How to Plan a Courthouse Elopement in Downtown Seattle

Elopement, Wedding

It’s elopement season, which means I’m in the midst of spending my weekends capturing chic couples tying the knot in downtown Seattle—what more could a gal want? With all the incredible city elopements I’ve been photographing lately, I wanted to put together this guide to help you plan your perfect downtown Seattle courthouse elopement, filled with all the best tips & tricks that I’ve learned over the years. 

Consider this your one-stop shop to planning a one-of-a-kind, completely custom-tailored Seattle elopement where you get to tie the knot with a simple courthouse ceremony, and spend the rest of the day exploring the city with your love, strolling down any little alleyway or street that calls to you. From picking your date to planning your timeline, every detail is covered in this guide—so be sure to bookmark it to reference as you plan your beautiful day!

How to Elope in Downtown Seattle

1. Pick a date

First thing’s first: once you’ve put a ring on it and have decided to commit the rest of your lives to one another, you’ll need to pick a date to make it happen. Choosing a date is one of the most important pieces of bringing your dream elopement to life, as it’ll determine a few major things, including:

—What the weather is like: We all know that Seattle is famous for its rainy climate, but I’m a big believer that you can turn any weather forecast into its own unique kind of magic, if you’re in the right mindset beforehand. You never know what you’ll get on a day in the Pacific Northwest, even in the heat of the summer when you might expect a bright, sunny day, and instead a rainstorm hits in the middle of the day. The great thing about eloping in downtown Seattle is that you can do it at any time of year, rain or shine; unlike eloping in the mountains of Washington, where you’re limited to just a few of the warmest months. Preparing for any type of weather is key to being able to embrace whatever comes at you, and having an indoor backup option is always a great idea if you’re planning for an outdoor ceremony!

—What activities are available: If you’re set on including certain activities in your elopement day, you’ll want to pick a time of year that makes those possible; for example, if you want to see a certain art exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum as a fun little adventure on your special day, be sure to pick your elopement date around when that exhibit is available. Or maybe you’re craving an all-day adventure through the city, with daylight lasting until 9pm—you’ll want to pick a summer date, when the days are longest. 

—Who you’re able to invite: If you’re inviting any guests to your elopement, you’ll obviously need to pick a date that they’re available for! Make sure that the date you pick can accommodate all of the people you love & want to celebrate alongside, and that you yourselves are able to take enough time off of work/out of your routine schedules to enjoy an extended celebration in the city. The longer, the better, in my opinion; take advantage of your time in the city and explore to your hearts’ content.

—How crowded Seattle hotspots will be: Finally, think through whether you want to visit any of the Seattle hotspots (e.g. Pike Place, Smith Tower, the waterfront, etc.) and consider how crowded they’ll be. Summer sees huge crowds in Seattle (again, thanks to our gorgeous weather), so be prepared to be around large groups of tourists if you pick a summer date. If you’d rather have a little more privacy, consider a late fall or winter date, when there’s a greater chance of rain and fewer people out and about. Though us Seattle-ites are so used to the rain that we do a pretty good job of going out even when it’s chilly and drizzly—plus, who doesn’t love throwing on a cozy, stylish jacket, like Heaven did for her & George’s luxury city elopement? 😉

Need a little encouragement that your elopement can be just as magical in the rain (if not more)? Scroll through Meseret & Sterling’s Rainy Day Seattle Courthouse Elopement for inspiration.

2. Book a Seattle elopement photographer

I may be a tad biased here, but I believe that booking a photographer to capture the day is one of the very first things you should do when planning your downtown Seattle elopement. Even if it’s just the two of you heading off on your own city adventure, this is your WEDDING day—let’s capture its story and freeze artful moments that you want to remember forever.

I have many openings left for elopement celebrations in the upcoming seasons, so inquire here to kick off the conversation—I love to help my couples craft their perfect day in the city!

