How to Elope in Seattle
Eloping with a view on the Seattle Municipal Court’s rooftop deck.
Eloping in Seattle is really easy. It only requires three things - a marriage license, an officiant, and two legal witnesses.
The marriage license is easy to get at the King County Recorder’s Office in Seattle or at your local facility in Washington. There is a three day waiting period in the State of Washington, so be aware that if you are traveling from another state or country, you will have to arrive during the workweek and wait three days before having the ceremony. Be sure to bring your ID with you to get the marriage certificate.
You will then need someone to perform the ceremony. You can go to one of the courthouses in Seattle, the Seattle Municipal Court or the King County Court. They both require reservations and advance notice. You can see my article about getting married at the Seattle Municipal Court (coming soon).
You can also choose a professional wedding officiant. You can check out my recommended wedding vendors. Or you can have a friend get ordained to perform the ceremony at the Universal Life Church. You can get ordained on the day of the wedding if you forget to do it before. I spent 10 minutes to become ordained a few years ago when a couple fired their officiant a few minutes before the ceremony. I figured that I could help people out with their paperwork if there was ever a problem.
You will also need two people over the age of 18 to witness the ceremony and sign the paperwork. I have had the honor of signing as a witness several times.
Another thing you will want to choose is a place to get married. While you can get married in your living room, I always suggest you pick a cool place and have a photographer.
Seattle is a beautiful city and has amazing parks and natural beauty to have in your photographs. Depending on the size of your wedding party, you may have to get permission to use a park. However, if you only have a couple of people with you, anyplace can work. The official park’s policy is a permit is not required if there is a small number of people, the activity can happen anywhere in the park (as opposed to a single spot), does not impact the use of other people at the park, the activity is short, and it does not require the setup of equipment.
A couple elopes on the Bainbridge Island Ferry with an amazing view of Seattle in the background
Your search for a place can also include some incredible places outside the city. I have photographed a wedding on a Washington State Ferry, which was really cool. There are also parks like Rattlesnake Lake that are outside of the city.
The final step to make the marriage official is to submit the paperwork either in person or by mail.
I will update this article after I write an article with some suggestions for places to elope in the Seattle area.