How to Get Married at the San Diego Courthouse | Simple Guide for Couples

Planning a courthouse wedding in San Diego? This guide covers everything you need to know about getting married at the San Diego County Clerk’s Office, from booking your marriage license appointment to choosing the best ceremony location and photo spots. Whether you’re planning a simple elopement or an intimate celebration with family and friends, San Diego offers beautiful courthouse wedding locations with stunning scenery nearby.

Learn about ceremony fees, appointment tips, outdoor ceremony options, parking, and the best places for wedding photos after your ceremony. Plus, discover which San Diego courthouse location is the perfect fit for your wedding day!

Tips for Planning Your San Diego Courthouse Wedding

If your schedule allows, I highly recommend booking one of the first or last ceremonies of the day. The lighting is much softer and more flattering early in the morning or later in the afternoon, which makes a huge difference for photos. We can also take pictures before or after your ceremony. Keep in mind that during winter, sunset is around 5:00 PM.
You can get your marriage license at the courthouse and get married anytime within 90 days at another location of your choice, such as a beach, park, or private venue. You can hire your own officiant or even have a friend or family member registered as a one-day officiant.
If possible, choose an outdoor ceremony. During colder months, ceremonies may be moved indoors to a ceremony room. You can check potential outdoor ceremony impact dates here: San Diego Outdoor Ceremony Updates
I always suggest booking your appointments as early as possible so you can secure the date and time that works best for you. Appointments can be scheduled up to 7 weeks (49 days) in advance.
San Diego offers 4 beautiful courthouse wedding locations to choose from: Downtown San Diego, Santee, Chula Vista, and San Marcos. Each location has its own unique look and nearby photo opportunities. Scroll below to learn more about each one.
If you have a busy schedule, you can easily get your marriage license and have your ceremony on the same day.

See the Downtown Outdoor Ceremony Area above this image

Step 1: Schedule Your San Diego Courthouse Wedding Appointments

Before your courthouse wedding ceremony, you’ll need to make two separate appointments with the San Diego County Clerk’s Office. The total cost is currently around $236, depending on the type of marriage license you choose. Appointments are available every 30 minutes from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Santee also offers limited Saturday wedding ceremonies once a month.

Marriage License Appointment

A public marriage license currently costs $129, while a confidential marriage license costs $144. Be sure to bring a valid government-issued photo ID from your country.

Civil Ceremony Appointment

The current civil ceremony fee is $107. If you choose a public marriage license, at least one witness is required during the ceremony. If it’s just the two of you, I’d be happy to be your witness free of charge. The County Clerk’s Office can also provide a witness for an additional $58. If you have a confidential marriage license, no witness is required.

How to Book Your Appointment

You can schedule and pay for your appointments online or in person through the San Diego County Clerk reservation system. You’ll simply fill out a short form with your information, choose your preferred location, and select your date and time.

San Diego Marriage License & Ceremony Appointments

If you need help navigating the booking process, here’s a helpful step-by-step video tutorial:

Video Tutorial for Booking a San Diego Courthouse Wedding Appointment

Step 2: It’s Time to Get Married!

On the day of your San Diego courthouse wedding, arrive at your scheduled appointment time and get ready to enjoy the experience. The paperwork process typically takes around 15–30 minutes, although wait times can occasionally be shorter or longer depending on the day. I’ll wait with you the whole time.

Both your marriage license appointment and civil ceremony appointment take place at the County Clerk’s Office. After checking in and confirming your reservation, you’ll receive a number and wait for it to be called on the screen, similar to the DMV process.

All courthouse locations have a waiting area where your friends and family can relax with you before the ceremony. Once your number is called, you’ll meet with the officiant, who will guide you through the remaining paperwork and explain the next steps.

After everything is completed, the officiant will escort you and your guests to the ceremony location. Civil ceremonies are short and sweet, usually lasting about 5 minutes, so I always encourage couples to slow down and truly enjoy the moment.

