NYC City Clerk Wedding
New York City Courthouse Wedding
Joe + Marie
Marie and Joe decided to get married at the New York City City Clerk's Office located at 141 Worth St. They began by obtaining a marriage license from the City Clerk's Office, filling out the application online, and presenting their valid identifications in person. Once they had their marriage license, they scheduled an appointment at the office, either online or by phone.
On the day of their appointment, they arrived at the City Clerk's Office early, ensuring they had all necessary documentation in hand. With their marriage license, identifications, and other required paperwork ready, they proceeded to the designated area for the marriage ceremony, accompanied by their beloved dog.
During the ceremony, officiated by a city clerk, Marie and Joe exchanged vows and rings. They had the option to personalize their vows or choose from standard options provided by the city clerk. After the exchange, they, along with their witnesses if required, signed the marriage license, with the city clerk also signing to finalize the marriage legally.
Following the ceremony, Marie and Joe received their marriage certificate from the City Clerk's Office, which served as legal proof of their union. With the formalities completed, they celebrated their marriage in whatever way they saw fit, whether it was with a small gathering, a dinner with family and friends, or a special outing with their dog.
Throughout the process, Marie and Joe ensured they followed the specific requirements and procedures of the New York City City Clerk's Office to ensure everything went smoothly.
NYC Marriage Bureau Wedding at the City Clerk Hall
Apollo Fields | NYC Wedding Photographers | New York Wedding Photography | Long Island Wedding Photos | City Hall Wedding Photos | New York City Hall Wedding Photos
Jess + Yi
City hall weddings will always have a place in my heart for their simplicity. Some of the couples who choose this option still host a larger celebration, while others are just happy to get a couple handfuls of friends and family together to enjoy a night on the town. It doesn’t even have to be New York City to enjoy that kind of intimate celebration. It’s the same kind of vibe of hosting a dinner party at your home.
NEw York City Wedding Photographers
When Heather and I lived in New York we didn’t tap into our love of hosting yet. I guess we were too busy taking care of people at our respective bars while pursuing our college degrees. It wasn’t until we moved to Colorado that we started putting together curated dinners where we would invite people who didn’t know each other to meet and share a meal. There was something wonderfully simple about it. I know a lot of people who get anxious at the idea of company, but I remember one particular dinner of ours when we didn’t have enough silverware for everyone! Instead of feeling ashamed we just asked the couples at the table to share. That has since become the dinner our friends talk about the most often.
New Jersey Wedding Photographers
And that’s the beautiful thing about focusing on the people rather than the things—whether we’re talking about a wedding or a dinner party. The right people can make anything work, but the right things might not meet expectations. It takes a good partnership to arrive at good decisions, big and small, the first of which is commonly either a big move or planning a wedding. It’s kind of like the “take a road trip” test with someone you’ve been dating except times 1000. Ever since we hosted that first dinner party we’ve never looked back at any of our decisions—instead—we pass the fork back to one another when we share a meal. It brings us back to that party and always brings us closer together.
City Hall Wedding in NYC Photography Clerks Office
Sietse and Megan's Wedding | NYC City Hall Elopement | International Couples | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
Elopements have such a special place in my heart. There are a million different reasons couples choose to elope and endless possibilities for how their day can go.
Dialing down the formalities opens up a lot of possibilities: Less pressure, less vendors, more adventure, more spontaneity. Megan and Sietse did NYC City Hall right. Sietse is Dutch and his close family was able to travel to New York along with Megan’s immediate family to help them celebrate.
It poured all morning and it actually made me a bit nostalgic— our own wedding was on a damp October day, so rainy weddings always bring me back. We got so lucky though, because the weather actually let up after their ceremony for portraits and one of the best parts was that the streets were so much less crowded!
One of the “quirks” of City Hall is that you don’t get to choose your time for your ceremony. After you have checked in and signed some paperwork, your number will get called and you’ll get your own chapel for the wedding to be officiated. (Pro tip: choosing a weekday around off-peak hours is SO much better for your wait time and cuts WAY down on the chaos!! It also means that your fave photogs *wink wink* are much more likely to have availability & flexibility on their calendars!)
The New York City location is beautiful and iconic, with gorgeous architecture down by the Brooklyn Bridge and lots of vintage details. It truly is an experience and something about our CRAZY rainy morning added to the romanticism of Megan & Sietse’s day. The train downtown was quiet and gave me time to get into a good head space before the day, but as soon as I got back up to street level, the skies had opened up and it felt SO NEW YORK— people in suits and heels and briefcases doing that walk/run where the hustle is real but they somehow never stride more than 10 inches at a time.
The streets were a sea of umbrellas but my eyes were glued to the streets because of the dreaded walkway puddle (you know the one… at the edge of the curb that only looks like it is 3 centimeters deep but if you step in it you are soaked up to your thighs). Pulling my equipment suitcase down the street, I popped into a bodega for a hot coffee and then over to City Hall. I met up with Megan and Sietse and got the warmest introduction to their families. The energy was buzzing with anticipation and that universal hum of family.
Our number was quickly called and before long, we were all huddled in a quirky pink room swapping “I do’s” and “Me too’s”. Short, sweet, and to the point— City Hall is a well oiled machine but in no way a cop-out. The antiquated notion that eloping is only for shotgun weddings and young, flighty lovebirds is long gone. Couples today are able to CHOOSE to elope in order to honor their relationships in a way that serves them and the innermost nucleus of their friends and family.
Cheers to Megan and Sietse! Enjoy these sneak peeks:
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | NYC City Clerk
Elopements are dope!
And I looooove to capture them. Let’s chat about your plans!!
