Your Riverside Courthouse Wedding, Beautifully Done
Two hours of playful, present photography — with your bouquet, his boutonniere, and real film included. One price. Zero things left to DIY.
“Summer Courthouse Special” — booking now through Labor Day.
I hold a limited number of courthouse dates each week (the chapel only marries couples Monday–Thursday, and so do I). Once my week is full, it's full.
✔ 15+ years experience
✔ Family-run business
The flowers you didn't know you needed
Yes — Your Flowers Are Included
Here's the thing nobody tells you about courthouse weddings: somewhere between booking your ceremony and the big day, you realize you're standing there with empty hands. Then comes the scramble — the grocery store run, the DIY bouquet at midnight, the "it's fine, it's just flowers" you don't actually mean.
Not on my watch. Every summer special package includes a professionally designed seasonal bouquet and matching boutonniere, created by one of my trusted local florists. You'll choose from curated color palettes, and your flowers will be waiting for you — fresh, beautiful, and photographed the way they deserve. You show up. You get married. The details are handled.
✔ No hidden fees
✔ Replies with 24 hours
Choose Your Palette
Your bouquet and boutonniere are designed by my florist in the palette that feels like you — just pick one when you book:
Summer Sunset — Radiant + Devoted — colors that glow like the last hour of a summer day.
Classic — Timeless + Lovely— all-white blooms with fresh greens.
Autumn Grace — Warm + Elevated — a rich autumn texture, made for fall chapel dates.
Seasonal blooms vary — that's the charm — but the palette and the wow factor are guaranteed.
Bouquet + boutonniere included in Riverside courthouse wedding package."
The Packages
Two Ways to Say I Do
THE HEIRLOOM
"The one couples choose"
$1,500
2 hours of coverage — your ceremony, portraits at the chapel, and a golden-hour stroll through downtown Riverside
Shot on film + digital — the grain, the glow, the timelessness
Mini Polaroids you take home that day — married an hour, holding photos already
Seasonal bouquet + boutonniere by a professional florist (choose your palette)
Full online gallery with print release
My courthouse know-how: I'll walk you through the license, the appointment, and exactly how your 30 minutes at the chapel works
THE SWEETHEART
$1,300
2 hours of coverage — ceremony, portraits, downtown stroll
Digital photography, edited in my signature style
Seasonal bouquet + boutonniere by a professional florist (choose your palette)
Mini Polaroids you take home that day — married an hour, holding photos already
Full online gallery with print release
The same guidance, the same experience, the same handled-for-you details
Both packages include everything I bring to every wedding — planning help, timeline guidance, and a photographer who's done this hundreds of times and who’s heart smiles every time.
Both packages include everything I bring to every wedding — planning help, timeline guidance, and a photographer who's done this hundreds of times and who’s heart smiles every time.
"Real Couples, Real Courthouse Days"
We were having a surprisingly hard time finding a photographer for our super intimate, no frills courthouse wedding... Neither of us are really camera people but Mariela smoothly guided us through posing for portraits. Her fun personality definitely helps you relax... She captured so many special little candid moments that I'm so glad we have to look back on now. If you're thinking about it, book her!
— Liz & Brendan · Married at the 14th St Chapel, 2026
"We are NOT natural in front of a camera, but she directs you without ever making you feel posed... I'd get married again just to do another shoot with her."
— Jen & Alan · Married at the 14th St Chapel, 2026
HOW IT WORKS
Getting Married at the Riverside Courthouse Is Easier Than You Think
Get your license. Apply online with Riverside County, then visit the clerk's office together with ID to make it official. Your license is good for 90 days, anywhere in California.
Book your ceremony. The 14th Street Chapel in downtown Riverside is the prettiest civil ceremony option in the county — $138 for 30 minutes, up to 40 guests, Monday–Thursday, by prepaid appointment. The chapel's calendar opens on a rolling 3-month window, so you can already grab dates well into fall. (I'll help you time it perfectly.)
Pick your palette. Choose from my florist's curated seasonal color palettes. Your bouquet and boutonniere are ready on the day.
