Charming architecture and so many beautiful photo opportunities. I especially love using the staircase and the dramatic lighting for timeless black-and-white portraits. It's a great choice for couples who want a wedding location that feels aesthetic, intimate, and visually special rather than just like a government building. read more

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This has to be the cutest little courthouse! With a family member that's really into history, this historical building is worth a visit. This old courthouse was such a beautiful backdrop for the couples getting married here. It has a wonderful feeling of nostalgia, a very friendly and helpful staff, and great parking nearby. This courthouse has a cute little museum inside as well. Although I didn't get to see it on this last visit, I can't wait to see it on our next trip the historical buildings in old town Santa Ana! read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This is a great museum with full of incredible history that many people can use for private party, wedding, etc. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and a State of California Historic Landmark that Hollywood movie makers also visit to make amazing films. If you need a photoshoot, this place will provide you amazing backgrounds. To rent this location, you have to go through the OC Parks to fill out several documents including application and pay the fees for rental, parking, etc. Another thing to know is that you can not sit on or move most of the chairs and tables because it is very old and there is a possibility that it will be damaged. You can bring your own chairs and tables. Most importantly, there is no power outlet so you have to bring an extension cord to bring the power from the hallway power outlet. The park rangers will accommodate everything you need so discuss with them in advance when you receive the permission to rent the facility. read more

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Nice courthouse to get married! The process was super simple. You fill out your marriage application online and pick a date to show up. On the day of our ceremony, we showed up and checked in on the computers. It was pretty packed so they sent us back into the lobby to wait for our turn. They called us and our 2 witnesses in to sign paperwork. Then they led us and all of our guests into another room to have our ceremony. We were allowed to bring up to 20 guests. read more

We absolutely love photographing at Old Orange County Courthouse. The process is very easy and quick, the staff is always very helpful and accommodating. The building inside and outside is stunning. A few tips: I would avoid scheduling Friday afternoon if possible because that's when it appears to be the busiest. And if it's within budget and you like the look, the court room at the top of the stairs is a little larger and nicer (in our opinion) for photos (for ceremonies). The grounds on the outside are always very well maintained so there's always nice photo opportunities out there. Parking is pretty easy to access (either in the back of the courthouse or in the surrounding streets), paid via app or with card/coins. Only thing I would recommend form a photographer's standpoint is if you hire a photographer, make sure they know how to work with dark environments since the inside is fairly dark. - TNK Photo https://tnkphoto.com/ read more

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We wouldn't use this courthouse if we could somehow redo our wedding day. The officiant we had was rude and seemed like she hated her job. We tried not to let her ruin our day, but it sucks that she is in our wedding photos and we have to see her everytime we look through them. Not sure why they would hire someone that's ok with tainting someone's special day. read more

My wife and I had to get married in the United States and this was the best and most affordable venue to give our lives to each other with our daughter. We are truly blessed. God is faithful! read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - To find a wife is to find a good thing, and he who finds it obtains favor from the Lord! In Jesus mighty name amen and amen - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Got married here 3.23.23. Very easy process. Everyone was very helpful. We were actually rushing this morning and forgot flowers, very luckily someone had given us part of their flowers to take pictures. Was a wonderful turn out. read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Business is back to "usual" at the Old OC Courthouse. - Masking is no longer enforced. - Couples can have 0-2 witnesses sign their marriage license. - Couples can bring guests for their onsite ceremony. - Ceremonies take place in front of an altar again (room A or B) or at the superior courtroom if you pay the additional fee (highly recommended if you have a larger group). - If you get married during a busy day (Friday or the one Saturday a month they are open), allow extra time in case you need to park at the nearby parking lots or structures since the little courthouse lot does get full quickly. - The city contracted a third party, and parking tickets *are* being issued. - You can pay with coins or credit card but need to be careful about the expiration time. - You can use the convenient phone app, but you will pay 20 cents extra per hour (whyyy). In summary, it is the most practical, affordable, and beautiful venue to get married in OC. Best wishes! read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - 2022 wedding - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

We had such a meaningful and happy day here! It is our first wedding, so you know, we were a bit nervous lol. But luckily we met a lot of nice people, they help us a lot. We are very grateful! Especially Joanna, she is very patient and considerate to help us fill in the forms. And she was great at officiating the wedding! Loved the smile on her face：） read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

