**Updated March 2026

You’re here!! You’ve found your person, you’re planning a stress-free wedding day, and decided you want to do the simplest thing possible. Queue- a courthouse wedding in Sangamon County.

There is SO much to love about courthouse weddings. The intimacy, the simplicity, and the small details, all come together and create such a beautiful and unique experience for you and your boo. You can be in bed early!!

If this kind of wedding day sounds like you but you’re not sure where to start, keep reading!! Take it from someone who’s documented 20+ courthouse weddings in Sangamon County over the last 5 years!!

How to Plan Your Courthouse Wedding

1. Applying & Obtaining Your Marriage License

You can go in person, or fill out the application at home with your person! It is $75 to apply for your license.

You will need acceptable forms of identification:

• a valid driver’s license
• valid state issued I.D.
• valid U.S. passport
• valid military I.D.

Click here to apply for your marriage license online

Once you have submitted the application and paid the $75 fee, an employee of the Sangamon County office will call you when the application and payment has been processed.

You AND your partner will need to go to the office to pick up the license and show your ID’s. It will be on the first floor of the county building on 200 South Ninth Street, Springfield, Illinois. (You can do this before the wedding OR day of.)

2. Choosing Your Date

Because you’re planning an intimate wedding day, you’re going to have a lot more flexibility in choosing your date, so if you do have must-have vendors, inquire with them first!  Ask them what dates they have available near your ideal date or date(s) for your courthouse wedding and then plan around them!

It’s important to note that the Sangamon County Courthouse only performs weddings:

• Monday-Friday
• at 11:30am or 1:15pm
• schedule your ceremony 2 weeks in advance
• call the wedding desk at (217)535-3186 the schedule your ceremony

If you have a must-have photographer on your list, contact them first to see what their availability is like and then plan from there.

Once you’ve picked a date with the vendors that matter to you, make an appointment at the Sangamon County Court House to schedule your elopement.

2. Booking Your Vendors & Plan Your Photo Locations

Once you have chosen your photographer and your courthouse appointment, you’ll have locked down a wedding day!

Your next step will be able to book any other vendors you hope to have as a part of your day.  Other vendors you will want to look into are florists, a hairstylist, or makeup artists, and if you want to have dinner afterward or go somewhere special after the ceremony such as a restaurant, you will want to make a reservation.

If you want photos at the IL State Capitol Building, Vondra Social House, Washington Park, or an Airbnb, be sure to figure out WHEN you want photos. Before the ceremony, after?

Check out this blog about different spots to take wedding portraits around Springfield!

Once you have your vendors booked & photo locations picked out you can start planning out the timeline for your courthouse wedding day.

3. Invite Your Loved Ones (optional!)

Contact anyone you hope to have with you on your elopement day, parents, friends, or other members of your family.  You don’t have to have a witness during your marriage ceremony, but friends and family are welcome to join you for your courthouse ceremony.

You can send them a little save-the-date text or just give them a call and ask them to mark their calendars.  Or if it’s just the two of you, start to put together your dream elopement day!

You’ll want to plan the rest of your day around your appointment at the courthouse as that will be the only time constraint on your timeline.  Outside of your ceremony, you’ll want a little bit of time for wedding portraits, your meals, and any other activities you hope to have planned for your day!

4. Show up early!!!

The truth is about ceremonies at Sangamon County CLerk’s office? The judge conducts these ceremonies at the beginning and end of their lunch break. They are busy all day with other court cases, and when they’re done, they’re called up to conduct your ceremony at 11:30 before their break, or 1:15pm, right before they have to go back to court.

The people who work at the county building never want to go into the judges lunch break. People have shown up super late and it’s not been great for the judge. So when you call to schedule your ceremony appointment, the county contact will probably tell you 11:15am or 1:00pm instead of the time stated above.

With this in mind- BE EARLY! Make sure to tell your loved ones to arrive 20 minutes early. If you are late, don’t worry, they can still make it work. But do your best to arrive on time.

Step by step of your courthouse wedding day:

• Arrive downtown near 200 S 9th St, Springfield, IL 62701
• DO NOT PAY THE METERS!!! Street parking is free for 2 hours
• go through security, make sure you have nothing weird in your pockets / wallet
• stay on the first floor, go back & to the right: both of you must pick up your marriage license (if you didn’t pick it up already)
• pay the $10 judges fee on the 4th floor (room 405)
• go to the room on the left of 405 (room 404) & let the folks know you are there for the ceremony
• you will give Lisa or Melissa your marriage license!
• wait for the judge
• short marriage ceremony! Usually 2 minutes max
• yay! sign it, have witnesses sign it (if you want)
• head back down to the 1st floor to pick up the signed copies

Then start group photos or head out for couple photos, or go to lunch!

5. Celebrate!

You should celebrate!!!!! Plan a small reception at Arlingtons or Long Bridge Golf Course with friends and family later. OR go out to lunch /dinner that day!

Check out these Springfield places to eat after your courthouse ceremony.

 

Requirements for Getting Married at the Sangamon County Courthouse

In order to get married at the Sangamon County Courthouse, you will need the following:

• An appointment at the courthouse scheduled at least two weeks in advance
• Your marriage license
• $10 to pay the judges registration fee
• Though no witnesses are required, you can bring your friends and family!

If you’re in Central Illinois local wanting to plan the perfect courthouse day, I would LOVE to be a part of it!

Check out my pricing for SCCC weddings here.

No like real couples have done this before! Check out their courthouse wedding day:

• N&J – courthouse ceremony & next day reception
• N&S – courthouse ceremony & IL State Capitol portraits
• E&S – courthouse ceremeony & IL State Capitol portraits

 

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