Alice and John’s Burlingame Country Club wedding took place on the club’s historic grounds in Hillsborough, California. The clubhouse began as a private estate, built in the early 1900s in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Their day moved from a quiet morning at the club to a ceremony beneath a canopy of mature oak trees. Garden portraits across the grounds and a reception in the clubhouse ballroom followed.
Getting Ready at Burlingame Country Club
The morning started with quiet details. A strapless gown, pearl jewelry, and a pair of yellow satin heels were laid out in a sunlit room. Alice’s mother and her bridesmaids helped her into her dress. They stood in front of a marble clawfoot tub in a historic dressing room. Down the hall, the groomsmen suited up in classic black tuxedos. Meanwhile, a young flower girl, dressed to match, wove between the two groups all morning.
A Ceremony Under the Oaks
John waited with his groomsmen on the club’s manicured lawn. Then, before the ceremony began, he knelt to share a quiet moment with the ring bearer. Afterward, Alice walked down a grass aisle on her father’s arm. Guests watched from white folding chairs beneath the oak trees. She and John exchanged vows there, and their first kiss sent the whole crowd into applause.
Portraits Across the Grounds
Afterward, the wedding party gathered for portraits beneath the palm trees on the club’s front lawn. Then Alice and John set off across the grounds alone. They passed the clubhouse’s Italianate facade, its colonnaded terrace, and a series of formal gardens. They paused on a stone bridge and in a sunken, ivy-walled garden, working their way slowly back toward the reception.
Cocktail Hour and Reception Details
Guests gathered for cocktail hour on the clubhouse terrace. It’s the same Italianate building where Alice and John had taken their portraits. Inside, the ballroom was set for the reception. Round tables in white linen, a gold quatrefoil-patterned ceiling, and crystal chandeliers overhead completed the look. Also on display was a dessert table with a three-tier cake, cat-shaped sugar cookies, and trays of mini fruit tarts.
Dancing the Night Away
As the band took the stage, Alice and John shared their first dance beneath the ballroom’s chandeliers. Toasts followed, then the whole party filled the dance floor. Later, they cut the cake together, and John reacted to Alice’s playful bite with an exaggerated grin. The night wound down the way it started: just the two of them, cheek to cheek.
Getting Married at Burlingame Country Club?
Burlingame Country Club is one of the most storied wedding venues on the Peninsula. In fact, its clubhouse began as a private estate before the club purchased it in 1955. If you’re planning a Burlingame Country Club wedding, I’d love to talk with you about photographing it. You can get in touch here, or read more about the estate’s history on Hillsborough’s own community history site.
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