My friends are married!! Super easy to find. It's the old brick building. Plenty of parking spaces with meters or street parking. Went upstairs for the marriage licenses. They did some paper work and paid. They needed 2 witness for their marriage license. Make sure to bring your driver license for it. Then they did the little ceremony across the hall. They have 2 rooms for that. It's official! They did it! The process took less than 30 mins! In and out with their appointment. read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - The main room - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Just wanted to say, what a seamless and efficient process getting our marriage certificate it was! Also, Deputy Commissioner Kalci was so helpful and reassured us on all the next steps. She even took a picture with us! Thank you for everything! read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I photograph elopements here often and the process is super easy for the couples that I work with! The appointments are always on time and parking always available. Not to mention the architecture!!!! I definitely recommend this courthouse! nicoleandphoto.com | IG: @nicoleandphoto read more

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It's a bit of a challenge to pull in as there was a lot of construction and one way streets. Parking is metered. Bring your coins or download a parking app. I came with some friends to witness their marriage. It was quick, easy, fun and personal. I would recommend it. read more

My fiancé and I made an appointment to come here for our marriage license and it couldn't have gone smoother! Everything was absolutely wonderful from start to finish. The entire staff at the clerk-recorder's office was very helpful and amazing! We filled out the marriage application online prior to our appointment so it helped make things super easy. Our appointment time was 8:40am, we arrived at 8:30 and checked-in on their self-service computer. We were called in after just a few short minutes later. The person helping us was very nice, informative, and efficient. We had no issues whatsoever and were outta there by 8:50. Highly recommend this location! read more

A special shout out to Joanna for being so patient and helpful with getting me married today. Thank you for being professional as well as very polite during my visit today read more

Amanda was amazing. She made what had been a frustrating process into a simple and enjoyable task. She had all the answers, suggested things that would make the passport approval go faster, and she was pleasant during the entire time. Cudos to Amanda! read more

Joanna helped us with our newborn baby's passport application. She took the photo for our newborn. Tried couple times to be sure the picture looks good and works. We love her patients with our baby and professionalism with the paperwork! Also she s bilingual, if you are more comfortable having conversations in Chinese Mandarin, work with her, she s very fluent in Chinese too :) read more

Really nice! Joanne was really helpful. Entire ceremony and paperwork was about 30 min.

Passport Application. Quick, easy, check cashed; should be back in three weeks or less! Super excited

We had an appointment for getting our marriage license. We arrived early and were taken straight in! In and out with no trouble in about 10 minutes! Thank you for making it so easy! read more

We got married here. We were told it was the first wedding they had had inside the courthouse for a couple of years due to Covid. It was very simple, but still had an element of class to it. read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Old Orange County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Very friendly workers here. They are also very helpful and knowledgeable and make every process quick. For those looking to get married, this is a nice photo location. read more

So easy and smooth getting married here. Classy and beautiful place. If only ever get married again I'm coming here. This courthouse it's definitely one of those Orange County hidden gems! read more

Just got married here the other day and I would highly recommend this place for anyone looking for an easy 1 day process of getting married at the courthouse. It was so easy going and such a beautiful setting for photos. If you fill out the marriage license and make your appointment ahead of time. it's very easy. read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Steps up to courthouse entrance - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

We got married here in 1999 and are still married, so it must be a lucky building! It is good to visit the old courtroom and other rooms on the top floor. read more

Beautiful building, great staff, fast service. WARNING: This building does not do birth certificates. Just because the Clerk Recorder has a office inside the building doesn't mean they do birth certificates. They only do marriage licenses and passports here. Also Thursdays and Fridays are the busiest so show up early and take photos before they call you for the ceremony. Building closes at 4:30 so once you do your ceremony then you need to leave at 4:30 not hang around taking photos after closing because you didn't plan ahead. Also don't ignore the warning signs and parking barricades. Those spots are for employees only and you will be given a ticket. read more

Such a beautiful Courthouse! We got blessed to pretty much be the only ones getting married on our big day. I'm not sure if other couple's were staggered because we saw some prior and post our ceremony. The location was very clean, and the staff was very pleasant, the inside was vintage with multiple rooms were we took photos. The family was welcomed to set in and we did not get rushed. read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

