Here is the ultimate guide to having a courthouse wedding in Seattle Washington! It can be overwhelming and confusing booking a courthouse elopement and we are here to break down the process for you! We love helping our couples plan their dream elopement - read on to learn more about how to book your Seattle Courthouse Wedding and tips on creating your own unique elopement!

Why elope or have a courthouse wedding?

There are a variety of reasons why a couple would opt for an intimate elopement or courthouse wedding over a big wedding! Some couples feel overwhelmed by the stress, expense, and expectations that come with a traditional wedding, some couples want to get married quickly rather than spending months (if not years) planning, some couples don’t want the spotlight and want a low key celebration, and some couples have a courthouse wedding before having a destination wedding in another state or country!

Seattle Municipal Courthouse and King County Courthouse:

There are two different courthouses in Seattle that perform wedding ceremonies. The Seattle Municipal Courthouse and the King County Courthouse are within a short distance from one another. Both have beautiful architecture and are popular options for elopements in Seattle, but they have some differences.

The Seattle Municipal Courthouse is located on the edge of Pioneer Square and downtown Seattle, and has a modern, sleek aesthetic. This is probably the most popular choice. It offers several different rooms for ceremonies, including a rooftop terrace with a view of the city, puget sound, and on a sunny day you can even see Mt. Rainier! 600 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
The King County Courthouse is located in the historic Pioneer Square neighborhood and has a more classic, traditional feel. It offers several different ceremony rooms as well. The lobby is a beautiful round marble room that is so classic and perfect for portraits. 516 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104

How To Book your Courthouse Wedding:

Booking your elopement at the Seattle Municipal Courthouse or the King County Courthouse is relatively simple!

To book your elopement at the Seattle Municipal Courthouse: You can use this link. https://www.seattle.gov/courts/programs-and-services/marriage-ceremonies Ceremonies at the Seattle Municipal Courthouse are at 4:30 pm every weekday. They do not accept requests more than 8 weeks in advance.
To book your elopement at the King County Courthouse: You can select your judge, they all have different availability, and fees, and you can contact each judge directly for more information. https://kingcounty.gov/courts/superior-court/get-help/weddings.aspx

How to get your Marriage License and Certificate in Washington State:

Before you can get married in Seattle, you will need to obtain a marriage license from the King County Marriage Licensing Office. You can apply online, in person, or by mail. You will need a valid id such as a passport or driver's license. The Marriage license application fee costs $69. There is a 3 day waiting period before you can use it, and then it is valid for 60 days. https://kingcounty.gov/depts/records-licensing/recorders-office/marriage-licensing.aspx And if you are looking to get married ina different county - https://access.wa.gov/topics/licensecertificate/marriagelicense.html

Once you are married, return the license to the Records and Licensing Services Division office at King County or Seattle Municipal Court, so it can be recorded. The judge or officiant will usually handle this. Once this is done, you can do an easy online search to see if your marriage has been certified. If your marriage has been certified, your next step is ordering a certified copy (which can be done online) for $3.

Witnesses and Guests:

In Washington state you need two witnesses. Most couples will ask close friends or family to do the honors. But if you want to keep your courthouse wedding even more intimate, we have been witnesses in the past for our couples, and as your photographers we would be happy to be your witnesses as well!

At Seattle Municipal Court there can be no more than 8 people present, including the couple, and your photographer(s). So you two plus six others, including one or two photographers.

Who you have at your elopement is completely up to you! You can bring along your parents, your siblings, or your closest friends - it can even be just you two (plus us as your witnesses)!

How long does a Seattle Municipal Courthouse Wedding take?

The most important advice we can give you: ARRIVE EARLY. Check in time is 4:30 pm, but you will want to arrive at the courthouse at 4 pm to get in line to check in. You more than likely will not be the only ones getting married at the courthouse. There are often 5 to 10 couples getting married and around 3 judges performing ceremonies. If you arrive late, you will be at the back of the line and will have a much longer wait.