3. Schedule your courthouse ceremony

This is one of the main sections that you’ll want to pay attention to in this guide, as it’s super important to make sure you know what to expect when it comes to planning your Seattle courthouse elopement ceremony. Nothing about the process is too difficult, but there are some key details you need to be aware of—such as the fact that there are actually two courthouses downtown that you can choose from: Seattle Municipal Court & King County Courthouse. If you look at the map below, you can see that both courthouses are located downtown, close to Pioneer Square, with King County just a little bit closer to places like Smith Tower and Pioneer Square Station.

Marriage Ceremonies at Seattle Municipal Court

If you choose to have your ceremony at Seattle Municipal Court, judges are available to perform ceremonies at the courthouse every weekday starting at 4:30pm. The courthouse is closed on weekends and holidays, but typically you judges are pretty flexible for ceremonies at locations outside of the courthouse. You can have no more than 8 people present during your ceremony, including the two of you, any witnesses, and your photographer, and you’ll need to request your ceremony date at least 8 weeks in advance.

Once you’ve made a general ceremony appointment, you’ll be assigned a judge upon your arrival during the check-in process, and we’ll be allowed to take photos at the courthouse 30 minutes prior to your check-in time!

Take a peek at Meseret & Sterling’s wedding for an example of a wedding scheduled through Seattle Municipal Court.

Marriage Ceremonies at King County Courthouse

Marriage ceremonies at King County Courthouse are fairly similar, with judges available before 8:30am and after 4:30pm on weekdays, and any time on weekends or holidays. Ceremonies are by appointment only and typically come with a premium price for weekend dates (which you’ll need to be prepared to pay for in cash).

Rather than being assigned a judge at check-in like you do at Seattle Municipal Court, you’ll actually get in touch with a judge directly who you’d like to schedule your ceremony with—find a full list of King County District Court judges who are available for weddings here.

King County Courthouse is actually a gorgeous building that’s been around since the early 1900’s, with beautiful architecture and antique furnishings; check out Anyith & Renato’s King County Courthouse Elopement to see what I mean. Old-timey elevators always make for beautiful portraits!

4. Get your Seattle marriage license

On that note, you’ll also need to go through the process of getting your Seattle marriage license through the King County Recorder’s Office. Washington State marriage licenses are valid for 60 days after a mandatory three-day waiting period, so plan your ceremony date accordingly. King County actually has a great online calculator to help you determine when you should obtain your marriage license, based on the date of your wedding ceremony! To get married in Washington, you must be at least 18 years old, and you do not need to be a Washington resident.

When you’re ready to begin the process, you can fill out the online marriage license application here, where you’ll sign an affidavit confirming your identity, fill out all the necessary info, and pay the $69 application fee. Once your ceremony date arrives, your officiant will have 30 days to return your Certificate of Marriage to the King County Recorder’s Office at the following address:

King County Recorder’s Office

RE: Marriage Certificate

201 S. Jackson St., Ste. 204

Seattle, WA 98104

If you’d like to request additional copies of your marriage license, you can do so here for $3 each!

Note that Washington marriage licenses are valid anywhere in the state, so if you live somewhere else and will be traveling to Seattle for your elopement, you may consider getting your license in your home county to make things easier!

5. Make a dinner reservation in downtown Seattle

What better way to celebrate your new status as a married couple than with a multi-course dinner at one of the many awesome restaurants in the city? Bonus points for delicious wine pairings and a dessert to toast your celebration with a sweet treat! Whether this looks like a romantic dinner date just the two of you, or with a group of your loved ones, it’s a beautiful way to sit back, relax, and enjoy a scrumptious meal and be present with one another in a curated, elevated atmosphere.

I loved what Brianna & Brian did for their luxury NYE elopement in downtown Seattle—a rooftop ceremony followed by cocktails and bites at Rider, the restaurant where they had their first date. Emily & Matt did something similar, hosting their loved ones for an enchanting ceremony at the UW Horticulture Center, and then inviting everyone to head to the Metropolitan Grill for a dazzling downtown reception. The evening was full of champagne toasts, Vogue-style flash portraits, breathtaking florals, and elegant menus; the dream!

