nick & Mara Elope in miami beach
Nick and Mara kicked off their marriage with a civil ceremony in Miami, at the Miami Beach courthouse—just them, their closest people, and a setting with way more character than your average city hall. The building itself, one of Miami’s first high-rises built in 1928, gave us this great mix of vintage charm and quiet romance.
Mara’s family flew in from Germany, mixing with Nick’s family local to Miami. Together they filled the waiting room with excited energy and a lot of love. It was simple, meaningful, and completely true to them.
Nick and Mara are planning a bigger celebration in France next year, but they wanted to make it official in their own way first. No big production, no pressure—just something that felt real. I was beyond excited to capture their intimate Miami wedding, at a location I had been itching to photograph and to such a fun and natural couple.
A few tips for those thinking about eloping in Miami:
Timing: Try to choose the 3:30pm ceremony appointment, then arrive to the courthouse at 2:30pm to begin your photo session. This will give about 45 minutes to take all of your interior photos (take advantage of that gorgeous elevator and romantic nooks). The ceremony then will take about an hour or so, and the sun will begin to set. By the time the ceremony is wrapped up, golden hour will begin, creating the perfect light to take photos in the surrounding area.
Arrive early to find parking and do your research on events going on in the area. This elopement happened the same weekend that the South Beach Food and Wine Festival was happening! Beware as traffic increases, parking prices are inflated, and the beach is overall busier.
Lighting: The interior of the building is quite dark, with two other office entrances on the main floor by the elevators. Because it is not a private space, I didn’t feel comfortable setting up any additional lighting so had to rely on flash! As a non-traditional wedding photographer, I was loving the shadows and playing with lighting, I say lean into it!
If you are planning a Miami elopement or wanting to have your civil ceremony at the Miami Beach Courthouse, I would love to hear all about it!
