Courthouse and City Hall Wedding Cermonies - Everything you need to know!

Are you planning to tie the knot at City Hall or your local courthouse? Well, let me share my experience to help you navigate the process!

Photo by my photography mentor and good friend, Shawn Tysco. Presenting the Manning-Riviere Family! September 5th, 2025 in Syracuse, NY.

My wedding took place in Upstate New York, but fear not—this guide is pretty much applicable across the United States.

First things first: we ventured to City Hall to get our marriage license. Both my husband and I showed up in person with a valid proof of age and $40 in cash. Just a heads up, if you're in Georgia, the fees vary from $36 with premarital counseling to a whopping $80 depending on the county. And while New Yorkers have to wait a torturous 24 hours post-license pickup, Georgians can get hitched immediately—color me envious!

Once we had our marriage license in hand, we rang up our local courthouse to schedule the big event. To our delight, they offered free ceremonies on Fridays and were totally cool with photography, video recording, and live streaming for our family members who couldn’t make it in person. We even got to invite about 14 guests, which was a nice touch—though not all courthouses are as accommodating. Pro tip: always call ahead to confirm their policies on photography, live streaming, and guest limits.

Our officiant was a lovely local judge who provided us with vows in case we hadn’t written our own (spoiler alert: we didn’t). She led us through the ring exchange and pronounced us husband and wife—followed by the obligatory kiss! The ceremony itself was a lightning-fast 2 minutes and 34 seconds, but trust me, those were the best two and a half minutes of my life!

We did hire a photographer to capture our special day for about an hour and a half. While the ceremony was quick, coordinating photos with our 14 guests took a bit longer. Thankfully, my husband’s mother had prepared a list of photo combinations—because let’s be honest, we should have done that too!

So, here’s the TL;DR of what to do before your courthouse ceremony:

1. Get your marriage license

2. Schedule your ceremony

3. Check with your venue about photography, video recording, and live streaming policies

4. Confirm guest allowances and limits

5. Take a deep breath and savor the moment—time flies!

6. If you decide to hire a photographer—me! wink wink nudge nudge—prepare a list of photos you would like and schedule adequate time to take some photos, I recommend at least an hour.

   
   

Are you in search of a photographer to document your courthouse or City Hall ceremony? Look no further! My rates for courthouse and City Hall ceremonies are lower than my standard wedding packages. Fill out the contact form below, and let’s chat!

For Fulton County marriage information, check out this link: Fulton County Marriage Licenses