FAQs about getting married at the Orange County Clerk of Courts

Note: if you’re looking for the step-by-step process of getting married at the courthouse, you can find that here.

What floor is for marriage licences and ceremonies at the Orange County Courthouse?

You can obtain a marriage license and/or have your ceremony on the 3rd floor of the Orange County Courthouse in downtown Orlando in room 350.

How much does it cost to get married at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando?

The cost of a marriage license is $86.00. The cost is reduced to $61 if you’ve taken an online premarital course. The ceremony fee is $30.

What payment methods does the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando take?

They take cash, money order, cashier’s check (payable to the Orange County Clerk of Courts)
MasterCard, Visa, Discover or American Express. They have a $3.50 surcharge for all credit card transactions.

Can anyone get married at the courthouse in Orlando?

Yes! Wherever you’re from in the world, you can get married in Orlando! This page has info for non-Florida residents getting a marriage license.

Can you get your license and get married on the same day?

If you’re a Florida resident, and you can prove you’ve taken a premarital course, you can get your license and get married on the same day. If you haven’t taken the course, there will be a 3 day waiting period between your license and your ceremony. There is no waiting period or course requirement if you’re not from Florida. This page has everything you need to know about it.

Do you need a witness to get married in Florida?

Nope. There’s a place for 2 witnesses on your certificate, but that’s a novelty and not required.

What is the ceremony room like at the Orange County courthouse?

The ceremony room at the courthouse isn’t the smallest one I’ve seen but not the largest. There are a lot of live laugh love type decorations on the walls. The room is a bit dim but I’m good with a flash so that doesn’t matter.

How many guests can you bring to your courthouse wedding?

Different courthouses have a different number of chairs for guests. You can see a lot of them on this page to pick the one that’s right for you. The Orlando courthouse will tell you that you can only have 7 guests even though there are 12 chairs. Regardless, they can’t turn your guests away once they show up. The most I’ve seen crammed in that room was 28 people.

If your group is noisy they will be asked to wait outside until your ceremony. Remember that there are a lot of people there doing all kinds of business and it’s important to be mindful of them.

Can you have your own officiant at the courthouse? Like if you want someone you know to marry you?

Unfortunately, no. The clerks do the ceremonies.

Can you have your photographer with you in the courthouse?

Yes!I haven’t experienced a Florida courthouse that doesn’t allow photography.

How long does a courthouse wedding ceremony take?

The ceremony can be less than 3 minutes unless couples bring their own vows to read to each other, which they do allow.

What’s the best time to get married at the courthouse in Orlando?

If this is a question of the best light for photos, that will change depending on the season. In the winter I always recommend snagging the last appointment of the day so you can get that juicy light nearing golden hour. Any other time of the year, it won’t make a difference what time your appointment is—the light will always be full brightness unless it’s cloudy.

The clerks take staggered lunch breaks from 11am-2pm and I’ve noticed that this is when they’re the most likely to be short staffed, but that only makes a difference of a few minutes it’s not really a big deal. They’re well staffed for the amount of business that goes on in that office.

If your appointment it first thing in the morning, leave some extra time to find parking and get through security. This is usually when people are arriving at the courthouse for jury duty or other official business and it can be busy.

What is the best day to get married at the Orlando courthouse?

Mondays can be super busy. Fridays can also be busy, but people are in a better mood and if you make your appointment at the end of the day, they’ll get you out of there fast and there are fewer people milling around in the background of your photos outside.

Special dates and holidays are very busy with people getting married at the courthouse. Obviously, Valentine’s Day but also dates that are like 2-2-22 or 2-3-23 are very popular.

There’s always a chance that on any day of the week there’s a big case happening in the court and there are a lot of jurors or spectators or press. So it’s not 100% predictable and you really should choose your date based on your convenience or if there’s a particular date that means something to you.

And at the end of the day, any factors that might make your time at the courthouse longer can be mitigated by being early enough to get through security and get upstairs in time for your appointment.

What happens if you’re late to your Orlando courthouse appointment?

Fear not! You will just be considered a walk-in. It will take longer to get to you, but you can still get married. Note that if you’re even a minute late to pull the ticket for your appointment, you will be considered a walk-in. So I always tell my couples to arrive 10-15 mins early to get through security and get upstairs in time.