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As my experience grows in the courthouse wedding photography field, I decided to give all my tips and tricks for a specific courthouse located in Houston, Tx. This 1910 Harris County Courthouse is absolutely stunning and will make your elopement so dreamy and elegant.

Location

To begin with, this 1910 Harris County Courthouse is located on 301 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77002. It is in Downtown Houston so expect to deal with traffic getting there and around downtown. You will also want to plan to get there at least 15-30 minutes earlier than your ceremony time because you will have to go through security.

Guidelines and Rules at the 1910 Harris County Courthouse

Which brings me to my next point – security inside the courthouse. You will have to go through security just like at the airport. So remind yourself to leave any pocket knifes, pepper spray, etc. at home or in the car. You, your partner, and guests will have to also take off shoes/belts so be ready to do so. As for photography, there will be no flash nor tripods allowed so make sure to tell your photographer about these rules so they can plan ahead and be ready for the low light setting.

When to Book Your 1910 Harris County Courthouse Wedding

Deciding when to get married should be one of the first few things to take into consideration. Note that you only have 90 days after getting your marriage license to get married. Weddings inside the 1910 Harris County Courthouse can only be performed during weekdays. Weekend weddings are only available to be held outside the courthouse.

Weather

If you are still trying to figure out what season to get married in, I would for sure recommend to skip out the HOT Houston summer months. Anywhere between May – September is extremely hot. The courthouse will close by 4:30 so all ceremonies will be during the day and during the peek of the heat. Trust me, if you are wearing any makeup, you won’t want to be sweating it off during your special day!

Parking at the 1910 Harris County Courthouse

If you get lucky, you might find some parking spots on the street around the 1910 Harris County Courthouse. You will have to pay for parking there but it’s not more than $15 for 3 hours. If the parking around the courthouse is full, you will need to find parking somewhere else. One of my to-go-to parking lots is: Premier Parking – click here for apple maps location – click here for google maps location. Pricing for premier parking varies. I’ve seen it as low as $12 and as high as $60 because of the opening game day for the Astros (Houston’s baseball team). So be aware of any events taking place the day of your elopement because the prices will go up for parking.

Outfit Inspiration for Your Elopement

Elopements shouldn’t stop you from still having the wedding attire you want! If you need some inspiration, check out my Pinterest profile where I post various elopement photos. You can also find some ideas on my amazon storefront (this is an affiliate link from the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may receive compensation at no extra charge to you).

Hotels Around the 1910 Harris County Courthouse

If you’re looking to get ready in a near by hotel, these are two hotels that some of my clients have used.

Starting with Hotel ICON. This hotel is absolutely beautiful and is filled with a classy vintage “vibe.” It used to be a bank so a lot of the original architecture and decor is still there. There is a $350 fee to be able to take photos inside the hotel (even if you book a room at that hotel). If your budget allows for that fee, I 100% recommend staying at that hotel and getting some photos done inside.

Next is the Magnolia Hotel Houston. This hotel is gorgeous. The photoshoot I had in there was a styled photoshoot (meaning everything was pre-arranged) so I do not know if there is fee to take photos in there. The bar there serves as possible location for photos. And if you actually book a room at the hotel, you’re able to go to the highest floor and go out to the rooftop.

Both locations are gorgeous but I’m sure other hotels around the area are just as beautiful so feel free to do further research on the hotels you could stay in around the 1910 Harris County Courthouse.

Other Near by Locations

If you’re looking for a second location to hang out or celebrate after getting married at the 1910 Harris County Courthouse, Main Street is only a street away from the courthouse. Check out an engagement photoshoot I did at one of the bars on Main Street (Always call ahead to ask if photos are permitted and be kind to those who are enjoying their day at these locations).

The theater district is also near by – but maybe not walking distance if you are the one wearing heels. But can be doable.

Another location near by that could be great to keep on celebrating the union of you and your partner, is Buffalo Bayou Park. You can learn more information about that park here and see photos from a recent photoshoot that was taken at the Sabine Street Bridge.

Lastly, I had a couple go to another different bar where they were able to cut their cake, eat nachos, and drink some beer with the whole Houston skyline in the background. (Blog for this elopement coming soon!)

How to Book a Judge/Officiant

This is where a lot of the confusion begins. So the thing about the 1910 Harris County Courthouse is that you do not book the wedding through the courthouse.

Most of my couples have used Judge J Karahan. You would have to go to his website HERE and fill out his form to check on his availability.

I have also worked with the wonderful Ingrid. You can reach Ingrid through email: ingridkfig@gmail.com or you can find her instagram HERE. She has officiated many weddings at the courthouse. And although we aren’t able to go inside a courtroom, we can still take photos inside the main area of the courthouse and outside around the courthouse as well.

Vendors

If you are looking to add more to your special day, either video, cakes, flowers, etc. I got you! These are some vendors I have worked with and love the work and dedication to their business.

Video: @setsvn | @fridayfeelsproduction | @shotbyroyalty

Flowers: @thefloraculture | @dahlias.floralevents

Cakes: @sweetbkreations | @souldeliciososweets

Inspiration

Feel free to check out a few other elopements either at the same 1910 Harris County Courthouse or at other courthouses in Houston and surrounding areas. Make sure to also check out Bianca + Cecilio’s Elopement at the 1910 Harris County Courthouse. They celebrated their day with a cake cutting after their ceremony and it was so much fun!

I truly love helping people on their big day by capturing those heartfelt moments. If you’re planning your 1910 Harris County Courthouse elopement in Houston, Tx, I’d love to hear all about it. You can learn more about me and see if your dream elopement aligns with my work! Inquire here so we can get in touch. If you don’t know where to begin, I have written “How to Begin Planning Your Houston Elopement” to help you out.