Are you looking for a free wedding ceremony venue in the Pittsburgh area? I have just the spot for you! It’s one of the best-kept wedding budget secrets and it’s growing in popularity for the micro-weddings, intimate weddings, and elopements!

Wait, that has to be too good to be true…totally free? Well, you have to make some compromises (read on!), but this is such a great deal and I want to walk you through the whole process!

((UPDATE: I wrote this blog post January 27th, 2026 and the info was accurate at the time, but things change! – and as of February 26th, 2026, I was notified that there is now a nominal fee for the staircase – $25 for residents and $50 for non-residents, so still VERY affordable, IMO, and a great deal in terms of a wedding!))

The Allegheny County Courthouse has a Grand Staircase in the middle of it and you can elope or have a micro-wedding here for free during weekday business hours. Here’s some facts to know:

1. On the weekend and after 4:00pm during the week, this venue must be rented for a fee (fees range from about $1500-6000 depending on date and time).

2. During the weekdays, the Grand Staircase can also be reserved  in two-hour blocks for weekday elopements with less than 30 guests.

3. Advance reservations are required. Reservation requests for elopement ceremonies are accepted up to one year in advance and must be made no less than 14 days out from the date. Friday evenings especially book up fast, so you should be flexible with your date/time if you want to get married soon! You can reserve/contact them here: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Parks-and-Events/Venue-Rentals/Allegheny-County-Courthouse

4. Weekday elopements occur during business hours and are not guaranteed to be private. You should go in advance to the courthouse and look at the staircase and make sure it will work for you/your aesthetic. They do set up up to 30 chairs for you by request.

5. In my opinion, THIS is the best way to get married at the courthouse. I am not sure if you can do a “judge’s chambers” type ceremony at the courthouse – but as a photographer, I feel this is more aesthetic in terms of lighting/location. (If you want a judge’s chambers/courtroom-type ceremony, I know other courthouses and magistrates offer that in the local area)

6. You need (in my opinion) to bring your own officiant. I rarely see judges do the ceremony on the steps (unless you have a relationship with a judge personally already). The easiest way to do this is to have a friend/family member as an officiant and choose this option prior to applying for your marriage license. You will choose a SELF-UNITING license. This allows you to marry with no officiant/judge/pastor with just witnesses and you can choose anyone you’d like to serve as an emcee and stand up there with you during the ceremony as a speaker/to guide the ceremony along. You have to apply for the marriage license in advance (at least 3 days but not more than 60, I believe) and then pick it up prior to the wedding – but after your ceremony, if the office is still open, you could turn in the filled-out portion of the license right next door at the City-County Building rather than mail it back!

7. Note: there’s no A/C in the courthouse – it does get hot in the summer months!

8. What to do about music? So you can bring a portable speaker or hire someone to play the piano that is there. There is no microphone. Most of my couples haven’t explored this option much – you do have to be respectful of court proceedings going on. Most courthouse employees/people there on official business will keep their distance respectfully but some people may stop and watch. If there would be a high-profile trial going on, consider that as well with the media.

9. You have to go through security on the ground floor and pass through that each time you go for photos as well into the courtyard.

10. What about a rehearsal? Well, it’s a free venue, so there isn’t one! If a well-planned out/super smooth entrance is important to you, I encourage you to go to the courthouse at the same time of day as your wedding a few weeks prior and envision/walk through/talk through where you will enter from, where your partner will enter from, etc. Many nearlyweds like to walk up the stairs from the security area and come down the short aisle escorted, but for photographer purposes, I like when people come down the staircase. There is no coordinator for weekday elopements to help you – it’s all you and your guests determining everything, including when to start.

11. Lighting-wise, does time of day matter? I think it can be beautiful all times of the year, but it’s a little darker/more gloomy in the winter at the 3:00-5:00pm time slot.

12. The available time slots are 9:00 am – 11:00 am, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm and 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. I recommend starting at 30 minutes past your rental time if not doing photos prior and 1 hour past your rental start time if you want to do photos prior to the ceremony. There isn’t really anywhere to fully hide – some guests will see you as they arrive.

13. Where do you get dressed/ready? Most people dress at home and drive in or at a hotel downtown (or in an Airbnb in town). There isn’t a suite to get dressed in the courthouse – you would have to use the public bathroom. For hotels downtown to get ready, you would have to either hope for an early check in which isn’t guaranteed (say, 1pm for a 3pm time slot) OR rent the room the night before (you 9am ceremony folks), or request a late checkout (for your 11am ceremony people), OR rent it for two nights (1pm ceremony folks). The Joinery Hotel is right across the street (diagonal), Hotel Monaco, the Omni William Penn, and the Embassy Suites are a few blocks down.

14. Where to park? It’s expensive, but the easiest place in my opinion to park is across from the City-County Building (if you are not using a hotel and walking over). It’s diagonal from the courthouse and just a short walk across the street.

15. Decorating – most people don’t decorate the courthouse steps, but if they do, they use battery operated candles. There is a window at the top of the steps that can be quite bright in photos and produce a silhouette look. (When people do a weekend rental, they sometimes will have their florist drape this window to soften it, but that’s not really practical for elopements). At Christmastime, they do have lights set up around the courthouse arch and bannisters and a lighted tree.

16. How many people can fit across the staircase landing with you? If you have a big wedding party, the weekday courthouse option might not be for you OR you might choose to let the bridesmaids and/or groomsmen sit in the seats rather than stand with you.

17. Where to take photos? You and your photographer can take photos all over the Grand Staircase and then in the courtyard at the courthouse. Nearby, I love the City-County Building arches and some of the downtown streets and parks and parking garages!




18. What to do afterwards? Many couples arrange a luncheon or dinner in a private room. Be sure to account for leaving the parking lots/garages, moving cars, and finding parking again. In the past, my couples have gone to Barcelona Wine Bar in the Strip or made a drive out to the suburbs for the Hyeholde or headed up to Mount Washington to Monterey Bay. But there are a ton of great options!

19. Want to spend more or have a weekend event? You can rent the Grand Staircase AND do your reception at the venue as well – we’ve done a beautiful tented wedding in the courtyard for one of our couples with a catered dinner and dancing around the fountain!

This information is all accurate as of January 27th, 2026 – but it can change if you are reading this in the future! If you’re looking for a courthouse wedding photographer, we’d love to talk! (We offer special pricing for Monday-Thursday courthouse elopements and we start at just two hours of coverage, but we’re also happy to customize and go from prep to your intimate dinner!)

https://kristenwynnphotography.com/contact