As a City Hall wedding photographer in New York, I love intimate weddings and elopements. I love the little moments that make these days special that are unique to each couple. When folks are considering a City Hall wedding they occasionally ask about personal vows and how they can make their ceremony more personal. When you get married at City Hall in New York, no personal vows are allowed. There is a ring exchange, but otherwise the approximately 30 second ceremony is the same for every couple. If you’re looking for a straight-forward easy experience, it’s perfect.
However, if you’d like to add more personal elements to your day, there are certainly ways to do that and still have the City Hall wedding of your dreams!
Add some flowers! Whether it’s a unique bouquet or simple boutonnières you can pin on your partner what you chose to embellish your wedding attire with can add some fun flair to your day.
If you live in the city, adding your personal routines to your wedding day coverage can be fun. M and R wanted to include their favorite deli in their wedding day and it was so fun. They stopped for coffee and breakfast sandwiches and then we strolled to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for photos and a snack. They also created this amazing custom Just Married deli bag for their treats which was so much fun!
Fun fact! They exchanged their vows on the bench that was used for their proposal. How cute is that?
The best way to make your City Hall wedding more personalized is to exchange personal vows. While you can’t do this during your ceremony, I often have couples take time to exchange vows in a place they love or is special to them. You can take all the time you need, with out without an audience. I usually photograph personal vows from a distance to give you privacy for those moments as needed. It’s a great chance to really be in the moment of your elopement day and take a breath together to appreciate what you’re about to do!
The Brooklyn Heights Promenade was a great spot for wedding vows with a backdrop of the city these grooms love!
After vows, they enjoyed their coffee and sandwiches and we headed off for more photos in Brooklyn Heights, one of my favorite neighborhoods for wedding photos! If you’re not a breakfast sandwich person, I’m always happy to stop for other fun things. I’ve had couples share a pizza slice, a doughnut, a cup of tea, or a classic NYC pretzel. Find something you like and we can incorporate into your elopement day.
That morning light was peaking through the trees and it was perfect!
Another way to make your elopement day at City Hall personal is to bring along a fur baby! I’m always all for puppy photos! While I DID recently discover you can bring dogs, it can be chaotic for them and I don’t really recommend bring your pup inside City Hall, we can always stop along the way before or after for photos with your pet to include them in the day!
It’s always fun to bring your friends along, which these two grooms did. At Brooklyn City Hall we were able to sneak an extra person in as well! (SHHHH! 🙂 )
Perhaps the most fun thing to make your day celebratory? Confetti poppers! You can do flowers, streamers, and champagne pop, whatever you like to cheer you on! It’s always a fun moment to capture!
Lastly, pick spots that you enjoy and are special to you. I love when couples incorporate who they are into their wedding photos. Whether it’s your local subway stop, an ice cream shop if you love sweets, a theater entrance, street art murals, a coffee or a pizza slice shop, a ferry ride or something to bring in your personality, it’s a great way to make your elopement day uniquely yours!
Are you looking for more information for how to get married at City Hall in NYC? Check out my City Hall Wedding Guide for all the info!
