What to expect for your Salt Lake City, Utah Courthouse Marriage Ceremony - Poise and Ivy Imagery
Before their scenic elopement in Bali, Hannah and Logan wanted to capture the tender ceremony shared with their family stateside. This intimate evening was touching to all who were there, and there was not a dry eye to be seen as we witnessed these two make their love eternal!
I shave been honored to capture an engagement photoshoot for them last year, and I was dually blessed to be asked to help preserve the story of their love upon their marriage.
From their touching vows it was clear that Hannah and Logan are the epitome of what it means to be a complementary pair. They lift each other up where the other falters and support each other in their highs and their lows. It’s been an absolute privilege to watch them together during their engagement this past year.
Whether you’re an experienced photographer or you’re researching for your own Salt Lake City courthouse ceremony, I wanted to make a comprehensive guide to everything that you could expect from a courthouse wedding in Salt Lake City.
Self Portrait in my garage, 2024
But first, let me introduce myself.
I’m Ivy, a wedding photographer specializing in emotional imagery that FEELS like YOU, TELLS YOUR STORY, and STANDS THE TEST OF TIME as photos that you’ll love as much as you do now as in 20 years.
You might be thinking, “Hm, a rare talent. Not sure if I believe it,” but here’s the secret:
I’m highly empathic and emotional and if you’re in love, you bet your buttons I can feel it. I’ve practiced seeing and feeling the emotion in those around me, and putting that to work in my camera to get you the most incredible images you could dream of for your wedding.
This matters because:
If you want photos that truly have SUBSTANCE and make you FEEL something, you need a photographer who can work with simplicity to bring out your personality and tell the story you want told.
Wedding photography isn’t just about smiling at the camera and posing for hours with your fiancee or new spouse. It’s about honoring the moment and the love that you feel toward one another and coming together with an artist such as myself to tell your love story in a way that will be felt for years and years to come.
So let’s look at what a Courthouse wedding in Salt Lake City Utah will entail, and what you’ll need to do before.
Before the wedding
For the couple:
Book your ceremony online at https://www.saltlakecounty.gov/clerk/marriage/schedule/ . You’ll also fill out the license application there!
What to bring:
Both parties will need to bring their drivers license or other form of government ID, like a passport.
$100 - $50 for the license fee, and $50 for the ceremony fee.
Two witnesses, age 18 or older. The photographer can be one of these people
For the photographer:
I highly suggest visiting the county clerk’s office before the scheduled ceremony. It’s not a confusing space, but it’s nice to know where to park and where you’d like to stage photos before or after the ceremony, if applicable.
If you frequently work with supplemental lighting, I might suggest doing so. The ceremony room has no windows, and although the lighting is ample, it’s still fluorescent lighting from the ceiling.
How the day goes:
Google maps will take you to the Salt Lake County Government Center with no problem. The Marriage and Passport Division are in the South Building, but you’ll be using the north doors (of the South Building) so keep that in mind if you want to get a closer parking spot.
This is where Google Maps takes you to park, but this is the employee entrance!
This sign may be temporary, but as of May 2025 this let you know that you were in the right spot.
When you enter the building, take the elevator up to the second floor and find suite 200 - there will be a waiting room where any witnesses or guests can wait for the couple to arrive, and when the clerk is ready, the couple will be called back to fill out the marriage license and make any payments. The photographer is allowed back with them as well, but to preserve space for others, witnesses and family will stay in the waiting room for now. No worries though, because it’s literally JUST signing papers! Assure family members that they’re not missing out, haha.
Once the license is filled out, we’ll all go back into the waiting room until the officiant is ready to take us back to the ceremony room. This was maybe three minutes for us, but it gave the couple a nice moment to be excited with their family before everything started happening!
The officiant will come and guide you to a small room off to the right of the county clerks, and there will be seats for guests and witnesses. It’s a small room, so I would plan on bringing no more than 12 guests.
Hannah and Logan signed their marriage certificate before the ceremony begun at this small table in the room.
After just a moment of getting everyone seated and comfortable, and situating the couple together in front of everyone, the officiant will begin! It’s a rather no nonsense ceremony, but they will offer an opportunity to exchange vows if the couple has decided to include that in their ceremony.
Once the vows have completed, the ring exchange will take place and the officiant will proclaim the couple wed! Queue that tear jerking first kiss!
All in all, from filling out the marriage license to the end of the ceremony, we took about a half hour.
The officiant we had for this ceremony was very respectful of the couple’s space and left the room as soon as the ceremony was done, which means we were able to take some group photos right there with everyone who was in attendance.
After that, we all left the ceremony room and were free to go!
I took Hannah and Logan around just a few more notable spots at the building to really capture the memory of the courthouse and how the architecture affected the feel of their ceremony.
After just a few photos around the Government center, we decided to get in our cars and drive about 10 minutes to the more architectural part of downtown Salt Lake City, where we captured the energy and the vibe of the day! We visited a few buildings on Exchange place, as well as the Salt Lake City and County Building, which really has that “historic government” look that we love to capture for courthouse ceremonies.
What a stunning couple! I can’t believe how beautiful their portraits are, they truly showed up in LOVE and ready to show it!
Who can resist a few good old silly photos for the sake of the memories? Not I!
Hannah and Logan are such a great couple and I was honored to be able to capture their wedding stateside before they went off to celebrate their love in Bali!
If you’re planning a courthouse wedding ceremony in Salt Lake, I’d love to be there to help tell your story.
If you’re just researching for your own upcoming wedding or for a clients’ wedding, I hope you found this small guide helpful!
Please fill out the contact form below if you’re looking for a photographer like myself; I would love to get to know you and see if we could be a good fit! Feel free to take a peak at my other blog posts to see some of my other work, or go to my portfolios for a more condensed view at how I capture each unique couple, each unique person. My aim is always to tell a story in my photography, and love stories are my favorite ones to tell!
As always,
All the love,
Ivy
Address of the Salt Lake County Clerk, Marriage License Division :
2001 South State Street Suite S2 200
PO Box 144575
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4575
Feeling inspired? Chat with me!Tell Your Story
Your love is unique, just like you. See more of the love stories I’ve helped translate in my photography <3