About City Hall Wedding

City Hall Wedding is the planning resource we wished existed when we got married at San Francisco City Hall in 2012.

Back then, finding basic details about courthouse ceremonies meant piecing together scraps from government PDFs, outdated forum threads, and word of mouth. Marriage license fees, ceremony booking windows, guest limits, photo rules: every city handles things differently, and none of them made it easy to figure out.

So we started doing the research ourselves, and sharing it with friends and family who were planning their own ceremonies. That research eventually became this site.

What You Will Find Here

We publish detailed guides for 25 major U.S. cities, covering everything couples need to plan a courthouse or city hall wedding:

  • Marriage license requirements, fees, and wait times
  • Ceremony booking procedures and costs
  • Guest limits, photo policies, and accessibility details
  • Nearby restaurants, parks, and photo spots for celebrating afterward
  • Planning articles on dress codes, receptions, vows, and more

Every city guide is independently researched and verified against official county clerk sources. We update our guides regularly because fees change, offices move, and policies shift.

Why Courthouse Weddings Matter

Courthouse weddings are not a consolation prize. They are a genuine, legal, and often beautiful way to start a marriage. Some of the most stunning wedding photos we have seen were taken on the marble stairs of a city hall rotunda or the steps of a county courthouse.

The average American wedding costs over $30,000. A courthouse ceremony typically runs between $30 and $300. That is not about cutting corners. It is about choosing to spend your money (and your energy) on what actually matters to you as a couple.

Our Approach

We focus on accuracy over volume. Every fact in our guides, from the price of a marriage license to the number of guests allowed in a ceremony room, is verified against primary sources. When something changes, we update it.

We do not accept paid placements in our city guides. Our planning articles may include affiliate links (clearly disclosed), but our venue information and recommendations are based entirely on independent research.

Get in Touch

Planning a city hall wedding and have a question we have not answered? Found something in a guide that needs updating? We would love to hear from you. Reach out through our contact page.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. We are glad you are here.