cup of one of the 20 handmade coffees that are on the menu. Try it for yourself.
Can you tell me a little bit more about your “effortless weddings”?
An Effortless Wedding package is designed for an intimate wedding, up to 20 people. The Package includes: Personalized Wedding Ceremony, Officiant, Flowers for Bride & Groom, One Hour Photography, Location, Musician, Wedding Supper Reservations and Full Planning & Design. Just get dressed and arrive, it is all done for you. There are many packages to select from. The Simple Package is perfect for a couple elopement.
Destination Wedding Elopement Packages are a simple uncomplicated way to create memories filled with ease and delight. One phone call begins a journey for a bride to become a wife without leaving a footprint by planning a Green Wedding.
Thanks Ema! I now have lots of new places I want to try.
More about Ema:
Based in Marin County and serving San Francisco, Marin & Sonoma. She designs and plans intimate elopement weddings for couples and their families. She offers an array of packages to select from with Landmark locations on the beautiful San Francisco Bay. Overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge or the San Francisco Skyline. Weddings, renewals, baptisms and memorials are performed. As well as counseling: premarital, marriage, mommy coaching, financial coaching, and spiritual direction and health guidance. Ordained in 1976 and having performed ceremonies of every faith as well as inter-faith and civil ceremonies, all designed around the couples wishes and desires.
Planning and designing weddings around the couple’s wishes and photographing their memories for generations to come. When the baby makes three, she is often called back by the family for a blessing ceremony for their little one. Sometimes she photographs the family with their newborn child, making connections deep and rich.
Ema creates packages for elopements and small weddings for couples that desire to share their memories of intimacy in a simply delightful way. Couples feel taken care of and are able to focus on the moment.
You can find Ema on Twitter at: @elopeweddings, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sfweddings or visit www.ceremonyway.com for more information about destination weddings in the Bay Area.
Nice writeup, and the questions you asked were practical.