The ceremony itself is over fairly quickly, in about 10 minutes, depending on which traditions you incorporate such as exchanging personal vows.

Photos can only be taken at the courthouse before your ceremony, so if you want photos of the two of you and your family and/or witnesses in the courthouse, we must do them before the ceremony. They kick you out pretty promptly after the ceremony, haha.

Seattle Municipal Courthouse Wedding Photographer

How long does a King County Courthouse Wedding take?

Of course you will want to be early for your King County Courthouse Elopement, however since you are scheduling directly with the judge (as opposed to just getting your name on the list like at the Seattle Municipal Courthouse), you do not need to be a full half an hour early. 10-15 minutes it sufficient to make it through security and up the stairs.

Your ceremony will take about 10 minutes.

There is more time for photos post-ceremony at the King County Courthouse. At our latest wedding there we shot for about 30 minutes and were never kicked out.

Make your elopement unique to you:

One of the advantages of having a courthouse wedding is that there is not just one way to celebrate! You can customize your day to reflect your unique personalities and interests. Here are some ideas for incorporating special touches into your elopement day:

Getting ready: We love taking getting ready photos to tell the full story of your elopement day and to document the moments leading up to the ceremony. You can get ready together, or separately with a wedding party. This can include finishing touches of your hair and makeup, getting dressed, and exchanging letters or gifts. We could even do a first look if that is something you have always dreamed of! For hotels: The Pali Hotel, The Arctic Club, Hotel Sorrento, and The Fairmont, and for studios: The Banana Stand, Northlight, Joshua Tree Studio, and Designers Loft, are some of our favorite places to get ready!

Get dressed up: Even though you might not be having a big wedding, you can still dress up and go all out! Wear your dream dress or suit! Having a big wedding later? This is a great opportunity to wear yet another killer outfit, maybe with a different aesthetic! Need help picking something out? We love helping style our clients to feel their best on their wedding day! We both have a background in the fashion industry, so this is so fun for us!
Portraits that feel like you: You can have us present for just the courthouse ceremony and a few portraits at the courthouse beforehand, or we can have a full portrait session around the city! We love taking advantage of how beautiful downtown Seattle is, bopping around searching for golden light and old architecture, walking along the waterfront, even heading to landmarks like Smith Tower and Pike Place Market!
Here are a few ideas to keep the celebration going: Have an intimate dinner with just the two of you. Rent out a table or a private room at a restaurant or bar for your family and closest friends. Grab a drink at the bar before or after and celebrate with your favorite cocktails or some champagne! Visit your favorite spot and go all out on ordering - no matter what it will still be cheaper than catering a wedding of 150 guests! We absolutely love photographing these celebrations. Here are some of our favorite spots in the Pioneer Square and Downtown Seattle Area: Arctic Club, The George at The Fairmont, Smith Tower, Pink Door, Black Bottle, Cinque Terre, Tilikum Place Cafe, and Barolo. Anywhere that is sentimental to you, we can even head to another neighborhood!
Make it unique to you: When we say throw out the script and make it unique to you, we mean it! Hop on a ferry, maybe to Bainbridge, take portraits on the way to the island, for your mini moon or even an intimate dinner with your families. Bring your car, or rent a vintage car to use as your getaway car! Bring your pets for portraits after the ceremony! You can still celebrate all of the traditions and have a first dance, a cake cutting, and a first look. Splurge on things like flowers, an epic bouquet, a boutonniere, even corsages! You can go as luxurious or as low key as you want.

We even have a Pinterest board for inspo! Check it out HERE!

If you have a friend get ordained to officiate, you could also always do your Seattle area elopement in a beautiful park! We loved this Discovery Park Elopement!

Not sure where to start? We love helping with logistics! CLICK HERE to shoot us an email with your wildest dreams and we will help you craft the perfect elopement!

And this should go without saying, but Seattle Courthouses, just like J&L Photography, are fully supportive of LGBTQ Weddings! We love love so much - and we cannot wait to celebrate you!