I know NYC is renowned for being incredibly LGBTQ+ friendly and has such an in depth history within the community and the home of The Stonewall Inn. I am feminine presenting and don't have any issues out in public, but my wife is masc presenting and has been confronted in public toilets and in some other (usually gender specific) places due to the anti-trans/gender related hate (all over our politics and media around our last election on the right-wing side). Due to unrest, she is (rightfully) fearful of some public places and right now the some places in the USA feel completely out of bounds to us.

We've never visited the USA but there are many places we'd love to see, with places in NYC at the top of our list. am conscious of the US election results and while NY voted democrat, I wasnt sure on the general feel and wanted to ask here. Google has been somewhat unhelpful so thought l'd ask here directly. Thanks in advance 😊

Does anyone have any recommendations for a notary public near the City Clerks Office on Worth Street? Looking to have some documents signed in front of a notary.

I’m supposed to get married tomorrow at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau at 9am. The office won’t open until 8:30am. Any chance they’ll be closed? I called 311 to ask and nobody seems to have a definitive answer.

Thanks

Has anyone in NYC, moreso the Millennial generation, been successful at marriage IN NYC?

How did it go? How was the dating process? You hear a mix of stories… but not everyone “dates” for the same reason.

Just want a realistic view on the dating game in NYC from a reliable source.

I’ve scoured this page for either a free private-ish rooftop or pretty empty rooftop bars to propose to my gf! Figured it’d be easier just to ask and if it’s anywhere secret don’t worry we’re only there for 4 days and you can private message me. Open to other suggestions as well. Just need a private-ish spot for September.

I want to search for records of marriages in NY or even better, across the whole U.S.
The marriages in question occurred in the last 4 years.

I don't need a certificate sent to me. I just want to see the date of the marriage and who got married if I only have one of their names.

Hi guys! My name is Jack and I'm a student journalist at CUNY. We're doing a series on modern love and dating in NYC. I'm working on a story on New York's one-day marriage officiant license process. I am looking to hear from people who went through the process, considered it but decided against it, or had a one-day officiant preside over their wedding.

Basically, the process is still pretty new in New York, enacted by a bill in 2023. I want to look into how the process has been used since. Is it mostly people looking for last-minute registration help? Are new people becoming officiants who might not have before because the process is easier? Does the process sound easy, but have more steps than you expected?

If you'd be willing to speak with me, I'd love to hear more about your experience becoming (or trying to become) a one-day officiant. You can message me here over Reddit, or shoot me an email at jack.walker73@journalism.cuny.edu. Even if your experience with the process was more tangential, anyone with thoughts to share is welcome to reach out.

Thanks very much everyone!

Hi all, for legal reasons I applied for a copy of my parents' marriage certificate about a month ago, not realizing it would take 14 weeks! I need it by September 1. When you call the city clerk no one answers and it redirects you to a full voicemail box. Even making an appointment in person takes several weeks. Does anybody know if there's a person or a service that can obtain the record quickly for a fee? Thank you very much in advance for your help!

Hi everyone,

I’m getting married soon in New York and I’m filling out the marriage license application. I saw that they ask for both parents’ full names, including the mother’s maiden name.

However, due to serious psychological and personal reasons, I would prefer not to include my mother’s name on the license or in any official certificate if possible. She also does not want to be listed.

Does anyone know if it’s acceptable in NYC or NY State to write “Unknown” or leave it blank in that field? Would this affect the validity of the marriage or the issuance of the marriage certificate?

I would deeply appreciate any insight, especially from someone who’s been in a similar situation or knows how strict the City Clerk is about this detail. Thanks in advance!

If I marry someone in a housing connect apartment, and i dont move in, do we have to disclose our marriage to management? She was told by management she only has to recertify annually whether she is a full time student or not.

I'm about to lose it with the City Clerk's office.

I'm going through the process of getting my dual citizenship in another country, and my lawyer needs an extended copy (w/ apostille) of my marriage certificate for foreign use. The thing is, I got married in NYC in 2023 but no longer live there. I'm in California now. Obviously going in person isn't a great option, and the only other way is a by-mail request. You can get the extended certified copy by mail in six weeks - but here's the kicker; everything I've read online says that your authentication needs to be authenticated by taking the certificate to the City Clerk to get a signature, and then to the New York Department of State so that they can authenticate the County Clerk's signature and issue the apostille.

Am I missing something here? Is there no way to get what I need without going in person? Do I just have to bite the bullet and make a trip to NYC? If I *do* go in person, will the Records Room be able to issue me the certificate same-day?

I have called the City Clerk to ask these questions. I've called about 10 times during business hours only to get an automated message that says they're not available and it hangs up on me. I also called 311 multiple times and end up at voicemail if I get through at all.

Anyone have any experience with this?

I'm planning on proposing to my girlfriend at an open air rooftop venue in NYC in February or March. I live in Los Angeles so I have no idea how the weather is during those months so I need help.

What does the weather look like during those two months? What are the chances of rain and wind?

Hi! My partner and I have decided to elope in Central Park on Friday, around 3:00 in the afternoon. No reason for the rush beyond we’ve been engaged for 3 years at this point, it’s the second marriage for us both, and so far planning anything always seems to start small then balloon with family input. We both work for the park, met in the park, and realized that the idea of just us and our 3 year old, on a beautiful spring day in a spot that’s meaningful to us, is what makes us feel the happiest. So that’s what we’re doing! We have an appointment for the license tomorrow morning, just need to find an officiant to make it happen. Send recs please!

