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City Councils Adjust Wedding Rules: New Guest Limits and Fee Changes

Municipalities are adjusting time slots, guest limits and fees for civil marriage ceremonies at city halls to manage appointments and operations.

By Wedding News Desk · Published 25 July 2026

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Hindu Wedding rituals during wedding of two blind persons at Voice Of World Kolkata 16. Photo: Goutam1962 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Boston City Council approved a new marriage ordinance that restricts civil ceremonies to specific morning and afternoon slots on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays while adding a $15 service fee.

Boston Ordinance Details

The Boston measure limits available days and introduces the fee as part of efforts to organise civil ceremonies through city council processes. This approach focuses on defined time windows rather than open scheduling across all weekdays.

San Francisco Appointment System

San Francisco City Hall limits civil ceremony guests to 6 people including children and photographers as of February 2022. Appointments must be booked online for slots every half hour from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, directing couples to a structured online service for local ceremonies.

Brooklyn Guest and Booking Limits

Brooklyn City Hall requires appointments for both licenses and ceremonies through Project Cupid. It enforces a strict guest limit of 4 adults excluding children under 12 and including the photographer for a total of 6 people, applying these rules via the city booking platform.

Winnipeg Friday Afternoon Ceremonies

Winnipeg City Hall offers Friday afternoon civil ceremonies from noon to 4 p.m. at a fee of $615 plus GST. A $100 deposit is required within 48 hours and a marriage license must be purchased at least 24 hours prior, channelling requests through the city hall service with these timed and payment conditions.

Los Angeles Venue Restrictions

Los Angeles City Hall does not host civil marriage ceremonies. Legal ceremonies occur through the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's office, though the building remains available for photos, separating ceremony functions from the city hall building itself.

These updates illustrate how individual city councils and registrar offices tailor their services with concrete scheduling, capacity and fee decisions. Couples planning ceremonies can review the specific requirements posted by each municipality to align with the available local options and timelines.