During the ceremony, you’ll hold hands, repeat your vows, exchange rings, and share your first kiss as a married couple. Once the ceremony is complete, the officiant and witness will sign your marriage certificate and submit it to the office for processing. Your official marriage certificate is typically available within 10 days. Some offices let you pick it up on the same day.

Parking Information for Your San Diego Courthouse Wedding

If you’re getting married at the Downtown San Diego courthouse location, you and your guests can enjoy free underground parking conveniently located near the County Clerk’s Office. Here’s the entrance to the parking garage:

Downtown San Diego Courthouse Parking Entrance

The other San Diego courthouse wedding locations: Santee, Chula Vista, and San Marcos offer plenty of free parking.

Best Photo Locations for Your San Diego Courthouse Wedding

One of the best parts about getting married at the San Diego courthouse is how many beautiful photo locations are nearby. Whether you want city views, beaches, cliffs, greenery, or something more modern and architectural, each courthouse location offers unique backdrops for your wedding photos. I also have a long list of additional locations I’m always happy to recommend based on your vision and style.

Downtown San Diego Courthouse

The Downtown San Diego location offers the most variety when it comes to wedding photo locations. We can take photos inside the building near the elevators, outside with palm trees and greenery, along the waterfront, or with beautiful city views in the background. If you don’t mind a little walking, there are also several hidden gems nearby throughout downtown. Plus, the courthouse is conveniently located close to some of San Diego’s most iconic photo spots, including:

Balboa Park — about 5 minutes away
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park — about 15 minutes away
La Jolla — about 20 minutes away

Santee Courthouse

The Santee location has a unique industrial desert feel with natural greenery surrounding the building. Just 5 minutes away, there’s a beautiful location with giant boulders and rolling hills that’s perfect for adventurous and romantic portraits. Nearby locations also include:

Mission Trails Regional Park — about 7 minutes away
Torrey Pines — about 25 minutes away
Balboa Park — about 27 minutes away

Chula Vista Courthouse

The Chula Vista courthouse has several simple but beautiful spots around the building that work well for wedding portraits. It’s also conveniently located near a few classic San Diego photo locations, including:

Balboa Park
Coronado

San Marcos Courthouse

The San Marcos courthouse offers a few nice photo spots around the building, including a large staircase that works beautifully for portraits. There are also several scenic locations nearby, including a local park about 10 minutes away and the beach about 27 minutes away.

San Diego Courthouse Wedding Photography Packages

I offer flexible photography packages designed specifically for courthouse weddings and intimate elopements in San Diego. You can choose between 1-hour, 2-hour, or 3-hour coverage, and additional hours can always be added if needed.

1-Hour Courthouse Wedding Photography

The 1-hour package is perfect for couples who want simple and beautiful coverage of their ceremony, guest interactions, and portraits around the courthouse building.

This typically includes:

Around 30 minutes for the ceremony and candid moments
Around 30 minutes for couple portraits and family photos nearby

Short, sweet, and stress-free. If your appointment runs behind schedule, don’t worry, I’ll stay and make sure we capture everything you need without an extra charge.

2-Hour Courthouse Wedding Photography

The 2-hour package is ideal if you’d like to visit an additional photo location after your ceremony.

This usually includes:

30 minutes for the ceremony
30 minutes for guest and family photos around the courthouse
1 hour at another location such as the beach, Balboa Park, or downtown or maybe you’d love to celebrate with a champagne toast and cut a cake together afterward!

3-Hour Courthouse Wedding Photography

The 3-hour package is perfect for couples who want a more relaxed experience with multiple photo locations or reception coverage.

This package works great for:

Visiting two additional locations after the ceremony
Getting ready photos
Capturing a small reception or celebration
Creating a more complete wedding day gallery with extra variety

Additional hours can also be added if you’d like extended coverage of your reception or wedding activities.

Wedding Photo Delivery

Sneak peeks are delivered within 48 hours so you can relive your wedding day right away! Your full edited gallery is typically ready within 3-4 weeks.