Here are a few other fabulous restaurants downtown that my couples have enjoyed including in their elopement celebration:

6. Book a studio for your intimate reception

If you’d rather host an intimate post-ceremony reception with loved ones in a studio space than a restaurant, I recommend booking a Peerspace studio that can fit a small group of your friends and fam. The Banana Stand is one I personally love, and is where Michelle & Kevin held their small ceremony, followed by a quaint gathering for cake, champagne, and mingling with loved ones.

7. Book your hotel stay downtown

Booking a hotel room downtown is an essential part of your Seattle elopement experience; you want to find somewhere that you’ll love to begin and end your day at. Think—getting ready together, sharing champagne in your beautiful space, concluding the night in fuzzy hotel robes with a nightcap and some snuggles 🍸 Fortunately, downtown Seattle is filled with luxurious hotels perfect for your elopement day, including spots like the Edgewater, with are ideal for Seattle lovers who want a mix of Puget Sound, sunset goodness, and city skyline views (Space Needle included).

A few more of my favorite hotels in downtown Seattle include:

If you’re struggling to figure out which hotel would be best for your day, I’ve got a couple of great articles for you to check out: one on How to Choose the Right Getting Ready Space for Your Wedding, and one featuring more information about the Best Seattle Hotels for Getting Ready On Your Wedding Day.

8. Plan any activities you’d like to include

Now that you’ve gotten most of the logistics out of the way, it’s time to dream up what you’d like to include in your day! What parts of downtown Seattle do you want to explore? How would your day look if it were filled with only the most fun, exciting, energizing, and memorable activities you could dream up—if money and other limitations weren’t in the picture?

I’ve got a list of fun Seattle elopement ideas to help you get started; remember to think outside of the box and get creative with it!

  • Take a stroll through the Seattle Art Museum, like Alex & Alexis did
  • Walk hand-in-hand through Pike Place Market & grab a wedding day bouquet
  • Ride around the streets of Seattle on Lime scooters
  • Conclude the night with a fast food stop (the perfect way to juxtapose a classy day with a casual activity)
  • Take a ride on the Seattle Great Wheel
  • Walk along the waterfront & piers

No matter what your dream day looks like, as long as your itinerary is true to you as a couple, then you’re golden ❇️

9. Create your Seattle elopement timeline

The final piece to your elopement puzzle is building out your timeline, now that you know when your ceremony will be, what time your dinner reservation is at, and what activities you’d like to make time for. Keep in mind that you’ll want to budget an hour for the entire process of checking in at the courthouse and having your ceremony, and build the rest of your timeline around that.

Adding in time for portraits is key to making sure we have plenty of time to explore freely on your elopement day on your own, and that we’re able to get an abundance of portraits of the two of you. Below are a few of my favorite locations for elopement portraits in downtown Seattle:

  • Smith Tower (see Heaven & George’s stunning portraits at Smith Tower here)
  • Pike Place Market
  • The waterfront & piers
  • Pioneer Square
  • Studios (such as Olive Studio in Pioneer Square)
  • Rooftops (especially at golden hour!)
  • In your hotel room, or at the hotel bar

10. Celebrate!

Your day has arrived and it’s time to celebrate, darlings! The hard work is over; now the day is simply yours to enjoy. Take in every emotion and be present as much as you’re able—my job is to capture the day so that you’re able to live every single moment to its fullest. Cheers to the two of you and your romantic adventure through this beautiful city 🥂

Seattle Courthouse Elopement Photographer

Once you are ready to begin planning your downtown Seattle courthouse elopement and bring a photographer along for the ride who will be there to support you every step of the way, fill out my inquiry form to start the process. I will be in touch as soon as possible to hear all the details about the magical day you are dreaming up together!

Connect on Social