Rockville Maryland Courthouse Wedding Guide & Photos
This article is current as of February 2025!
So you’re considering a Rockville courthouse wedding at Maryland’s Montgomery County Maryland Circuit Court! Courthouse weddings are vastly more affordable than most weddings in 2025. They’re also classic and timeless. Many of my clients remember hearing stories of their grandparents or great-grandparents getting married at the courthouse, with a small luncheon afterwards or a party later on. Well, we’ve come full circle since COVID-19 began more than 5 years ago. The pandemic canceled or delayed many weddings, especially in 2020. Inflation is also out of control right now, which means booking 7-10 vendors and a Maryland wedding venue for your larger wedding can get very expensive.
Masks are not currently required in the courthouse, although do wear one if you prefer. No one was concerned about us taking photos inside, which was great since the featured wedding below was on a very cold winter day! Instead our group received lots of happy smiles and congratulations from passerbys. :) We had the best luck on the outer edges of the building near the walls of windows just outside of the courtrooms on floors 2 and 3. The sun was streaming in and we were able to stay very warm and go outside to the park across the street for about ten minutes before going back inside, out of the cold wind (see the screenshot below!).
Getting married at the courthouse (at least in Maryland) only costs $80. It’s $55 for the marriage license beforehand, and $25 on the day of the ceremony. The Montgomery County Circuit Courthouse’s wedding ceremonies are currently by appointment only, which is great for couples, because some of the other nearby courthouses still do walk-ins. You can visit this page on the Montgomery County Maryland courts’ website to see how it all works - but the main info is this: “Obtaining a marriage license…takes about 15 minutes to complete. The marriage license must be purchased at least 48 hours before the marriage ceremony. Only one person has to be present to apply for a marriage license. They must, however, show a valid ID for the other person who is not present at the time they are applying for the application.” For scheduling the ceremony: “Marriage ceremonies are performed by appointment only. If you wish to hold your ceremony at the courthouse, please contact the License Department at 240-777-9460 or in person…[couples] should arrive ten minutes early. The ceremony takes ten minutes and rings are optional. Witnesses are not needed. Maxiumum capacity for a civil ceremony is ten people.”
I personally recommend scheduling a morning or early Friday afternoon wedding. There won’t be any weekend traffic starting yet, and couples can easily transition into dinner at a nice restaurant, an at-home catered meal, or a potluck with friends!
Parking is pretty simple near the courthouse - there are many retail and public parking garages within 1-2 blocks of the circuit court. You don’t need to make a reservation ahead of time, but one of the closest ones to go ahead and put in your map on the day of your wedding or license visit is Colonial Parking. If you want an even more scenic backdrop for photos than the surrounding grassy fields and trees outside the courthouse, Lake Needwood is 12 minutes away when driving. I’ve photographed there for couples’ sessions before and it’s gorgeous in any season, with a thick forest, sweeping lake views, and grassy, forest-y areas.
Please reach out if you have any other questions about getting married at a courthouse in Maryland or if you’d like me photograph your wedding day! It’s never too late - I’ve been hired for courthouse weddings a few months in advance, up to the DAY BEFORE. Most of my courthouse wedding clients hire me for my base 1.5 hours of coverage and that’s all you need to document the arrival at the courthouse, the ceremony, family photos, and couple portraits. Some add on an hour to cover the beginning of their reception or a meal as well.
You’ll keep the overall cost of your wedding really low, have a fun and intimate day, and still get “official,” beautiful photos to document it all and remember it forever :) and now, please enjoy the most recent wedding I photographed at the Rockville courthouse!
