How to Get Married at a Virginia Courthouse – Full Guide

Offering quick, short legal marriage services in Winchester, Virginia with optional photo packages.

 

I provide short, civil, legal marriage services at the Winchester, Virginia Courthouse with optional photos for couples interested in something easy, quick, but still intimate and memorable.

The process is simple and can all be done in under one hour! Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Schedule an appointment with me

Fill out my contact form to schedule an appointment with me for a specific date and time. You can also indicate if you would like to include a short (5 minute) or extended (20 minute) photography session.

Step 2: The day of your appointment,  arrive 30 minutes early to get your marriage license.

On the day of your scheduled appointment with me, you will arrive at the Winchester / Frederick County Judicial Center (5 N. Kent Street, Winchester, VA) 30 minutes BEFORE your appointment time to first obtain your marriage license from the court (or anytime earlier…marriage licenses are good for 60 days). All you need is:

  • A valid official photo ID (driver’s license or passport) OR birth certificate (written in English).
  • $30 to pay the court for your marriage license (cash or credit card).

Step 3: Meet me to get married outside the courthouse in a short legal ceremony.

After you have your license, I will then meet you at the courthouse at your scheduled appointment time and marry you in a very short ceremony. Weddings at the courthouse are conducted outside due to limited room inside the courthouse with no dedicated private rooms available for marriages. The short legal ceremony will be conducted under the stone archways outside or trees if you prefer.

You are also welcome to customize your marriage ceremony as well with personal vows or readings you provide. I will guide you through this process upon booking my services.

Step 4: Your marriage license is filed immediately after for you to purchase certified copies!

Immediately after your ceremony (and photo session if you included one), I will then complete the marriage license paperwork and return it to the court. You are then able to instantly purchase certified copies of the marriage license from the court ($3 per copy).

A woman and a man stand together outdoors, arm in arm, smiling warmly. The woman is wearing a light green sleeveless dress with subtle embroidered details, along with a necklace and bracelet. The man is dressed in a white button-down shirt and an olive-green jacket, accessorized with a necklace and a small heart-shaped pin. Behind them is a softly blurred background of greenery and fall colors, giving the scene a bright and pleasant atmosphere.

Erika F.

An absolute MUST when eloping to get married is choosing a competent and reliable professional to work with you. Aaron Riddle was exactly who we needed for our fast yet meaningful wedding. Everything worked out as planned, a result of following Aaron’s instructions beginning to end. Not to mention the amazing high-quality photographs he took, capturing our most special day! And all this right in the middle of beautiful Winchester, a city worth the 4-hour drive from our home town. We are very pleased and grateful for making this choice. Thank you so much, Aaron (you also have a great personality, by the way)!

A man with long hair and a beard holds hands with a woman wearing a light yellow dress

Kayla O.

Very detailed communications and instructions, and efficient service and paper work. Pictures were beautiful!

photo of a man and woman smiling

Megan T.

My now husband and I had the best experience working with Aaron. We did the basic courthouse package with the added 5 minute photography shoot. We wanted casual, laid back, quick, easy, but still special and intimate and Aaron delivered on all counts! He made everything super easy and stress free prior to the day of. Also, the quick photoshoot got us some really great photos to remember the day. I definitely recommend adding that service if you’re unsure, it’s worth it! I would give him extra stars if I could!

photo of a man and woman holding hands and looking forward

Lindsey C.

I highly recommend Aaron Riddle as a wedding officiant. My fiancé (now husband) and I were looking for a low maintenance, easy wedding with a few guests. I originally liked Aaron because his website was thorough, clear, concise, and it matched our needs perfectly. After working with Aaron I can say he was very personable, professional, and completely met all my expectations. He was also our photographer and took beautiful pictures!

man and woman holding hands facing camera

Melissa R.

Aaron was great to work with; quick and timely responses, effective and clear communication, and an awesome photographer. Aaron made our elopement everything we wanted and we have beautiful pictures to go with the memories of our day!

man and woman looking at one another

Brenda S.

Our wedding ceremony was everything I wanted without any of the hassles. Aaron provided a professional, well thought out ceremony, and responded to emails and texts promptly. I added on the short photography session, ordered wedding announcements, and purchased some prints…all in one place. Thank you, Aaron!

man and woman looking forward

Melissa F.

Aaron was extremely professional and made our wedding day stress-free, easy-going and special! He allowed us to make choices of how we wanted the service and was very kind and efficient. We would highly recommend Aaron’s services for any couple wanting to get married efficiently in one day with respect and kindness!

man and woman holding hands looking forward and smiling

Pamela A.

Aaron, thank you for being our officiant! We were very pleased with your prompt and professional services. Our pictures were absolutely beautiful!

photo of a man and woman holding each other

Roderick H.

Aaron was incredibly helpful, responds quickly, and does everything he says he will. He greatly simplified the administrative and legal marriage process and was very flexible. Highly recommend!

man holding woman and smiling

Gage E.

Aaron is amazing! Total professional and makes the whole experience easy and simple for clients. Would happily recommend his wedding services and photography services to anyone!

couple hugging and facing the camera

Kamiyah B.

Aaron was an amazing officiant. He was very informative on the process and his website is very concise on his packages and prices. He was very punctual the day of and he was able to perform our ceremony, 5-minute photo shoot, and file our marriage certificate in under an hour. Overall, great experience and would definitely recommend!

couple arm in arm facing forward

Myron S.

Aaron was exceptional through the entire elopement process. He explained everything well with detailed instructions. We selected a small ceremony outside the courthouse in Winchester. Aaron made our planning so easy, and made the process so simple. The ceremony with paperwork was quick and well explained. We selected the photo session at the courthouse and absolutely love the way the pictures came out. We would highly recommend Aaron’s services!

You can come from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland or anywhere in the world and get married in Winchester, VA!

Couples have many reasons for coming to Winchester, Virginia to get married, but some of the most common ones are:

  • NO waiting period (get your marriage license and get married the same day)
  • NO blood tests
  • NO additional documentation needed other than an ID (driver’s license)
  • Scenic areas
  • Friendly people
  • A drive through the lovely mountains on the way to Winchester

Many couples make a day trip out of their visit to Winchester to get married. For example, you can come out to Winchester in the morning, spend 20-30 minutes getting your marriage license, and another 20 minutes getting married with a quick photography session and that’s it! You have the rest of the day to spend in and around Winchester.

Have lunch at one of the great restaurants in Old Town Winchester. Visit a nearby trail for a fun and scenic hike in the mountains. There are so many options on how to spend your day in a town I love to call home.

Back to Top