Custom Courthouse Wedding

With all the madness, a lot of couples are swapping their big wedding days for smaller intimate elopements and courthouse weddings. Elopements are a pretty blank slate, but are custom courthouse weddings even possible? Courthouse weddings seem to have gotten a bad rep over the years. Sometimes known as a “shotgun wedding” the courthouse poses a need for some creativity. I mean, unless you’re a fan of oompa loompas due to the bright orange wood walls most courthouses boast. However, with the right team, curating your custom courthouse wedding doesn’t have to be hard at all. Here are a few tips to make your day perfect, orange walls and all.

Choose your custom courthouse wedding attire with YOU in mind

I’ve attended courthouse weddings where couples arrived in leggings and cut off cargos. You can legit wear whatever you want for your courthouse wedding as long as you mean the guidelines of the facility. (Aka. You can’t show up naked. They’re not fond of that). Of course, your wedding, even in a courthouse, is a great excuse to buy something new that you feel amazing in. A new pretty dress, custom tailored suit or even your favorite date night outfit will make you feel like a star. I’ve seen beautiful white wedding dresses, and pretty little cocktail numbers that give just a bit of zing to your custom courthouse wedding. Use this as a reason to wear your favorite attire, or treat yourself with something new.

A few of my favorite ideas:

A colorful flowy skirt and a white blouse for the bride
Black slacks and a white button down for the groom (suspenders and a bow tie are always a plus)
Custom couples shirts (sweatshirts even) and dark jeans give a cute and casual vibe
Vintage cocktail dresses
Sundresses with sweaters

Of course, there is nothing stopping you from wearing your wedding dress either! Go all out and don that pretty gown, have your partner rent a tux or buy a custom suit and have your day your way!

Selecting supporting vendors

Just because you’re not having a huge wedding doesn’t mean you won’t need supporting vendors. Sure, most courthouse weddings don’t really call for more than you, your partner and your witnesses. However, your custom courthouse wedding isn’t typical! *wink wink* You want something more special than the average courthouse wedding. Even if you’re not going all out, below are the four vendors that will give your wedding day the extra zing it deserves.

Professional Hair & Makeup

There’s pretty much NO ONE ELSE who can make a bride (or groom!) feel more beautiful. Getting your hair and makeup professionally done doesn’t have to be a luxury reserved for those big weddings either. A hair and makeup artist will work with you leading up to your custom courthouse wedding to ensure the timing and help you achieve the look you want. A soft curl and beautiful red or mauve lip will make you feel like a thousand bucks.

Custom Floral Bouquet and Boutonniere

You may not have a ton of details, but snagging yourself a bouquet and your partner a boutonniere is a great way to have a keepsake and a little extra oompf for your photos. Whether you want a big or small bouquet, your florist will work with you to design a beautiful floral arrangement. They’ll also coordinate with you for drop off or pickup of your florals so you don’t have to run all over the place the day of your wedding.

Stationary and Elopement Announcement

My favorite elopements have scheduled to send out their wedding announcements the same day as the wedding. Whether you mail them before your ceremony or after, it’s a fun way to announce your marriage! Consider keeping an extra copy for photographs, or even photographing the moment you drop them in the mailbox. I’d highly recommend hiring a professional stationary expert to help you design your perfect courthouse announcement. Check out my list of preferred vendors to lead you to the right stationer for you.

Photography

Since I’m writing this article, it’d be silly to leave out photography. I could say how photography is the most important part of your day and blah, blah, blah… but you’re here and you already know that. However, a lot of couples don’t consider photographers for their courthouse weddings because it seems like such a laid back option and, well frankly, it’s not a super common thing. You want your day to be extra special and a photographer can make those memories shine.

Other things to customize your courthouse wedding

Sure, you could have a “quickie” wedding, but when you’re craving that custom courthouse wedding, a few hours just isn’t enough! I’m willing to bet you don’t want to just get married and go home either, so here are a few ways to extend your celebration.

Swanky Hotels and Gorgeous views

The quickest way to curate your custom courthouse wedding and extend your celebration is to book a hotel for the day of your ceremony or even before AND after your ceremony. This also gives you the opportunity to have your HMUA come to you, and have a space for showcasing all those beautiful details you spent so many hours collecting! Bonus: Having a hotel booked gives you the perfect drop off location for your florist, and a great meeting point for your photographer to capture your whole elopement!

A few local favorites:

Consider Celebratory Dinner and Drinks

I highly recommend making a reservation for dinner after your custom courthouse wedding. Even if you’re just splurging on takeout to go back to your hotel room, a fabulous meal will bring your wedding day to a close. You can also opt for private in person dining, and there’s nothing better than the feel of seclusion with the one you love during those first few hours of marriage. A few of my favorite options are below!

Timing and Scheduling

If you’ve never attended a courthouse wedding, one thing to keep in mind is that every courthouse has their own procedure. The ones I’ve photographed in Seattle, sometimes there were 10-15 couples scheduled for the same day. You’d be queued based on the order you checked in, so sometimes there may be multiple couples before you. (For this reason, show up early!) The courthouse in Issaquah can be much less busy, and you’re more likely to be the only couple scheduled for that day (especially in December!). You’ll want to double check with the courthouse of your choosing so that you can make reservations for activities after your wedding!

No matter how you choose to get married, making it special is important. Not feeling the whole planning and organization thing? Check out the micro wedding and elopement packages, as well as the discounted planning rates I’m offering for 2020 and 2021! You tell me what you want and I’ll plan it for you!