That time has come for me. On March 16th, 2006, I asked Minhan D. if she would be my girlfriend. Exactly 9 years later, we finally tied the knot. Since our families took over our engagement party and our reception planning, we decided to have our marriage ceremony just the two of us - and it was great. I filled out the paperwork a couple of months ago and showed up to this courthouse yesterday morning, right when they opened. The whole thing felt so official, which we weren't expecting (made me get butterflies, which in hindsight was pretty cool). We had to swear with our right hands raised and everything. We didn't have an appointment, but were able to get a small private court room within about 15min. We didn't need a witness - the person handling the paperwork also served as our witness. The judge was very efficient, but also really nice and didn't mind taking pictures for us after we exchanged rings. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/old-orange-county-courthouse-santa-ana?select=DWg-QuMxfabsYAgDGjDYHQ#DWg-QuMxfabsYAgDGjDYHQ We didn't know that we needed a ceremony (we called twice and both times were told we just needed to sign paperwork), which is why she wasn't in a white dress and I wasn't in a suit. Didn't matter though! We got married! After turning in the license, you need to wait 10 days before picking up the marriage certificate. read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - The time has come! - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

It's surrounded by one way street, not easy to find, limited parking space (meter). Be sure to arrive early for wedding ceremony. The old courthouse is beautiful inside and out, I highly recommend it. read more

We had the most perfect elopement here and I would recommend it to anyone in SoCal (we drove here from LA after seeing the Beverly Hills courthouse looked more like a DMV than a place to celebrate a marriage) !! If you're looking for a great place for a civil ceremony, this is it. We had a photographer come and just one guest/witness but I believe you can bring quite a few people if you wanted. The photos turned out beautifully and it was fairly empty so we didn't have to worry about anyone in the background of our pictures. The building is historic and beautiful and the staff were SO kind and friendly. It was really special and memorable for us. read more

Great service with a smile everything was done in a timely matter. The facility was well kept and the building has great photo ops!

The clerk processIng my fiancé and I was rude towards me and flirtatious towards him. Very low class.

I stumbled upon the "Old Orange Court House" by accident. It was a beautiful accident I was able to walk in and see what the court house was like many years ago! You must visit to appreciate! read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Came into the Clerk-Recorders office to turn in some marriage licenses I officiated and Jennifer in the Marriages dept. was very helpful and answered all my questions diligently. Demonstrated great customer service and pleasantly supportive. Thank you for the assistance. read more

Amanda Contreras was very responsive and pleasant and thanks to her we got married. She proved to be professional and provided excellent customer service. Thank her very much. read more

I love to photograph my clients who get married here. This is a beautiful historic landmark in Santa Ana and my photography studio is at walking distance so I'm always there on time. The entire process of getting married and having pictures taken inside and outside is very speedy (about an hour). Parking in the structure across the street is probably easier than trying to find a spot in the courthouse. read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Beautiful backdrop for your wedding photos by Aaron - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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I am truly amazed at how fast everything was done. We got there checked in and no more than 10 min later we were saying our I'do's. It was quite and very tranquil. The two wedding rooms/chapel they had were beautiful with plenty of room for guest if you wanted. We opted for an elopement with one guest as our witness and our two beautiful children. If you love vintage this is the perfect spot to say your I do's. read more

We got an appointment for a service and ceremony on the same day. We completed most of the paperwork online. Wendy assisted us in the office when we arrived. She was both professional and very sweet throughout the whole process. She helped us with all of our questions but had a great attitude that made the whole experience very memorable in a positive way. We received our marriage certificate on time as well! Thank you Wendy and the OC team! read more

Old Orange County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This review is for the tour only. After living in socal for so much of my life, I never realized how cool this place was. The tour guide (sorry, forgot her name) was great! She provided the history of the courthouse and shared some fun facts too. I did not know this was a filming location for several movies. I learned a lot and enjoyed my time on the tour, which was short and sweet. I definitely recommend for a school group! Parking lot is TINY and meters only. I recommend parking in the structures nearby. It's a very short walk. read more