A courthouse ceremony is over in minutes, often in a small room you cannot decorate or rearrange. So a good courthouse wedding film is mostly the hours around the ceremony: getting ready, the walk in, the steps outside, the meal after. That changes what is worth paying for. Before you book anyone, ask the court what it allows, and plan for sound, because the vows are the one moment you cannot film again.
Our bias, stated up front
We film weddings with our own crews, and we also sell two ways to film one without a crew: The Kit, a camcorder your people film with, and Your Phone, Our Edit, where they film on their own iPhones and we edit. Both are below, next to the options we do not sell. We have not surveyed courthouse rules across the country and will not pretend to. Every court sets its own, so the next section is about what to ask, not what the answer will be.
The detail most guides miss: ask the court before you book a camera
Guides to courthouse weddings cover the license and the appointment. Few mention that the court decides whether you can film, and where. Policies vary: a court may allow photos and video freely, limit how many guests come into the room, or keep cameras out of hallways and the security line. Call or email the clerk's office when you book the appointment and ask four things:
- Can a guest film the ceremony, with a phone or a small camera?
- Can we clip a small microphone on the officiant, or on one of us?
- How many guests can come into the room?
- Is there anywhere we cannot film: the hallway, the security line, the steps outside?
Write the answers down and send them to whoever is filming. It is the cheapest way to avoid a court officer stopping your cousin halfway through the vows.
Plan for sound, because the vows are quiet
In a small room an officiant may speak quickly and softly, and a phone held a few steps back hears the air vents as clearly as the vows. If the court allows it, a clip-on microphone on the officiant, or on one of you, is the difference between a film you watch with the sound up and one you watch with captions. Our post on why you can't hear the vows explains the problem. Our mic kit, $50, is two clip-on microphones and can be added to the phone edit or to a Kit; it travels by post, so add it with time to spare.
The film is mostly the hours around the ceremony
Give whoever is filming this list, in order:
- The paperwork. The license in your hands, the rings in a pocket, the appointment confirmation on a phone.
- Getting ready. Wherever you dress, even if it is ten minutes in a hotel room.
- The walk up to the building. Your faces before you go in.
- The waiting. The bench outside the room is often the funniest part of the day.
- The ceremony and the signing, from close enough to hear.
- The first steps outside. The doors, the steps, the first time someone calls you married.
- The meal after. One toast, the table, the walk home.
Ten minutes of ceremony and an hour of this make a better film than an hour of ceremony would.
Four ways to get it filmed
| Option | What it covers | Who edits |
|---|---|---|
| A guest's phone, kept as it is | The ceremony, if they remember to press record | No one; you keep the clip |
| Your people's phones, and our edit | Whatever they film, all day | Our studio: a 3 to 5 minute film, and every clip back |
| A camcorder kit | The day and the meal, with a light; microphones added | Our studio |
| A videographer, for a short booking | The ceremony and portraits, filmed by a professional | Whoever you book |
A guest's phone, kept as it is
Free, and enough if all you want is the vows on record. Ask the guest to stand close, hold the phone sideways and keep recording through the kiss and the walk out. Our guide to asking a friend to film your wedding covers what to ask of them.
Your people's phones, and our edit
Your Phone, Our Edit is $549. Your people film on their own iPhones with a printable shot list and filming guide; our studio cuts a 3 to 5 minute film and sends back every clip, in order, cut by the same editors as our crewed wedding films. Nothing has to ship, so it works for any date, including a courthouse appointment booked this week. Our guide to filming your wedding on iPhones covers collecting the files without losing quality.
A camcorder kit
The Single is $729: a Sony 4K Handycam with an LED fill light and a 3 to 5 minute film, arriving three to four days before the wedding, with seven days to film. It suits a courthouse wedding with plans around it, a dinner the night before or a party after. It travels by post, so it is not for a ceremony booked this week.
A videographer, for a short booking
The most polished option: professional framing, proper microphones and portraits on the steps. Many videographers book by the hour or with a minimum, so ask whether they offer a short courthouse booking; one who films elopements in your city may already know the building. Our guide to how many hours of wedding video you need helps you size it, and if your date is close, our guide to booking a last-minute videographer covers what is still realistic.
Which to choose
- Your appointment is this week: the phone edit, or a videographer who is free that day.
- Hearing the vows matters most: a clip-on microphone, if the court allows it, or a videographer who brings one.
- There is a dinner or a party around it: a camcorder kit covers the whole day and the days either side.
- You only want the vows on record: a guest's phone, held close.
A small wedding is still a wedding. Our guide to planning a micro wedding covers the rest of the day.
Common questions
Can you film a courthouse wedding?
Usually, but the court decides. Rules are set court by court and sometimes room by room, so ask the clerk's office when you book: whether guests can film, whether a clip-on microphone is allowed, how many guests can come in, and where filming is not allowed.
Is a videographer worth it for a courthouse wedding?
It can be, if you want polished portraits and clean sound and can find one who offers a short booking. Many book by the hour or with a minimum, which a short ceremony does not use. On a small budget, your own people filming on their phones, with an editor at the other end, gets you a real film for less.
How do you get good audio at a courthouse wedding?
Put a clip-on microphone on the officiant or on one of you, if the court allows it, and have whoever is filming stand close. A phone a few steps back hears the room more than the vows. Ask about the microphone when you ask about filming.
What should you film at a courthouse wedding?
More than the ceremony, which is over in minutes: the paperwork in your hands, getting ready, the walk in, the waiting, the vows and the signing, the first steps outside, and the meal or toast after. Those hours are most of a good courthouse wedding film.
Can we get a courthouse wedding film without hiring anyone?
Yes. With our phone edit, Your Phone, Our Edit, your people film on their own iPhones with a printable shot list, and our studio cuts a 3 to 5 minute film and sends back every clip. Nothing ships, so it works for any date, including a courthouse appointment this week. It is $549.
