3 Tips for Your Chicago Destination Elopement
Written by Curator, Lisa Kathan Photography
Chicago is an amazing place to be married — no wonder more and more couples are coming from places like the U.K., Canada and Australia to celebrate with a tiny wedding or elopement!
Readers of Conde Nast Traveler voted Chicago the #1 Big City in the US for the 6th year in a row, and we’re not surprised! It has stunning historical architecture, top museums, and some of the best restaurants in the world. It's a great place to be married!
If you’re planning to come to Chicago for your elopement or tiny wedding, there are a few important things you should know before booking your hotel and flights.
tip #1: plan to arrive in chicago 2 days before your wedding date
To be legally married in Cook County, Illinois (the county where Chicago is located), you must get your Marriage License 1 day before your wedding date. You do NOT want to arrive at the airport, try to get into the city during rush hour, and locate the marriage court before they close. Save yourself the stress and get to your hotel 2 days before the date you plan to be married so you have time to get your marriage license, or you won’t be able to be legally married.
The above link has the information you’ll need to know about securing your marriage license. Also, there are several locations in Cook County — be sure you head to the Downtown Location Office of Vital Records.
Kari at Wedding Day Chicago, a planner and ceremony officiant, has some great additional advice. “Don’t forget to plan for how you will get your Marriage Certificate — the legal document that proves you’re married — when the wedding is over. The Office of Vital Records is only open on weekdays,” she adds, “and if you head out of town over the weekend, you’ll have to rely on the government office shipping it to you.”
To lessen the chances of your marriage license getting lost, Kari offers a high-touch service, where she personally delivers the signed marriage license to the Office of Vital Records, secures your Marriage Certificate, and ships it to you. “You’d be surprised how often marriage paperwork gets lost, so couples love this service.”
tip #2: there are better places than city hall to be married…here’s why
As much as we love our city — while getting married at City Hall marriage court does the job — it’s not the most special spot to be married. Your ceremony will be in a windowless basement room in City Hall, and there are definitely more memorable places to be married while you’re here. But, hey, it’s $10, so if you’re on the strictest of budgets, go for it.
If you’re determined to have your ceremony at City Hall, you’ll want to read “6 Tips for Getting Married at City Hall in Chicago.” It’s full of important directions and requirements, so you’ll want to give it a read before making your decision.
↠ bonus note for couples coming from outside the us
One of the restrictions to getting married at City Hall is that you must make an appointment. This is done by calling, leaving a message with your planned date, and someone at the marriage court calls back to confirm. However, the marriage court does return calls made from an international number; therefore, you won’t be able to make an appointment.
If you’re planning to come from outside to the US to elope in Chicago, we recommend one of the options at the end of this blog post.
#3 plan to stay a few days (and a few other suggestions)
Chicago is a world-class City, so plan to take advantage of it while you're here! Book an architecture tour, make a reservation at one of Chicago's finest restaurants, visit the Art Institute, and if you're here May through October, take a stroll down the Riverwalk and enjoy one of the restaurants or wineries.
You'll want to book a hotel that's central to where you plan to be married, to lessen your need to travel around town. Chicago is very large and spread out, so if you're not familiar with the various neighborhoods, pick a boutique hotel in the Loop or River North areas, and you'll find lots of places of interest within walking distance.
Also, you'll want to download Uber to your phone. Most locals use it to get around town since parking can be difficult to find and expensive (but if you do arrive with a car, download SpotHero to your phone for the best prices on parking lots and garages).
If you’re planning to travel to Chicago to for your tiny wedding or elopement, check out these local businesses that can help you plan your elopement long-distance…
SIMPLY WED is specially created for couples traveling domestically or internationally to Chicago to be married. From basic to boutique concierge services, Lisa Kathan, a top tiny wedding & elopement photographer, and Kari from Wedding Day Chicago, have collaborated to create boutique tiny wedding & elopement packages for everything you need to plan the most memorable trip to Chicago.
Elope to Chicago is a team of local wedding professionals put together by photographer, Becky Brown. Elope to Chicago offers packages that include photography, a ceremony officiant, and a number of other add-ons — like hair & makeup and florals — to make your wedding day the best ever!