How to plan a city hall wedding

First things first: You need a marriage license.
And there’s usually a photographer for hire waiting outside.
The City Clerk’s office provides the officiant.
The green couches are a hot spot for photo ops.
For a nice meal afterward, keep it local in Tribeca.

One of the great joys of living in the city is that for $60, and with a witness on hand, you can say “I do” alongside fellow New Yorkers of all stripes at the City Clerk’s office (which is where the nuptials actually happen — no one can get married in City Hall proper). Editor Jeremy Rellosa spoke to couples about the easiest times to get an appointment, the best places for taking pictures, and where to make a Champagne toast afterward.

First things first: You need a marriage license.

You can get one online via Project Cupid (nyc.gov/cupid), the city’s booking portal, or you can set up a time to obtain it in person ($35 plus a $25 administrative fee). You must have the license in your possession for 24 hours before a ceremony can be conducted, and it’s valid for 60 days (180 for active-duty military).

Booking a ceremony can feel like trying to buy Harry Styles tickets, so plan ahead.

Appointments open up online three weeks in advance on Mondays at 9 a.m. If you want a Friday ceremony, you’ll have to snag a spot right away, as did HR director Julia Ma, who married her husband, account executive Max Ma, last spring. “When I checked a few hours later, all the other time spots for Friday morning were already booked,” she says.

But if you don’t have a particular date in mind, you can often find one a few days out.

Publicist Kaitlin Phillips made an appointment and got married in under a week in 2023. “We decided on a Friday, I got a license appointment for that Monday, and we got married that Wednesday, on the anniversary of our first date,” Phillips says.

You can invite only four guests, including a witness — and your photographer counts as a guest, too.

Your witness can be anyone, so long as they’re 18 or older. There are photographers who specialize in City Hall weddings, like Meredith Morris (meredithmorrisphoto.com), who shot attorney Bailey Zugan’s wedding this past winter and told her and her now-husband, assistant DA Cole McKee, what to expect on the day of the appointment “down to the hour.” If you prefer film, Ma recommends Leila Jacue and David Leon of L&L Style Photo (llstylephoto.com) for a laid-back, candid digital-film shoot. Marketer Noa Gutterman, who married sales manager Lauren Lewis in 2023, says Lucie Bulois of Lucie B. Photo (luciebphoto.com) was great for the “film-inspired street photography” style she sought.

And there’s usually a photographer for hire waiting outside.

When you exit the building after the ceremony, you’ll often find a freelance photographer or two taking portraits in front of the tall, patinated copper doors.

The City Clerk’s office provides the officiant.

On rare occasions, you might get a surprise one, as did writer Molly McGhee, who says she and her spouse, audio engineer Matt Cruz, were approached by Mayor Mamdani’s office as they were filling out paperwork. “They asked us if we would be open to being married by Zohran, and we said ‘yes.’” For most marriages, the officiants are City Clerk staff.

The green couches are a hot spot for photo ops.

There are long couches in the main hall and a smaller one in the vestibule where you wait for your ceremony.

For a nice meal afterward, keep it local in Tribeca.

McGhee, who was looking to book a lunch for her 12-person party at noon, highly recommends Nonna Dora’s (200 Church St.), while artist Haley Darya Parsa, who married her high-school sweetheart, musician Jonah Smith, in 2023, suggests Walker’s (16 N. Moore St.) for a more casual vibe. Or just go to The Odeon (145 W. Broadway), an always classic for dinner, or Chambers (94 Chambers St.), one of New York chief restaurant critic Matthew Schneier’s top-43 restaurants in the city, which has a Champagne list fit for the festivities.

Illustrations by Lauren Tamaki

,,,