You may be wondering if you CAN actually get legally married when many government offices are still mostly closed in New York City. Yes, you can! But you can’t get a license as easily as before and you’ll also need to follow social distancing guidelines.
1. The first thing you need is a marriage license. Once you have a license from either NYC itself, or any other clerk in New York State, you can marry anywhere in the city. See updated guidelines for in person and virtual licenses in
NYC on this page.
2. Find a registered officiant, clerk or clergy to marry you. This can be at the NYC clerk’s office in Manhattan (by appointment only as of Dec, 2021) or a private officiant. Here is a list of officiants I recommend. I can also sign and marry couples who hire me as their photographer.
3. Either you or your officiant file(s) the signed marriage license with the clerk’s office. In a few weeks your certificate will arrive. (If you marry at the clerk’s office, you will get it in person.
What about a Wedding Cake, Bouquets and Ceremony Musicians?
Even with a smaller scale wedding, you’ll still want some vendors to complete your look or experience. On my list I recommend vendors who specialize in small weddings.
Where Can We Get Married?
Some of my all time favorite weddings have been very small in scale. I’d be happy to assist you in selecting a meaningful and safe location for your wedding during Covid-19 times. The most important things to consider are:
- Space for guests to maintain social distance
- Avoiding crowded places (select morning for locations known to be popular)
- Consider traveling outside of the city for more space
- Pick a ceremony site with ample portrait locations nearby to limit travel
- Make it personal or meaningful if possible
- Consider the visual environment and opt for one where you don’t need to alter it too much
- Plan for much of the event to be outdoors where the virus can’t spread as easily
