We are David White and Michael Rawls. We met in January 2011 and were married on June 20, 2016, at San Francisco City Hall. I wanted our proposal story to be special, so we planned a trip to Las Vegas in September of 2015. We saw Celine Deon and Britney Spears in concert two nights back to back, which was pretty awesome. I surprised Michael the second afternoon with a helicopter tour from Vegas out to the Grand Canyon. Michael had never been to the Grand Canyon, and neither of us had been in a helicopter. The helicopter tour we selected was special because we didn't just fly over the canyon. We landed by the Colorado River and had a champagne lunch with the pilot and two other couples. While we were in the belly of the canyon, I asked Michael to be my husband. It was pretty great: he said yes.

We had traveled to San Francisco before and loved it. For our wedding ceremony, we wanted something that was simple yet felt special, and City Hall is all that. It is such a spectacular space! We started researching the venue and how everything works, and we found Oscar with Red Eye during our research as well. Oscar was marvelous and we were more than pleased with the service he provided and the quality of the photos he took. We each asked our long-time/lifetime best friends to join us for the trip and stand with us for our vows. Pam and Curt are with us in many of Oscar's photos. It was such a joy to have them with us, as they've known us most of our adult lives. We used Showcase Flowers in the Union Square area for our simple gardenia boutonnieres, which smelled heavenly. Each time I smell gardenias now i'm immediately transported back to our wedding day. I hope that is always true.

Curt surprised us on the morning of our wedding with the GROOM socks. It was such a whimsical and personal touch, so we just HAD to wear them, and we really like the picture Oscar took of these socks. Pam provided us with the traditional "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue." She said she and Curt were our something OLD. Our rings were our something NEW. For something BORROWED her mom and dad sent a decades-old silver dollar that had brought them luck. Michael carried this in his pocket during the ceremony. For our something BLUE, pam stitched a patch with our names and wedding date into my undershirt. What a blessing to have such thoughtful and supportive friends!

Our rings are pretty special to us as well. We chose platinum Lucida 6mm bands from Tiffany and Co. They are the nicest jewelry either of us has ever had. We love them. We got our tuxedos from BlackTux.com. Their service was great and super efficient. We were pleased with the fit and quality of the suits, and the timing and return via U.S. mail was super simple. Our San Francisco wedding experience was made even more memorable by the amazing staff at The Palace Hotel on New Montgomery. I had reserved us a junior suite, but upon our arrival, the awesome concierge, Debbie Lew, had arranged a significant upgrade to a multi-room corner suite on the 8th floor where champagne and chocolate covered strawberries awaited us upon check-in. We were over the moon by their grace and hospitality, and I can't say enough about them or the quality of the accommodations at this top tier hotel. If you haven't been, you absolutely must! Debbie Lew helped us find the florist at Showcase Flowers

Oscar helped us navigate City Hall and made everything easy. Debbie Lew and the staff at The Palace made us feel at home every moment we were in town. Just couldn't have been better. Thanks for the chance to relive such a special event by writing this out.

Words by David, one of the grooms, as told to Amber Marlow.
Photos by Red Eye Collection

San Francisco City Hall Elopement Photos

getting a marriage license at SF City Hall

two grooms get married at San Francisco City Hall

Same sex wedding ceremony in San Francisco

Gay wedding "groom" socks on both grooms

Classic groom portrait in a vest and bowtie

VENDORS

Photographer | Red Eye Collection
Florals | Showcase Flowers
Tuxedos | The Black Tux

RED EYE COLLECTION

Oscar Urizar, founder of Red Eye Collection, was born and raised in San Leandro, California. He loves this beautiful Bay Area of ours but loves to venture out and travel whenever he can. He particularly likes to seek out fishing spots all around the world. While both at home and abroad, he delights in being adventurous with food and definitely considers himself a foodie. In between busy photo sessions, traveling and spending time with his family, he enjoys professional sports.