Fort Worth Courthouse Wedding Photographer

Fort Worth Courthouse Weddings, Start to Finish

A Tarrant County courthouse wedding comes down to three things: a marriage license from the County Clerk, a ceremony with an authorized officiant (at the courthouse, a justice of the peace), and the photographs around it. The clerk and each court post their own hours and fees, so the steps below link to the official pages. Once your court is booked, we plan coverage around what it allows, from the walk in to portraits across downtown.

Step 1: Get Your Tarrant County Marriage License

A Texas license from any county works for a ceremony anywhere in the state. In Tarrant County, the County Clerk's marriage license page sets out the requirements:

• Both of you apply together, in person or on a video conference with the clerk. Video is available for formal licenses only. You can start the application online first.
• Both of you must be at least 18.
• Bring valid, government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID. Your names will appear on the license exactly as they do on your IDs.
• Know your Social Security numbers. No blood test is required.
• The fee is $76, or $16 with a printed Twogether in Texas or premarital counseling certificate. Add $100 if neither of you can prove Texas residency. The clerk takes cash and major cards, and cards add a 1.73% fee.
• Go to the downtown office at 200 Taylor Street, third floor of the Tarrant County Plaza Building (enter on the west side, off Burnett Street), or to one of seven other clerk locations, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The 72-Hour Wait, Its Exceptions, and the 90-Day Window

Texas law bars the ceremony during the 72 hours after the license is issued (Family Code §2.204). A license issued Friday morning means Monday morning at the earliest, and most of the county's courts post weekday hours for ceremonies. The wait does not apply if:

• either of you is on active duty in the U.S. armed forces (show the military ID to your officiant) or works for the Department of Defense as an employee or contractor;
• you get a written waiver for good cause from a qualifying judge, which under Texas law includes justices of the peace and judges of courts that hear family cases; or
• you complete a premarital education course of at least eight hours within the year before you apply. The state's Twogether in Texas program lists courses in person and online. Print the certificate and show it to both the clerk and your officiant. In Tarrant County it also drops the license fee to $16.

The license expires if you have not married within 90 days of issue, and Tarrant County allows no exceptions. If either of you divorced recently, the county also requires a 30-day wait after the divorce is final unless it was waived; bring a certified copy of the waiver when you apply.

Step 2: Book a Justice of the Peace

Texas lets licensed or ordained Christian ministers and priests, rabbis, authorized officers of religious organizations, and current, former, or retired federal and state judges conduct a ceremony (Family Code §2.202). For a courthouse wedding in Tarrant County, the eight justice of the peace courts publish their own wedding schedules and fees. This is what each court posted as of September 22, 2026. Fees are per ceremony, and courts change them, so confirm when you book.

Justice of the peace courts in Fort Worth

• Precinct 1 · 1895 Courthouse (the historic Tarrant County Courthouse)

  100 W. Weatherford St., Room 450, Fort Worth

  Fee:

  $200, cash only

  When:

  Weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. only. Ceremonies are booked one month in advance, and the couple must call once they have the license.

  Note:

  The courtroom holds 14 people, counting children and photographers. No decorations, and no evening or weekend ceremonies.

  Precinct 1 wedding page

• Precinct 5 · Tarrant County Criminal Justice Annex

  350 W. Belknap St., first floor, Fort Worth

  Fee:

  $150, cash only

  When:

  Business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call the court to book.

  Precinct 5 wedding page

• Precinct 6 · Southwest Subcourthouse

  6551 Granbury Rd., Fort Worth

  Fee:

  $200 during business hours, cash only

  When:

  Weekdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call the court to book.

  Note:

  Its wedding page links the form for waiving the 72-hour wait.

  Precinct 6 wedding page

• Precinct 8 · Poly Subcourthouse

  3500 Miller Ave., Fort Worth

  Fee:

  $200, cash only

  When:

  Business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call the court to book.

  Precinct 8 wedding page

Elsewhere in Tarrant County

• Precinct 2 · Southeast Subcourthouse

  700 E. Abram St., Suite 200, Arlington

  Fee:

  $200, cash only

  When:

  Appointments recommended. Evening and weekend ceremonies cost extra and are prepaid.

  Note:

  Up to 25 guests. Couples are called in check-in order, so the ceremony can start after the appointment time, especially on Fridays.

  Precinct 2 wedding page

• Precinct 3 · Northeast Courthouse and Southlake Town Hall

  645 Grapevine Hwy., Hurst · 1400 Main St., Southlake

  Fee:

  $220, cash only

  When:

  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after 1 p.m. Ceremonies are booked two weeks in advance.

  Note:

  The courtroom holds 30 people, counting children and photographers.

  Precinct 3 wedding page

• Precinct 4 · Northwest Subcourthouse

  6713 Telephone Rd., Suite 201, Lake Worth

  Fee:

  $150 on weekdays, 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; no credit cards or checks

  When:

  Call the court to book. Fees differ after hours, on weekends, and on holidays.

  Note:

  No witnesses are required. The judge asks that no flash be used during the vows.

  Precinct 4 wedding page

• Precinct 7 · Mansfield Subcourthouse

  1100 E. Broad St., Suite 202, Mansfield

  Fee:

  $200 during business hours, cash only

  When:

  Book with the court's wedding information form. Evening and weekend ceremonies cost extra.

  Precinct 7 wedding page

Can Your Photographer Come Into the Courtroom?

At the Tarrant County courts that address it, yes, within the limits the judge sets. Precinct 1 and Precinct 3 count photographers toward their room limits of 14 and 30 people, and neither allows the courtroom to be decorated. Precinct 4's judge asks that no flash be used during the vows. Mention your photographer when you book, count us in your guest total, and expect to follow the bailiff's lead. These are working courthouses, and other court business goes on around you.

Portrait Locations Near the Courthouse

A 3-Hour Courthouse Day in Downtown Fort Worth

A realistic plan for The Vow around a Precinct 1 ceremony at the 1895 Courthouse. We adjust the blocks on your planning call once your court and appointment time are set.

1. 0:00–0:30

   Arrive and start outside

   Meet near the 1895 Courthouse for details and a few quiet frames of the two of you, then leave time to get into the building and find Room 450.

2. 0:30–1:15

   Check in and say your vows

   Courts put official business first and can run behind, so this block carries a buffer. Photography inside follows the judge's rules, and coverage keeps running through the wait.

3. 1:15–1:30

   Family and witness photographs

   Right outside, while everyone is together. A short list agreed on the planning call keeps this moving.

4. 1:30–2:15

   Downtown portraits

   The courthouse exterior and the streets around it. Add Sundance Square only if the property has approved the session in advance.

5. 2:15–2:45

   A second location

   Drive to the Water Gardens at the other end of downtown, with the city's photography permit in hand, or go straight to your lunch spot.

6. 2:45–3:00

   A toast and the last frames

   Lunch, a glass of champagne, or a walk back to the car. Coverage ends here.

After the Ceremony: Recording Your License

Your officiant signs the license and must return it to the County Clerk within 30 days of the ceremony (Family Code §2.206). To speed it up, one of you can hand-deliver the completed license to any of the clerk's eight locations, and it is recorded while you wait. Certified copies cost $21 for the first and $11 for each additional copy.

Fees, hours, and rules above were checked against the official Tarrant County, State of Texas, City of Fort Worth, and Sundance Square pages on September 22, 2026. Confirm them with the clerk or your court before you plan around them.

Frequently Asked Questions