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Courthouse weddings

Courthouse Ceremonies are some of my favorite! Sure it can save a buttload of money going this route but what always strikes me when I ask my couples why they chose a Courthouse Wedding, the common response isn’t about saving money, it’s “because it’s our day and we wanted it to just be about us”. To be clear, the same can be true about traditional weddings but in my experience there is something unique and intimate about eloping. The couples are almost always void of stress and their time and attention is just on each other.

In doing my research for this blog post I reached out to one of my favorite Judges, Honorable Nicholas Chu, to ask him a few questions. He was crazy quick in responding and was so incredibly kind and helpful.

Interview with Judge Chu

Q: How long do the ceremonies typically last?

A: Generally, the ceremony itself last about 5 minutes. During the pandemic, my court has restricted indoor ceremonies to have only the judge and the couple present. Sometime we will do ceremonies at the steps of the courthouse with guest socially distant (and following all local pandemic orders). When someone is taking pictures or recording, I always check to make sure we are setup the way that will produce the best pictures for the couple; and that may take some time to setup. Usually the whole event take about 15 minutes.

Q: What’s your favorite part about preforming the ceremonies?

A: Getting to hear wonderful stories about the couple and their plans for the future. I really like meeting people, and when the pandemic is over I look forward to having larger courthouse weddings and getting to chat with their families/friends as well!

Q: Tell us a fun memory or experience you’ve had.

A: I’ve had several weddings where family members joined by teleconference from all over the world, including one with a family member serving in Afghanistan. Those ceremonies are really special because I’m just glad physical distance didn’t prevent someone from being a part of the couple’s special day.

Q: What is the process for a Courthouse Ceremony?

A: For Justice of the Peace, Pct. 5, if a couple is interest in my court performing the wedding ceremony, they can call (512) 854-9049 or email (which is preferred) JP5Weddings@traviscountytx.gov . Let us know what date and time (or time range) you are interest in and we will let you know if that works on your schedule. If you have any special requests, like a photographer is going to be involved, let us know. Sometime during the work day, another judge may officiate the wedding ceremony because of my court schedule, but we’ll always have a judge available. If your ceremony is schedule during non-business hours or on a weekend/holiday, I’ll personally give you a call a day before the ceremony to go over some of the logistics. If you are scheduled for the workday, we won’t call you before the ceremony (but we are always happy to answer any questions if any should pop up). Other courts may have different procedures so check with the court that you are scheduling with about their processes.

Q: What are some things couples need to think about or plan for?

A: We try to do all the hard parts so that the couple can just enjoy the day. The biggest thing is to make sure you bring your wedding license! Most couple prefer me to take care of submitting the wedding license to the County Clerk’s office and I’m happy to do so. Other than that, try to arrive on-time or a little bit early, sometimes we have multiple weddings scheduled for the day so I want to meet my obligations with each couple.

Q: Any advice or words of wisdom you’d like to pass on?

A: I’ve officiated over a thousand wedding ceremonies since being a judge and it has been a tremendous honor to officiate each one of them. Enjoy the day and live in the moment. This is one of the happiest days of your relationship, but when a marriage is successful there will be many more happy days to come!

Wow thanks so much Judge Chu!

To find out more about him or to book his services go HERE.

For more information on how to have a Courthouse Ceremony please check out the Travis County Clerks website. And make note any updates in regards to Covid 19 restrictions and procedures.