I have been photographing weddings in New York City for twenty years. I love it here. I love how weird it is. I love how nothing else feels like it. I love that every venue is wildly different from the last one, that you can get married in a former factory, a Gothic mansion, a rooftop over the Hudson River, a willow tree by a lake in New Jersey, or a vow room at City Hall on Worth Street. Nowhere else gives you this. Here is what you need to know to actually do it.
The Marriage License
Both partners apply in person at any City Clerk‘s office in New York State. In New York City, all appointments are made through Project Cupid at cityclerk.nyc.gov. Virtual appointments are available. You will need a valid photo ID, and if either of you has been previously married, proof of divorce or dissolution. There is a 24-hour mandatory waiting period after the license is issued before the ceremony can take place. The license is valid for 60 days.
For the ceremony at the Marriage Bureau itself, as of early 2025, you are allowed up to 4 guests per couple. You will need one witness who is 18 or older with a valid ID. Book the earliest appointment of the day if you can. The ceremony takes a few minutes. Budget 30 minutes total for check-in, waiting, and the ceremony. You receive your Marriage Certificate immediately after.
The Venues
This is where New York is genuinely extraordinary. The range of what is available here does not exist anywhere else. A few that I have photographed and love:
In Manhattan: Gotham Hall, the Plaza Hotel, the Pierre, Cipriani, the Rainbow Room, 620 Loft and Garden at Rockefeller Center, and Tribeca Rooftop. If you’re headed to Brooklyn: the River Cafe under the Brooklyn Bridge, Wythe Hotel, 501 Union, Liberty Warehouse. In the Hudson Valley: Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, the Roundhouse in Beacon, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills. On Long Island: Gurney’s Montauk, Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club, Bedell Cellars on the North Fork. In New Jersey: Ashford Estate, Windows on the Water at Frogbridge, Florentine Gardens.
Every single one of those is wildly different from the others. That is the whole point.
Elopements and City Hall
The NYC Marriage Bureau at 141 Worth Street is one of my favorite places to photograph. The legal ceremony is fast and the city is right outside the door. City Hall Park, Foley Square, the Financial District, the Brooklyn Bridge, TriBeCa, the West Village, all within a short walk or cab ride. Some of the best elopement days I have ever photographed have started at the Marriage Bureau at 8am and ended two neighborhoods later at golden hour.
For the full picture on NYC elopements, my guide covers the process in detail. For photo locations near City Hall, my guide covers what is within walking distance.
What Season to Get Married
Every season works in New York, and every season is genuinely beautiful in its own way. Spring for the Central Park cherry blossoms and the soft light after winter. Summer for the long golden evenings and the energy of the city in full swing. Fall for the foliage in the Hudson Valley and the warm amber light of October afternoons. Winter for snow on the Brooklyn Bridge and the specific quality of cold-city light that does not exist at any other time of year.
The honest answer is: the best season is the one that fits how you want the day to feel.
Working with a New York Photographer
Twenty years in this city means I know the venues, I know the light at different times of year, and I know which corners of which neighborhoods look extraordinary at 6 pm in October versus 10 am in June. I have photographed weddings in nearly every borough, in the Hudson Valley, on Long Island, and at destinations across the country and the world.
If you are planning a wedding in New York and want to talk through what it could look like, get in touch: susanstripling.com/contact
New York is the best place in the world to get married. I have spent twenty years believing that and I have not changed my mind yet.
Feel free to reach out to chat more!
