Quincy City Hall Wedding Photographer
An 1844 granite city hall, a presidential common out front, and a ceremony the city itself performs.
Quincy is the quiet overachiever of city hall weddings. It's one of the few places around Boston where the city actually marries you at city hall — a $45 license plus a $70 ceremony fee, scheduled when you apply — and the building itself is an 1844 Greek Revival hall of Quincy granite, designed by Solomon Willard, the architect of the Bunker Hill Monument. It's one of the oldest continuously operating seats of city government in the country.
Then you step outside and the portraits are already waiting: Hancock-Adams Common runs from the city hall steps to the granite columns of the Church of the Presidents, with fountains, lawns, and bronze statues of John Hancock and John Adams in between. Most couples spend more on parking in Boston than Quincy charges for the whole ceremony.
The license and the $70 ceremony
Both partners apply together at the City Clerk's office on the second floor of city hall, 1305 Hancock Street, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. — no appointment needed. The license is $45, cash or check. Massachusetts' three-day waiting period applies (apply Monday, pick up Thursday), and the license is valid for 60 days anywhere in the state.
Here's Quincy's best feature: you can be married right at city hall for $70, and you arrange the details and scheduling while you're applying for the license. No hunting for a justice of the peace, no separate booking system. If anything about your date is unusual, the clerk's office sorts it out at (617) 376-1135. For a fuller picture of how Massachusetts city hall weddings run — paperwork, timing, what the ceremony actually feels like — my Boston City Hall wedding guide covers the same statewide process.
The portrait walk: granite, presidents, and the bay
Hancock-Adams Common. You exit the ceremony directly onto it — fountains, long lawns, the Hancock and Adams statues, and the 1844 granite facade behind you. It was built for exactly this kind of photograph.
The Church of the Presidents. United First Parish Church anchors the far end of the common — massive granite columns, the resting place of two American presidents, and the best architectural backdrop on the South Shore.
Then the water, if you want it. Marina Bay's boardwalk has sailboats and golden-hour light; Wollaston Beach puts the Boston skyline across the bay behind you. Both are about ten minutes from city hall, and two hours of coverage handles the ceremony plus one of these drives easily.
Pricing
The Elopement — $1,800. Two hours, 100+ edited images, sneak peek within 48 hours, full gallery inside 30 days, full printing rights, travel anywhere in Massachusetts included. Adding getting-ready coverage or a family lunch after the ceremony? The Intimate at $2,500 covers four hours. Compare everything on the packages page.
Still deciding between Quincy and downtown? The Boston City Hall wedding photographer page covers the Government Center route, and the Cambridge City Hall wedding photographer page covers the prettiest building north of the river.
City hall questions, answered
How much does a Quincy City Hall wedding cost in total?
Quincy's fees are some of the clearest around: $45 for the marriage license (cash or check) and $70 to be married at city hall — about $115 to the city. My Elopement photography package is $1,800 on top of that: two hours, 100+ edited images, sneak peek within 48 hours, full printing rights.
Can we actually have the ceremony at Quincy City Hall?
Yes — Quincy is one of the few Greater Boston cities that marries couples right at city hall. The ceremony fee is $70, and you arrange the details and scheduling when you apply for your license at the City Clerk's office on the second floor, or by calling the office.
Where do we take portraits after a Quincy City Hall ceremony?
You walk out the door onto Hancock-Adams Common — fountains, bronze statues of John Hancock and John Adams, and the granite columns of the Church of the Presidents at the far end. If you want water, Marina Bay's boardwalk and Wollaston Beach with the Boston skyline across the bay are both a ten-minute drive. Two hours covers it all comfortably.
How do we apply for a marriage license in Quincy?
Both partners apply together at the City Clerk's office, second floor of city hall at 1305 Hancock Street, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. — no appointment needed. The fee is $45. After the standard three-day waiting period the license is ready, and it's valid for 60 days anywhere in Massachusetts.
Is the old granite building or the new annex used for ceremonies?
City hall is really two buildings: the restored 1844 granite Old City Hall designed by Solomon Willard and the modern glass annex behind it where the clerk's office sits. Where your ceremony happens can vary, so confirm the room when you schedule — either way, the granite facade and the common outside give us the photographs.
Getting married at city hall?
Two hours, 100+ photos, zero stiffness. Elopement coverage from $1,800.
Check AvailabilityOr call/text (857) 245-5771