An Intimate City Hall Elopement in Jersey City, NJ

This recent fall I had the opportunity to photograph an elopement at the city hall in Jersey City. It was a beautiful warm day, and a sweet intimate celebration for the couple and their immediate family.

The day began with the groom arriving alongside a few family members. When he arrived, he let me know that the engagement ring arrived the previous night and he was planning to propose to his future bride when she arrived in a few moments! We quickly devised a game plan before she arrived for him to formally propose during the first look. The bride arrived with a bouquet chosen by her brother and the whole family gathered by us. I set up the couple for their first look in front of the main staircase of the city hall.

The Surprise Proposal!

Shortly following the proposal, we jumped into family portraits. I work with my couples ahead of time to build a family photo shot list, keeping the checklist ready on my phone. We made our way through the family photos with time for a few cute group shots of everyone!

When the mayor was ready for us to begin the ceremony, we made our way in to the city hall up to the ceremony space. We were the only wedding for the morning, and it was so nice for the couple to have their own space to celebrate privately with their family. Everyone working at the city hall was so kind and helpful, it helped the day to run so smoothly.

We ended with couples portraits outside the city hall. The front has a cute little park area with string lights over the walkway, trees and benches, and both sides of the building have a small staircase. We used the front of the building primarily for the grand staircase and beautiful architecture.