Do You Say Vows at a Courthouse Wedding? (NYC City Hall, Explained + Short Vow Ideas)

Here's a question I get from lots of couples booking a NYC city hall wedding photographer: "Wait, do we say vows? Do we need to write something?"

Usually it's asked in one of two tones. Relief-seeking ("please tell me I don't have to write vows") or slightly heartbroken ("so we don't get to say vows?"). Good news for both of you: the answer is short, and there's a workaround that's even better!

Courthouse wedding vows: the short answer

At a NYC Marriage Bureau ceremony, you don't write or recite your own vows. The officiant reads a brief civil ceremony, asks each of you a version of the classic question — do you take this person to be your lawfully wedded spouse — and you each answer "I do." You exchange rings if you're doing rings, you kiss, you're married.

That's the whole script, no courthouse wedding vows. Two to three minutes, start to finish. Having photographed more of these than I can count, I can tell you the brevity is not a downgrade, there's something about it that makes couples feel every word. When there are only two minutes, nothing is filler.

What the officiant actually says at a civil ceremony

Every officiant has their own micro-variations, but the civil marriage ceremony at NYC City Hall follows the same skeleton:

A short welcome. A sentence or two about the meaning of the commitment you're making. Then the declaration of consent, the "do you take…" question, asked to each of you in turn. Ring exchange, usually with a simple repeat-after-me line ("with this ring, I thee wed" or similar). A pronouncement, and the kiss.

You don't need to memorize anything. You don't need to prepare civil ceremony vows in advance. Your only speaking role is "I do" and, if you're exchanging rings, a single repeated sentence. If you can order a bagel, you are qualified.

A few logistics, straight from the Office of the City Clerk: the ceremony costs $25, you book through Project Cupid (no walk-ins), you can bring up to six people total, and you'll need at least one witness over 18 carrying the same type of photo ID used for your marriage license. You walk out with your marriage certificate the same day.

"But I wanted to say actual vows"

Not being able to recite personal vows during the two-minute ceremony doesn't mean you can't say them that day. A few ways couples do it:

Private vows before or after the ceremony

Find a quiet spot, the steps outside, a corner of a nearby park, the Brooklyn Bridge, your favorite coffee shop table, the back seat of the car on the way there. Pull out the folded piece of paper. Read to each other. No audience, no officiant, no time limit. I wrote a whole post about private wedding vows in NYC (and some scenic locations close by to City Hall, too) because I think this might be the single most underrated wedding tradition there is.

Vows at dinner

If you're doing a celebration meal after, raise a glass and say them there, with your favorite people listening. Courthouse ceremony for the legal part, restaurant for the emotional part.

A separate vow ceremony

Some couples do the Marriage Bureau on a weekday and a small self-organized vow exchange that weekend: Central Park, a rooftop, a living room. Once you're legally married, any ceremony you hold after that can look exactly how you want. No permits or paperwork needed!

Short courthouse wedding vows you can borrow

City hall wedding vows want to be short. You're not filling a cathedral; you're speaking to one person from eighteen inches away. A few shapes to steal:

The promise list. "I promise to make you coffee first, to take your side, to tell you the truth kindly, and to keep choosing you — on the boring Tuesdays, not just days like this."

The origin story. "Seven years ago you asked to borrow my phone charger. I want to spend the rest of my life being glad I said yes to that."

The one-liner. "You are my favorite person, my softest place to land, and the best decision I keep making." Sometimes one sentence, said slowly, does more than a page.

The practical-romantic. "I don't promise perfect. I promise present. I'll be there: for the emergencies and the errands and everything between."

Write them on paper, not your phone. Paper feels and looks sweet and tangible; a lock screen doesn't. And it becomes a keepsake; I've had couples frame their vows next to a photo from the steps.

FAQ: vows at a NYC City Hall wedding

Do you have to say vows at a courthouse wedding?

No. The only required words are your consent — "I do" (or "I will"). Everything else is optional.

Can we ask the clerk to include our personal vows?

The Marriage Bureau ceremony is standardized and brief, with a line of couples waiting — there isn't room in the format for personal vows. Plan them for before or after instead.

Do you exchange vows at a courthouse wedding at all?

You exchange consent — the "I do" — and optionally rings with a short repeat-after-me line. Think of it as the legal vows; the romantic ones are yours to add around the ceremony.

Do we need a witness?

Yes — at least one witness over 18 with valid photo ID, and no more than six attendees total. Details and who couples usually bring: the witness guide.

How long is the whole thing?

The ceremony: two to three minutes. The full visit — security, check-in, paperwork, waiting — plan 45–60 minutes. Full walkthrough in my NYC city hall wedding guide, including whether to choose Manhattan or Brooklyn.

Getting married at NYC City Hall? Start with the complete guide, check what to bring, and if you want the two minutes (and the private vows on the steps after) photographed like the once-in-a-lifetime thing they are, let's talk.