Don't want the stress of planning a big wedding and craving an adventurous NYC ceremony with just the two of you and maybe a couple of your closest family members and friends? Let's do it!
We can start at City Hall and adventure around the city capturing the vibe of different neighborhoods and visit some of the most iconic places OR we can plan an intimate celebration for you and your crew complete with a ceremony in a location of your choosing followed by a photo session and an intimate dinner/lunch. Either way, planning an elopement in New York isn't as hard as it seems and all you need is:
Book a trip to NYC;)
Book an officiant for your ceremony if it's not at City Hall
Obtain a marriage license 24 hours prior to your ceremony
Have at least one witness. FYI, I can happily be your witness!
Arrive before opening time and get in line early (8:30am - 3:45pm: work hours)! This way you will be one of the first people to get a number and will be called sooner.
Avoid lunch time! I know not everyone wants to wake up at 6am on their wedding day and rush to City Clerk's office and it's ok. You can definitely arrive later but I recommend to skip lunch hours between 12 and 2pm because, well, City Clerk employees go to lunch and things slow down...A LOT.
Pick a midweek day for your ceremony. Fridays and pre-holiday days are tempting but are generally way more crowded.
First things first, you and your significant other need to obtain a marriage license at least 24 hours before your desired ceremony time. You can start your license application online HERE. Both the ceremony and all the paperwork will be done at City Clerk's office located at 141 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013. If you wish to get married in a different borough here is the link with all directions: Office of the City Clerk Website. Once you have the license you are ready to say I DOs in 24 hours:)
On your wedding day you will be given a number and the wait begins. It can take anywhere between 45-90 minutes for you to get married.
Another great thing to do is to embrace the wait:) I usually capture candids of you waiting and being surrounded by all the other couples as well as some portraits right inside City Hall. Nothing compares to the energy inside City Hall and all the happy couples coming out of the ceremony rooms and you guys getting excited for your own vows:)
Ok maybe not everywhere:) But the city has a lot to offer in terms of fun ceremony locations. You can plan a rooftop ceremony at the top of Rockefeller Center, have beautiful skyline views on a Pebble Beach in Dumbo, escape the crowds in Central Park's hidden Wagner Cove or have a chic indoor celebration at my favorite Freeman's Restaurant in Bowery. For more info on permits and specific ceremony locations around NYC check out this link: NYC Parks Website
If you need an amazing officiant, florists or any other vendors to help on your day I have just the right people to recommend so send me a message!