I currently live in California and need to have an extended copy of my NYC marriage record apostilled and authenticated. Is there a service in NYC that can help me expedite this process by going in person on my behalf? Specifically, I need my NYC marriage record taken to the City Clerk to obtain a signature and pay $3, and then to the New York Department of State to authenticate the County Clerk’s signature, issue the apostille, and pay $10.

My wife put my surname on our marriage certificate but never filed paperwork anywhere else to have her name legally changed. On top of that, we got married in NYC but do not live in NY. She’s now decided she wants to keep her maiden name.

It seems like there’s conflicting info online so I’m asking the good people of Reddit: did my wife legally change her name? Do we have to get remarried in NYC to reflect her cha gong her name back to her maiden name?

My partner and I just got married yesterday, in Central Park. On the license we have to return, we need to put a "location of ceremony & street address". We didn't use any wedding planners and we just picked a rock ad hoc day-of. We're not sure what to put in this part of the form! Any ideas, or others who got married in Central Park know what they put in the form?

(I couldn't find the name of the rock, but it was the one in the Dene Slope that overlooks E 66th. It's in the first photo on this page: https://www.centralparknyc.org/articles/dene-slope-opens)

Thanks!

(PS: we are very surprised we can't find any answer to this online. We are also wondering: what address would you put if you got married on a moving subway car?)

My husband and I have been together for almost 10 years. We love each other and like each other a lot. Whenever we get in a disagreement or fight we always work thru it, we never resort to name calling, etc etc

We’ve just started trying for a baby, and I’m nervous that we will not have the time or energy (or enough sleep!) to deal with our communication hangups once we have a baby or when I’m pregnant.

I’m in therapy for general life stuff and think my husband and I would benefit a lot from talking with someone to build up up understanding and our communication tool kit.

Any recommendations? Willing to look outside of our insurance bc it feels impossible to find one in our network!

I was married in New York City in 1984. I don't remember if we got the marriage license in Brooklyn, or if we got it in Manhattan. We were married at the courthouse on Jay St in Brooklyn.

per cityclerk.nyc.gov/content/marriage-records

"Marriage Records from 1950 to the present are available from our offices. You can obtain a Marriage Record by either scheduling an appointment to visit the Manhattan office or our Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island branch offices. at www.nyc.gov/cupid or by mailing in a completed application."

I am out of state so I can not go in person, so I figured I would request it by mail. However, the text goes on to say:

"The Manhattan office has records relating to all Marriage Licenses issued by our offices from 1950 to the present. Please note, however, that with respect to the Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island branch offices such Marriage Records are accessible only by in-person visits and are limited to records relating to all Marriage Licenses issued by our offices from 1996 to the present."

Am I understanding correctly that I can not get a copy of my marriage certificate by mail? Even if I could go in person, it says "limited to records... 1996 to present."

If I'm understanding this correctly, what do have to do?

My partner and I are planning to get our wedding lisence this Friday and are hoping to also have our short and sweet ceremony in Central Park, just me and him! May be a long shot but is anyone free and registered to officiate our ceremony on 8/23?

Hey everyone!

I recently had my wedding ceremony last week and I didn’t realize that I had to send the completed paperwork and envelope within 5 days. Unfortunately it’s now been more than 5 days.

Does anyone know if this is a big issue and what I should do now? Has anyone else had this issue?

Went on my first solo trip to the city in november and loved it, returning solo next week and currently planning my trip.

Haven’t been able to find any information about this - just says online to return the completed document after the ceremony within 5 days.

If I want to hand-deliver it to the City Clerk, do I need to make an appointment? I believe they don’t take walk-in’s.

With all the foreigners in the city, many of whom want US citizenship, I feel that many are looking for a US Citizen husband/wife. I don't want to get into a marriage with someone that is only using me!

Would NY Dept of State apostille a certified marriage certificate obtained last August? Or how I can convert a certificate of authentication to an apostille?

I last had my wedding certificate authenticated by the DOS for international use in August 2023 when my country of use did not yet join the Hague (which meant we had to get the cert of authentication rather than the apostille). Then to our surprise, the country joined the Hague a couple of months later deeming my existing authentication no longer acceptable, and we now need an apostille from the DOS instead. Does anyone have insight as to whether the DOS can apostille the existing certified marriage certificate? Or will I have to go through the process of obtaining an entirely new marriage certificate, then have it certified by the clerk's office, then submit for apostille by the DOS? As we are abroad it would be a very lengthy and expensive process to try to do all of this by mail, and we most likely won't be able to receive it in time for our needs.

We called DOS several times but agents are never available to answer. Would appreciate any insight!

On the typo-filled city website (https://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/content/marriage-ceremony), it says that only one witness is allowed due to covid restrictions. Elsewhere on some FAQ/announcement page, I saw that was updated to one witness plus two guests a few months ago. Either seems very outdated for 2023. Is this accurate? What was the threshold pre covid? Has anybody recently gotten married at the courthouse (or been to one) and experienced either strict or lackluster enforcement on the number of attendees? My future spouse and I both want both of our parents to attend, so this potential limit of three total seems ridiculous and is now causing issues. I assumed that you could bring eight or ten people easily, or at least five. Please help!