Show up and get married. I'll be there early, guide you through the whole thing, and then we'll wander downtown Riverside for portraits that feel like you — playful, present, and never stiff.
Why choose me?
I Am a Local Who Knows Every Corner of This City’s Civil Ceremony Venue - “The 14th St Chapel”
I'm Mariela — a Riverside-area wedding photographer with 15+ years behind the camera and more courthouse ceremonies than I can count. I know which door to meet you at, where the light falls at 2pm, how your 30-minute appointment actually unfolds, and the exact downtown spots that make portraits sing. I shoot film because your wedding deserves to feel timeless, and I work playful and present because your wedding day should feel like the best kind of ordinary Tuesday — the one where you happen to get married.
HONEST ANSWERS
Frequently Asked Questions
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To get married at the Riverside courthouse, you need a California marriage license from the Riverside County Clerk, then a prepaid ceremony appointment — the 14th Street Chapel in downtown Riverside offers 30-minute ceremonies Monday–Thursday, 8:30am–4pm, for $138 with up to 40 guests. I walk all of my couples through both steps.
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The ceremony itself costs $96 at most Riverside County offices, or $138 at the 14th Street Chapel, plus the marriage license fee. With professional photography, florals, and film included, my summer courthouse packages start at $1,300 — a complete wedding for less than 5% of the average California wedding.
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Yes — photographers are welcome at Riverside County civil ceremonies, including the 14th Street Chapel. As a local photographer, I know the chapel's flow, where to stand, and how to make the most of your 30-minute appointment without missing a single moment.
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If you have a public marriage license, you need at least one witness (up to two may sign). With a confidential license, no witness is required. If it's just the two of you, we can sort this out together — it's easier than you think.
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The 14th Street Chapel is the prettiest of Riverside County's civil ceremony options — a charming historic chapel in downtown Riverside with beautiful light and room for up to 40 guests. It books by prepaid appointment only, Monday–Thursday, and you must have your marriage license in hand.
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Yes! Every summer special package includes a professionally designed seasonal bouquet and matching boutonniere from my trusted local florist. You choose from three curated palettes — Summer Sunset, Classic, or Autumn Grace — and your flowers are ready on your wedding day. No DIY, no grocery-store scramble.
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Film gives courthouse weddings what they deserve: timelessness. The grain, the true-to-life color, the way it renders skin and light — film photos look like heirlooms the day you get them. My Heirloom package includes film, digital, and mini Polaroids you take home the same day.
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The chapel's calendar opens on a rolling 3-month window, so lock in your ceremony appointment first, then book me — ideally 3–6 weeks out, though I hold a few dates for short-notice couples, so it never hurts to ask. I photograph courthouse weddings Monday–Thursday, when the 14th Street Chapel holds ceremonies.
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Your two hours typically cover arrival photos, your full ceremony, family and couple portraits at the chapel, and a relaxed portrait stroll through downtown Riverside's best spots — historic architecture, tucked-away corners, and light I've been chasing for 15 years.
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Absolutely — that's my favorite part. Downtown Riverside is full of gorgeous backdrops within walking distance of the chapel, and as a local I know exactly where the light will be beautiful at your ceremony time.
RIVERSIDE C.A - LOCAL
Married by Labor Day? Let's Make It Happen.
Summer dates are filling week by week, and this special (florals and film at my regular starting rate) ends September 7. Tell me your dream date and I'll tell you if it's still open — usually within a few hours.
Dreaming of a fall wedding? The chapel's booking calendar opens 3 months out — so fall dates are already up for grabs. Book with me by Labor Day and you'll lock in the special pricing and the Autumn Grace palette — burnt orange, amber, and deep wine, made for golden September light.
Summer Courthouse Special valid for ceremonies at Riverside civil ceremony locations booked by September 7, 2026. County ceremony fee ($138 at the 14th Street Chapel) and marriage license fee are paid separately to Riverside County. Florals are designed by my professional florist partner in your chosen palette; exact blooms vary with the season — that's the charm.
Let’s Work Together
