Courthouse Wedding Photos & City Hall Wedding Resources (2024)

Why do couples get married at the courthouse, city clerk’s office, or city halls? Privacy. Cost. Health Insurance. Commitment. Whim. Baby coming. It’s darn time. Just want to. So many reasons!

Not everyone wants an audience when they get married—and many people (introverts or private people) prefer that no one even knows. Some want to just get the tax break that married people are afforded, or health insurance. And others say “I Do” at a courthouse wedding for the simplicity, price, or flexibility to have a celebration later. Yet others want to elope later, but not have to do all the legal paperwork in another state or country.

Whatever your reason, these courthouse wedding photos and city hall elopement tips can help. And, if you’re wondering whether or not to elope, take a look at this article on 25 Reasons to Elope. You can elope at your local courthouse, at a beautiful city hall in another state, on a mountaintop, or just about anywhere!

Wear whatever you want for your courthouse elopement! Some couples go all-out with traditional wedding attire. Some wear jeans and t-shirts. I’ve had grooms with matching suits custom-made in other countries. Couples who did a simple suit with a short dress. Jumpsuits. Skirts. Blue dresses. Black dresses. Flip-flops. Manolo Blahniks. Hawaiian shirts. Couture gowns.

Wear for your courthouse wedding whatever floats your boat, because if there’s one thing that’s true for city hall weddings, it’s that it can be done however you like. It’s really fun to wait in line at the NYC City Hall wedding appointments room, because you get to see tons and tons of couples in everything under the sun. It’s probably the most diverse, fun, high-fashion, why-are-they-here, wow-look-at-them people watching that exists.

Contact your local city hall or courthouse to understand the rules in your area. Most require you to submit paperwork anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks ahead of time. In these odd COVID times, some courthouses have moved to parking lots or stadiums, and most are only doing scheduled appointments. You can’t just show up and get married! Most locations require a wee bit of leeway.

Because I’m a California and New York wedding photographer, most of my elopements and city hall weddings are at New York City Hall (and occasionally San Francisco City Hall). Since these are the ones I know best, I have direct links right here. For all others, contact your local city marriage license office, or google {location} city hall+marriage license to find out more.

To get married in the USA, you must be:

For the Santa Barbara Courthouse marriage regulations (one of my favorites, and one of the most beautiful courthouses in the country to shoot at!), visit https://countyofsb.org/care/recorder/marriages/application.sbc.

For California’s San Luis Obispo wedding certificate facts, see https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Clerk-Recorder/All-Services/Marriage/Marriage-Licenses.aspx.

Regulations vary greatly for each state, and even each county within a state. Plus, COVID-19 regulations have changed so much—so it’s best to check.

Depending on where you’re having your city hall wedding, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, you will probably not have privacy, but will be among other people who have work in the court house that day.

Second, if you get married at a popular location (NYC City Hall, Pasadena City Hall, Miami-Dade City Hall, Santa Barbara Courthouse, or SF City Hall, to name a few), you’ll probably see a lot of other couples also getting married.

Third, courthouse weddings kind of go according to that county’s plan. And let’s face it—you’ll be at the whim of the folks working in the court that day. They’re not necessarily the friendliest of people, so patience is needed.

Fourth, you may not know the exact room in which you’ll be getting married. Sometimes it’s a beautiful atrium, and sometimes it’s a small, ugly room with an ugly painting. Not naming names. Just be forewarned, and remember that a courthouse wedding is a low-cost, low-stress, easy way to get married. Flexibility is key.

Fifth, remember to arrive early for parking, and to get your appointment processed as quickly as possible. Backups happen!

Lastly, remember that this doesn’t need to be your only wedding memory. If you want to keep it small, great, and if you want it to just be the legal way you start your wedding adventure, have an adventure session, fly somewhere amazing, or snuggle at home with a movie. It’s 100% up to you!

Following saying your vows and eloping at your local city hall or courthouse, people tend to want to 1.) eat; 2.) celebrate; and 3.) relax.

So, here are some ideas for your post-courthouse wedding vows!

The best parts about city hall weddings and elopements at the courthouse is that they can be as small or as amazing as you want them to be. You can elect to not tell a soul, or to hire a city hall wedding photographer for the day and have a small family gathering, or to just get married and then celebrate later.

Or, you can pull an Ivy Getty and rent out the entire SF City Hall for your wedding. This splurge-o-tastic celebration doesn’t come cheap, of course, and is essentially a massive wedding at City Hall. So, unless you have a million-dollar-plus wedding budget with international guests, you probably want to skip this.

Many couples choose to elope at city hall, then take their wedding photos on their honeymoon, or in another country—without having to square away the legal paperwork since they’re already married. This is VERY common, and an excellent alternative to an international wedding. You bring your wedding clothes and take photos when the timing is perfect for you—just hire a traveling wedding photographer, or a local wedding photographer, and you can get epic wedding photos wherever you’re traveling in the world!