Regardless if you’re having a big shebang wedding or a two-person elopement, the first step of how to get married in NYC is to obtain a New York marriage license. Note that you can get the marriage license anywhere in New York state (hello, upstaters!) and still get married in New York City.

Thanks to Covid-19, whereas you could once apply for the NYC marriage license in person at one of the New York Marriage Bureau offices, now everything must be done online through their online marriage portal, Project Cupid. See here for a step-by-step guide to getting a marriage license.

When the Marriage Bureau reopens, here’s the full step-by-step instructions on the procedure. It costs $35 (credit card or money order), you both need some form of valid photo ID (like a passport or driver’s license), and you must obtain the license at least 24 hours before getting married. Licenses are valid for 60 days. If you are not a U.S. citizen, I recommend calling your consulate to confirm that NYC marriages are valid in your country.

Whether you want an industrial rooftop wedding with skyline views or a small backyard garden party, there’s an NYC wedding venue for it. Once you’ve picked a date, reach out to prospective venues and take a tour. Each venue will have different offerings (e.g. in-house catering, furnishings, etc.).

Some of my favorite NYC wedding venues:

• The Box House Hotel
• Brooklyn Winery
• 501 Union
• MyMoon 
• Frankie’s 457
• Liberty Warehouse

For microweddings and elopements:

• Central Park
• Brooklyn Bridge Park
• NYC City Hall

NYC Hair and Makeup Artists

• Miss Harlqeuin
• Styles on B
• Anny Chow
• Glam Squad

ICONIC NYC PHOTO LOCATIONS

We’re fortunate in that NYC has an abundance of iconic structures, interesting architecture as well as beautiful nature, all reachable with a quick taxi ride. Some of the most popular locations, in no particular order, include:

• Brooklyn Bridge Park
• Brooklyn Bridge
• Central Park (and its dozens of spots within!)
• Grand Central
• Top of the Rock
• New York Public Library exterior

MORE UNIQUE NYC PHOTO LOCATIONS

“But Jocelyn,” you say, “we live in New York. We don’t necessarily want to go to tourist spots.” No problem. Some of my favorite less-trafficked spots:

• Fancy cocktail bars (or dive bars) and fun eateries
• Quiet cobblestone streets in the West Village
• Chelsea art galleries
• Jersey City waterfront (yes, Jersey!) and Liberty State Park
• Anything involving an activity: bookstore browsing, dim sum-eating, tarot card-reading, tattoo-getting… Don’t think of portraits as “cheesing in front of a pretty backdrop,” think of it as an opportunity to do something classically you, something that reflects your personality in real life.

And if it’s raining? No worries — here’s some recommended indoor NYC photo locations.

If you’re getting married in NYC, your photographer should help you create a day-of timeline. Most full-day weddings last 8-10 hours, which is typically long enough to capture getting ready, bride and groom details, ceremony, portraits and reception. To come up with an accurate schedule, we’ll work off your fixed events — for instance, your ceremony start time, or what time sunset is for portraits.

A sample 10-hour timeline might look like this:

1-2:30 pm: getting ready and detail shots
2:30-2:45: first look
2:45-3:45: solo portraits
3:45-4:30: bridal party and family portraits
4:30-5: down time before ceremony (photographer takes venue detail shots)
5-5:30: ceremony
5:30-6:30: cocktail hour
6:30-11: reception

An 8 hour timeline would typically shorten the getting ready and reception coverage.

For couples who don’t necessarily need documentation of their full day, I also offer an abbreviated 6-hour package, which would typically omit the reception or getting ready portion entirely.