court house wedding question

[Diva]

Ok, so we just got married at the courthouse on December 23! It is pretty painless, we did it in Kansas City and you just go down and pay the $50 for the license and the $25 extra for the judge to marry you and Voila! you are legally hitched!

 

It is basically like a cattle call, you sit in the audience and wait your turn.  I wore a red dress, he wore a black suit and tie, and it was very nonchalant.  

 

It is funny because we were talking about it on Christmas with family and they asked how it feels to be married.  We both do not feel any different, but I KNOW it will all sink in for me after March when I get to wear the white dress and have all of the pomp and circumstance of a "real" wedding :-)

 

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any additional questions!

[islandbride8]

so there were other people in the "audience"?   glad everything is going well for you

[lisa203]

Congrats Diva! Love your siggy.

[Vettiebean]

We're planning on doing the same thing. Legal ceremony, paperwork, license in the states, then the destination wedding, which I consider my real wedding date.  

 

Sooo tempted to just get hitched now though! But, the really good things are worth the wait, right? 

 

Anyone here do this in California recently? Wondering if I have to do things prior to showing up to the courthouse, or if I can just pop up and do it all on the spot. 

 

Thanks, ladies! 

[JenFL]

We plan on doing it a week or 2 before the wedding. In FL you can have a notary public marry you so I'm having a coworker do it - real informal probably at our house with a few friends that can't make it as witnesses, sign some papers and done. We are not exchanging rings until Mexico though and will be using the Mexico date as our actual date.

[Diva]

@islandbride: yes there were about 15 other couples gettting married that day, so you just show up and basically wait your turn like in the doctor's office or something.  You stand up there, say your "I do" stuff, then everyone claps and the next couple is up.  We had around 7 of his family members that came as well

 

@lisa203: Thanks for the siggy compliment!

[diahr]

Does anyone know how the legal courtroom wedding process works in NJ? NJ does not have JPs.

 

Thanks! 

[shan0487]

Does anyone know how it works in IL?

[MDLady]

We did the courthouse ceremony but it was literally 5 minutes.  We did not exchange rings but had to repeat vows and sign the paperwork.  It was pretty easy and was very quick.  We did not want to make it into a wedding although the couple after us was dressed up with their whole families and I think they were having a whole ceremony there..   We went 2 weeks prior to our actual wedding but exchanged rings at the wedding ceremony on the islands.