At Santa Barbara’s courthouse, the line starts early. “We see dozens a day, starting at 8 o’clock in the morning,” county supervisor Roy Lee told the Los Angeles Times.
Couples on the West Coast are reportedly dropping costly, extravagant weddings for plain courthouse ceremonies, and California’s municipal buildings are feeling it. Appointment slots fill months ahead. Santa Barbara County Clerk Melinda Greene said new ones “pretty much get picked up as soon as we release them.” Her office hears from people “from all over the world.”
Some couples book at the last minute instead. Either way, the Times said, elopement has gone from “a breezy wedding alternative into a formal contact sport.” Photographer Asha Marshall of So Fetch Photography described the scramble: “It books up so fast, you have to be online at the exact time [of day] you plan on having your appointment.” Her clients get stressed, she said.
Famous venues
Social media is part of the pull. Micro-weddings are reportedly rising in part because posts push couples toward the same venues where celebrities married. Santa Barbara’s Spanish Moorish revival courthouse is one. Kamala Harris wed Doug Emhoff there, and Kourtney Kardashian married Travis Barker there.
San Francisco City Hall, where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio married in 1954, is another top choice, according to the Times. It hosts some 7,000 weddings a year.
Gen Z reaches marrying age
Timing helps. Gen Z, commonly defined as people born between 1997 and 2012, is entering its peak marrying years. Wedding-planning and registry company Zola reported that the oldest members are reaching the average marrying age of 28, and that the generation has become a primary driver of the wedding industry.
The big wedding is not dead
Zola’s 2026 Wedding Trends: First Look report surveyed more than 11,500 couples getting married this year. It puts the average wedding cost at $36,000, with the average guest count steady at around 145, similar to last year.
“Even with economic jitters, we’re seeing couples prioritize the celebration they want over other financial goals,” the company reported. “The sentiment is clear: 85% of couples say their wedding will be worth every penny.”
Bank of America said in June 2026 that wedding-related spending grew 8.5% year over year so far in 2026, “suggesting that higher prices haven’t completely curbed spending on that special day.” Zola’s report also found consumers spending less on one-time formal wear, while lab-grown diamonds keep gaining ground.
