Saturday, September 17, 2011

Grand Old Hotel (and a few more wedding photos)


When we were in San Francisco for the wedding we stayed at a lovely hotel called "The Palace."  The hotel is over 100 years old with wide hallways, high ceilings and windows that actually open!  I love to take photos of architectural details and often find design inspiration from the patterns in ironwork, carpet, light fixtures, molding and trim.


The hotel is right in the middle of the city - not too far from Union Square.


This is a small piece of the exterior trim - it would make a great border for a scrapbook page.


The main entrance lobby is full of arches and curves.


This enormous bowl of roses was on the center table in the entrance lobby.  I don't know how many dozen roses there are in the bowl - but these were replaced with another variety after a day or two.


The hotel occupies a full block and there is a massive central hallway that runs from one street to the other.  There were two "thrones" in this hallway and many souvenir photos are taken there.


This is the carving at the top of one of the "thrones" - I particularly like the shell shape at the top.


This photo was taken very near the street entrance - you can see how far it is to the opposite side!


There is an enormous painting by Maxfield Parrish called "The Pied Piper" in the hotel bar and restaurant.  The paneling is dark and the ceiling in these rooms is elaborately decorated.


Here is a closer view of the painting.  The colors are so vibrant with a lot of the glowing blue that you see in many of his paintings.


This design in the mosaic tile floor also caught my eye - it would be lovely at the top of a frame design.


The Palm Court is the magnificent centerpiece of the public space.  The ceiling is curved glass and there are many large crystal chandeliers.


The space takes on a different look depending on the time of day and the weather.


 There is a breakfast buffet in this area each morning.  On the Saturday night, when we returned to the hotel from the wedding, this room was closed off for a large wedding reception.


  The lighting at night is very dramatic!


 Even the floor lamps were interesting. 


There is a tiny motif on the horizontal bands that could be used for a design element, possibly for a lace pattern.


Here are a few more photos of the bridal party.  I don't have the "official" photos yet but many of you have been asking to see more photos.  I have another wedding project or two to share as well (another day).









Our weather has turned cool - the season is changing.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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13 comments:

  1. The pictures are absolutely beautiful!!! What a Grand Hotel!

    PS...I had to press enter to see the "letters" you have to type in order to leave your comment.

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  2. Beautiful wedding pics Diane! TFS them with us. I loved the colors.
    Lovely Hotel. San Fran has so many old historical hotels. Great place to visit, just wouldn't want to live there. Horrible weather most of the year. I was born and raised in No. California. Loved to shop and dine in SF. Hope you were able to do a little site seeing and shopping while you were there.
    Marcie

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  3. Beautiful pictures. The hotel is amazing. Thanks for the wedding pics too. The bride was gorgeous.

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  4. amazing visit. the pictures are wonderful and the wedding looks elaborate. thanks for sharing.

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  5. Thank you so much for the pictures. Her dress is stunning. They had a lot of bridesmaids? The hotel is very beautiful too. Karen

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  6. Beautiful Grand Hotel...just stunning!! Thanks for sharing these gorgeous wedding pictures with us! Beautiful!!
    Sherrie K
    http://sherriescraps.blogspot.com

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  7. Your photographer skills paid off for this event. They are stunning. I love private wedding pictures. You captured such quiet moments.

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  8. What a beautiful old hotel we only live about 5 or 6 hours North of SF and have been there many times but I have never seen that hotel. I will have to keep that in my mind for the next trip down there.

    What a lovly couple your kids make I love her dress simple lines that really lets the lace take center stage.

    TFS
    Diane
    Dorris CA
    france_diane@hotmail.com

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  9. What a lovely place to stay. I love the blue dresses and the yellow flowers in the wedding.

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  10. I LOVE the Palace!! I stayed there a few years ago. I would love to go back some day! Beautiful wedding photos too!

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  11. Love all your details pics of the hotel! I love to see all those little details that help give older buildings such style and elegance! I just love the bride's dress, too! Very elegant! Thanks so much for sharing!!!

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  12. These photos are spectacular! I love design features from older buildings. And to understand that this was able to accomplised this with far less technology than is available today, make them even more beautiful. The wedding pics are beautiful. I'm sure that it was a stunning occasion!
    Shellee

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  13. What a beautiful wedding Diane. I came over just to see them and wasn't disappointed. Her dress is just beautiful and I love the colour scheme. I see you were busy with the camera again - fab photos.
    big hugs
    En xxx

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