Has anyone ever gotten married at city hall?

Hey all. Newbie here.

My question is about getting married at city hall.
See me and my FH just can't afford the beautiful big wedding we put on paper. We tried but it's not going to happen and after feeling blue about it Im ok with it.
So we decided that we should get married at city hall and then have a nice reception afterward.

But I am confused as to where I go. We are Suffolk county residents. Is there a town hall we can marry at? Or is it that they just issue a license and we have to go to a church to be officially married? Its all so much.
We have a date set Oct 2007, we have a while to go but I hate to not know what to do ahead of time.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Re: Has anyone ever gotten married at city hall?

Hi and welcome! Congrats!

I am not sure about the town hall on LI. I would call the town hall near you and inquire about it.

Don't worry about the big wedding thing hun, it's ok. Everything will work out.

Welcome to the addiction!

Re: Has anyone ever gotten married at city hall?

the ceremony is the cheap part. if you are still going to have a reception after you get married, why get married at town hall? there are some wedding alternatives that are cheaper than a full blown out LI wedding, like getting married on a cruise ship or a destination wedding. its definiteyly possible to scale back the costs and have a wedding here on LI, you will find many money saving tips on this site! never feel pressure to spend what others are spending on their big day! good luck! ~lacey

Re: Has anyone ever gotten married at city hall?

Yeah that's true, if you're having a reception then get married at the reception hall. Even if you're having your reception at your house or your parents' house, you can get married there too. Decorations and flowers will make it look awesome!

Re: Has anyone ever gotten married at city hall?

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Posted by lacey&mark

the ceremony is the cheap part. if you are still going to have a reception after you get married, why get married at town hall? there are some wedding alternatives that are cheaper than a full blown out LI wedding, like getting married on a cruise ship or a destination wedding. its definiteyly possible to scale back the costs and have a wedding here on LI, you will find many money saving tips on this site! never feel pressure to spend what others are spending on their big day! good luck! ~lacey

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I was thinking the same thing - if you're going to pay for some sort of a reception, for $400 - $500 (maybe less if you shop around) you can get an officiant who can legally marry you at the reception site. Plus the $40 fee for the marriage license which you'd have to pay anyway.

Good luck !!!

Re: Has anyone ever gotten married at city hall?

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Posted by lacey&mark

the ceremony is the cheap part. if you are still going to have a reception after you get married, why get married at town hall? there are some wedding alternatives that are cheaper than a full blown out LI wedding, like getting married on a cruise ship or a destination wedding. its definiteyly possible to scale back the costs and have a wedding here on LI, you will find many money saving tips on this site! never feel pressure to spend what others are spending on their big day! good luck! ~lacey

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are you having a HM? if so, look into your hotel/resort for the wedding....at ours, if you stay for 7 nights, the ceremony is free and the reception they provide is minimal, but it's just you anyway...to add it if you aren't staying the 7 nights i think they charge like $750....i read it just the other day.

Re: Has anyone ever gotten married at city hall?

Thanks for the advice, it's something we will definitely consider. It can all be so overwhelming.