Ten Reasons to Have Your “Courthouse” Wedding Ceremony at Chase Court in Baltimore, Maryland!

Lots of couples are scaling back their weddings and considering having a small or very small wedding ceremony, with or without a reception. 

We’ve been offering all-inclusive micro-weddings/elopements at Chase Court since the economic downturn in 2009. Over that time, through trial and error, we’ve created and refined a suite of eleven, all-inclusive, small and very small wedding packages, with a great selection of features and add-ons.

Here are ten great reasons to have your elopement ceremony at Chase Court instead of a courthouse.

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1. Venue

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Government courthouse: It’s a government office. Sterile, institutional, and uninspiring.

It’s not a pretty venue, and it has a decidedly government vibe. You have to pass through metal detectors, deal with tight security, and share the space with people attending court for criminal, civil, or family matters—which can dampen the celebratory mood… 

Many couples say that courthouse weddings, while perfectly legal, feel anticlimactic—more like filing paperwork than celebrating a union.

Chase Court: Your choice of the gorgeous private woodland ceremony garden or the romantic, historic, Gothic building (for cold or rainy wedding days).

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2. Ceremony

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Government courthouse: Brief, no-customization, standard ceremony, usually performed by a clerk.

Courthouse ceremonies are impersonal, standardized, and very brief—less than five minutes! The “officiant” is usually a judge or clerk who may not spend more than a minute or two with you before the actual ceremony. There’s little or no emotional connection, reflection, or personalization.

You have no choice of officiant, and no ability to change the ceremony itself.

Chase Court: You’ll have a custom ceremony, created in collaboration between you and one of our professional officiants. (Or, if you prefer, with your own officiant.)

Our officiant will meet with you in person or over Zoom, weeks or even months before your wedding day. They’ll offer guidance, sample ceremony components, and take the time to work with you to create exactly the personalized, deeply meaningful wedding ceremony that you want.

Most elopement ceremony bookings at Chase Court are 60 minutes long, with your actual wedding ceremony typically running between 10 and 20 minutes long.

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3. Guests

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Government courthouse: Very limited number of guests allowed (6-8).

Space at the courthouse is restricted, so only a few guests are allowed. 

Chase Court: We have elopement packages for up to 60 guests, with full seating! 

Chase Court has all-inclusive elopement packages for just the two of you, up to eight guests, up to 30 guests, and add-ons for the latter for up to 45 or 60 guests.

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4. Photography

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Government courthouse: Significantly limited photography allowed inside the building. Baltimore’s courthouses are functional but not photogenic! 

There’s no beautiful garden or great architectural backdrop nearby for post-ceremony photos, so you’ll have to go elsewhere for wedding pictures.

Chase Court: You can do photography at Chase Court before, during, and after your wedding ceremony.

There are photo opportunities everywhere you look! The gorgeous entrance garden, the beautiful and private ceremony garden, the stunning Gothic architecture of the building itself, with all of its historic stained and leaded glass windows. So many places to do great photography!

Most of our elopement packages are for an hour, so there’s a lot of time to get all of the ceremony, group, couple, and individual photographs that you want.

Many of our elopement packages include professional photography. (Alternatively, you’re welcome to use your own photographer.) Our photographer will be in touch with you weeks or months ahead of your wedding to help plan your photography, to be sure that you get all of the images that you want.

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5. Music

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Government courthouse: No music allowed.

Been dreaming of listening to Pachelbel’s Canon in D as you walk down the aisle? It’s not happening at the courthouse! (And unlike Chase Court, there’s no aisle to walk down, either.)

Chase Court: You can have live music, or connect recorded music via Bluetooth to our excellent wireless sound system.

Live music adds special something to your wedding celebration, and it sounds great at Chase Court! We have a fantastic group of musicians available for you, including harpists, cellists, violinists, guitarists, and more. We also have a state-of-the-art sound system for amplifying the voice of your officiant, and for recorded music, using a Bluetooth connection to your phone or tablet. You can also bring your own musicians or music system.

