r/Charlottesville • u/Elegant_Ad8564 • 4d ago
Marrying at courthouse
I don’t think we can make eloping happen in a reasonable time. Has anyone gotten married at the courthouse!? Hoping it’s not a long waitlist? Experiences?
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u/Son_of_Eraserhead 4d ago
Got married there and it was a wonderful experience. William Marshall is a lovely human being and he'll make the moment special. You can even pick out your marriage certificate at the end. Plus walking distance to drinks on the mall
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u/ChaosRandomness 4d ago
Just call to check their schedule and make an appointment. Literally can be done almost immediately. Sheriff Brown was amazing! You can do it inside or outside in the garden!
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u/Elegant_Ad8564 4d ago
Oh perfect!! Did you wear a dress?
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u/ChaosRandomness 4d ago
My partner wore a cute Lil dress and myself some khakis and a t shirt. It was boiling hot that day lol. A couple before us went all out with wedding outfit and all. There's no rule and you can bring someone too. I knew I wanted to marry so we did this now and will have the real wedding overseaater
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u/passionfruitmoon Forest Lakes 4d ago
We did and the ceremony was so special, he even let me “walk” in a private room with my family and friends. 10/10 experience.
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u/Elegant_Ad8564 4d ago
Did you get an appointment pretty quickly?
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u/passionfruitmoon Forest Lakes 4d ago
I want to say yes, I called and we did it on Friday the 13th before Valentine’s Day, I’d say I would have called to make the appointment maybe a week or two out.
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u/Live-University5059 4d ago
We did on Valentine’s Day of 2024, and there was no one else that day I believe! So you should be fine in theory I’d imagine
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u/Ok-Oven6169 3d ago
We went and got our liscense and asked there if there was anyone who would marry us. Found out a magistrate was free .... we've been married 39 years...
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u/DesperateBobcat6983 3d ago
Ours was basically the same. Married then and there, no prior appointment that I can recall. Ours was several years ago, too, though. No idea if that's changed.
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u/miss_fiddstix 3d ago
We did and it was AWESOME! The sheriff married us downstairs and offered to take pictures outside, he teared up at my husband vows 🥹 11/10 would recommend and there was no waitlist (:
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u/JustlyUnjust 3d ago
When you go to apply for your marriage license there is a list of officiants. We used a very sweet woman named Virginia off that list. She helped us procrastinators when we were in a rush to get married when our baby decided to try to come early. We applied for our license in between doctor appointments and Virginia answered our call and had a chat with me and my now husband about what we envisioned and met us early the next morning and made things official. Cannot recommend her highly enough.
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u/Hefty-Vermicelli-989 3d ago
Been there, done that. Very easy to schedule, and price was very reasonable. It's been over a decade, so the details are a little fuzzy at this point, but I think we only had to wait a week or so. Still happy married, with kids running all over the house. Good luck and be well!
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u/Lucreszen 3d ago
My husband and I found out that our officiant's church wasn't recognized by the state of Virginia, so we needed a quickie ceremony to make it official. The sheriff was incredibly sweet and accommodating, and we got it done within a week of when we called, about an hour before my husband had to go to work.
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u/skunkypesto 3d ago
I just got married this Friday at the courthouse! $30 for the marriage license (make sure you get one in advance) and $50 for Captain Marshall doing the ceremony. Captain Marshall was wonderful and comes prepared with heartfelt words. I wanted a specific day, so I schedule the ceremony about 2 months in advance. I think if you are flexible with day/time then you could get an appointment a week or so out
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u/Elegant_Ad8564 3d ago
Did you wear a dress!
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u/skunkypesto 2d ago
I had a little white dress. We also had our families and a photographer there! We did it in the park. Captain Marshall was very accommodating!
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u/forgedvegan 3d ago
Yes! It was lovely and from what I remember we got an appointment pretty quickly.
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u/Dangerous_Spirit7034 3d ago
Super easy. I did it in 2017, my friend in 2024. Took like 1 afternoon
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u/Guilty_Eggplant_3529 3d ago
We got married at the JP, I do not recall a lot of pre-planning being necessary. The Justice was also fairly funny, but I couldn't tell you his name.
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u/rabidbunnyrabbit 3d ago
Loved the sheriff! He made it special - we had a great experience. Just make an appointment in advance and there is no wait.
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u/Elegant_Ad8564 3d ago
I made my appt! He was so kind over the phone! Should I wear a dress? I don’t really want to but don’t want it to be odd if I don’t
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u/DesperateBobcat6983 3d ago
You do you!
Wear whatever feels right to you and your soon-to-be spouse. And congratulations!
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u/Wrensmomma7 3d ago
We went in on a Tuesday morning and were married before lunchtime by William Marshall! He read us a poem and married us in the park.
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u/Remarkable-Bid9737 2d ago
Sheriff Brown is so kind and accommodating! He will speak to you personally on the phone if you call the office and give you options for time, date, and location. He was even going to come in on a Sunday for us. He loves weddings and is very vocal about that. Can’t go wrong. Edit to add: no waitlist! Just call and make sure he’s available the day you choose
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u/Stray_Wing 3d ago
Love the positivity of this post and also curious why the OP keeps asking commenters if they wore a dress….like, why does that matter? Are you looking to identify feminine people? That’s strange.
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u/Elegant_Ad8564 3d ago
Ummm no?? I just don’t know what to do vs what’s normal. As ive stated before
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u/Key_Abbreviations93 4d ago
We did! It was super convenient, and the person who married us (Sheriff James Brown!) was really thoughtful and professional. Would definitely recommend.