Manhattan Marriage Bureau
Encyclopedia
The Manhattan Marriage Bureau is a set of offices located in the Manhattan Municipal Building
near City Hall in lower Manhattan
. It is the site of more marriages than any other venue in the United States.
Since 1930 over 1.2 million people have been wed at the Marriage Bureau. Between 2000 and 2007 an average of 58 couples a day were married here. In 2007, more than 16,000 couples wedded at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau.
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
often performed weddings at the Marriage Bureau in person.
announced that the Bureau would soon move to new quarters in order to provide a more dignified setting for the marriages of New Yorkers, and in the hope of attracting couples who might otherwise travel to Las Vegas to be married to travel instead to Manhattan, boosting New York's tourist industry.
The new Marriage Bureau opened on January 12, 2009 in an 1920's Art Deco
building on the ground floor at 141 Worth Street (corner of Centre Street
and Worth Street) that was formerly occupied by a Department of Motor Vehicles office. The space of 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) was decorated by interior designer Jamie Drake who decorated Gracie Mansion
and Mayor Bloomberg's private residence. The project cost is $12 million.
The facilities contain two separate wedding chapels off the building’s central rotunda. In the east chapel, the sofa and walls feature apricot and peach colors; the west chapel is done in purple and lavender. Each chapel has an abstract painting that matches the walls and hangs next to the lectern from where the clerk performs the ceremonies.
A marriage license in New York costs $35, and the fee to have the wedding performed at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau is $25. These fees can be now be paid by credit card.
on the American sitcom Spin City
is married at the Marriage Bureau.
Manhattan Municipal Building
The Manhattan Municipal Building, at 1 Centre Street in New York City, is a 40-story building built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of the city's five boroughs. Construction began in 1907 and ended in 1914, marking the end of the City Beautiful...
near City Hall in lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. It is the site of more marriages than any other venue in the United States.
Since 1930 over 1.2 million people have been wed at the Marriage Bureau. Between 2000 and 2007 an average of 58 couples a day were married here. In 2007, more than 16,000 couples wedded at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau.
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
often performed weddings at the Marriage Bureau in person.
New venue
In 2008 Mayor Michael BloombergMichael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
announced that the Bureau would soon move to new quarters in order to provide a more dignified setting for the marriages of New Yorkers, and in the hope of attracting couples who might otherwise travel to Las Vegas to be married to travel instead to Manhattan, boosting New York's tourist industry.
The new Marriage Bureau opened on January 12, 2009 in an 1920's Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
building on the ground floor at 141 Worth Street (corner of Centre Street
Centre Street (Manhattan)
Centre Street runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Centre Street runs from Park Row and continues north to Delancey Street where it merges with Lafayette Street....
and Worth Street) that was formerly occupied by a Department of Motor Vehicles office. The space of 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) was decorated by interior designer Jamie Drake who decorated Gracie Mansion
Gracie Mansion
thumb|250px|Western sideGracie Mansion is the official residence of the mayor of the City of New York. Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and Eighty-eighth Street in Manhattan...
and Mayor Bloomberg's private residence. The project cost is $12 million.
The facilities contain two separate wedding chapels off the building’s central rotunda. In the east chapel, the sofa and walls feature apricot and peach colors; the west chapel is done in purple and lavender. Each chapel has an abstract painting that matches the walls and hangs next to the lectern from where the clerk performs the ceremonies.
A marriage license in New York costs $35, and the fee to have the wedding performed at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau is $25. These fees can be now be paid by credit card.
Fictional Marriage Bureau weddings
Michael Patrick Flaherty the character played by Michael J. FoxMichael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
on the American sitcom Spin City
Spin City
Spin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
is married at the Marriage Bureau.