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6. Availability

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Government courthouse: Monday through Friday only, 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Baltimore courthouses’ abbreviated daytime hours often have limited appointment slots and may book up quickly, especially around peak wedding months. You might have to settle for a day or a time that doesn’t suit your plans.

Chase Court: Available seven days a week, with your choice of time.

Saturday afternoons are a popular time for elopements at Chase Court!

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7. LGBTQ+

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Government courthouse: Depends on who is working that day.

It’s impossible to know ahead of time the attitude of the particular employees who you will encounter at the courthouse toward LGBTQ+ couples.

Chase Court: Chase Court has been the venue for 75 LGBTQ+ elopements, wedding ceremonies, and receptions!

Chase Court stands with you! We welcome, honor, and affirm couples whose spirituality, sexuality, gender identities, racial identities, or ways of being are less accepted elsewhere.

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8. Traffic and Parking

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Government courthouse: Parking is expensive and difficult.

Downtown Baltimore (or Towson) can be difficult to navigate, especially during business hours. Limited parking and heavy traffic can make getting to your wedding unnecessarily stressful. If guests are unfamiliar with the area, it can be inconvenient or confusing.

Chase Court: There are 500 parking spaces within a block, and unlike downtown, parking is remarkably inexpensive.

We have an entire Plan Your Visit page on chasecourt.com to help you and your guests get to Chase Court easily and comfortably, and park close-by.

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9. Getting-Ready Space

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Government courthouse: Not available.

Chase Court: Chase Court has a fantastic wedding suite for you to use to get ready for your ceremony!

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10. Reception

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Government courthouse: Not available.

Chase Court: Want to add a reception to your wedding ceremony? You can!

Choose one of our approved caterers to create a fabulous lunch, brunch, or dinner for your guests—or just have hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, cocktails, champagne and cake, as you desire. What a wonderful opportunity to experience meaningful traditions and break bread together with family and friends, all without breaking your budget.

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So there you have it, ten reasons to have your “courthouse” wedding ceremony at Chase Court in Baltimore, Maryland!

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Photo Credit: Bill Whaley Photography 

Your Wedding at Chase Court

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Every one of our all-inclusive elopement packages includes your wedding ceremony in either the garden or indoors—your choice (and you don’t have to decide which until your wedding day!)

Our packages and add-ons include the fabulous venue; a custom, official wedding ceremony; gorgeous flowers; outstanding wedding photography; amazing live music; our wedding suite for getting ready; our state-of-the-art sound system for voice and music; and even a reception. 

And it’s all remarkably inexpensive.

We were the first in Baltimore to create modern “elopement” packages. We like to think that we do it better than anyone! 

Our comprehensive program of all-inclusive elopement ceremony packages are available for just the two of you all the way up to 60 guests. 

You can use the packages and your choice from our excellent collection of add-ons to create (and only have to pay for) exactly the wedding experience that you want. We have the knowledge and take the time to help you create a fantastic, personalized, wedding!

We have built excellent relationships with outstanding qualified wedding professionals from every discipline that we can call upon to serve you, including officiants, florists, photographers, musicians, and more. So when say all-inclusive, we mean it! We make your wedding planning so easy for you, and free of stress!

We’re here to make planning and creating your wedding easy for you, and free of stress.

Complete information is on chasecourt.com/elope. Take a look, and let us help you create a wedding you’ll love, at a fantastic venue—Chase Court!

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Chase Court owner David Egan has lived and breathed weddings for 23 years! That means you get the knowledge, resources, and attention of a venue owner who has helped plan and execute over 900 weddings.

Call 410-727-1112 or write to schedule a tour of Chase Court!

Visit chasecourt.com and follow @ChaseCourtWeddingVenue on Instagram, and check out our videos on YouTube!

Photo Credit: Patrick McGuire Photography