Courthouse?

Where I live the courthouse has a chapel room for people to get married in. When my best friend got married, she married at the courthouse with 20 guests. However, I think it depends on the area.

You can absolutely do this but know that that courthouse wedding IS your wedding. It is not something that is less than and you still get the whole shebang later. You could throw a party to celebrate later if you wanted but that doesn't take away from what happens at the courthouse being your wedding. You could also decide to do something really small (like immediate family only) then take everyone out for a nice dinner after - my friends did that and they were very happy.

When you are married at the courthouse that is your ceremony. Any celebrations/exchange of vows at a later time is fine, but it's a vow renewal at that point; sometimes called a celebration of marriage. As for exchanging vows, and witnesses it depends on the courthouse/county what is allow.

You can in some places, others you can't. Where I live, it's not even an option to be married at the courthouse, although there are some officiants who sit around waiting for people who want to get married, who then take them around the block to a little chapel.

You can call the county clerk or look up the requirements (and what is and isn't allowed) online, but it's different everywhere.

I was married at the courthouse in DC, but we explored options in Virginia and Maryland too. You should call the courthouse beforehand and they will give you a detailed explanation of what they allow- some wil let you have your own vows, but some don’t, some allow photography, and some don’t. They are all different, and they can even be different within the same county/jurisdiction.

You should be able to just google “getting married at the courthouse in xx city” and you should find forms with all that kind of info. Usually you can have quite a few guests if you choose. And I think a lot of places you can still say your own vows. It should all be spelled out. (We’re doing the courthouse too)

View Quoted Comment @PalmTrees thank you! How are you feeling getting married in the courthouse?