November 3, 2026

Getting Married Before a PCS: A San Antonio Courthouse Wedding Guide for Military Couples

wedding photography

San Antonio is Military City USA, with Joint Base San Antonio spread across Fort Sam Houston, Lackland and Randolph, and a big share of the courthouse weddings we photograph are military couples. Orders come down, a PCS date gets set, and the wedding you were planning for next year suddenly needs to happen in a few weeks. A courthouse wedding makes that possible without giving up the photos you'll want to show your kids someday.

This guide covers what we've learned helping military couples get married fast in San Antonio. It isn't legal or personnel advice, so confirm the details with the Bexar County Clerk and your chain of command.

Step 1: Get Your Marriage License

You'll apply together at the Bexar County Clerk's marriage license office on the first floor of the Paul Elizondo Tower, 101 W. Nueva St. A military ID works as your photo ID, and you'll need your Social Security numbers. The fee is $80, paid in cash or by card. Our Bexar County marriage license guide has every requirement.

Groom in his Army greens uniform before his wedding in downtown San Antonio

Step 2: The 72-Hour Rule and the Active-Duty Exception

Texas normally makes you wait 72 hours after your license is issued before the ceremony. That wait doesn't apply if one of you is on active duty, so bring your military ID to the license office. Couples who finish the Twogether in Texas premarital course also skip the wait and get $60 off the fee.

What If One of You Can't Be There?

If one of you can't come in to apply, Bexar County allows the other person to apply with a notarized affidavit for the absent applicant and proof of their identity and age. A proxy can stand in at the ceremony itself only when the absent person is a member of the armed forces stationed overseas in support of a combat or other military operation. Call the clerk's office at 210-335-2223 before you count on either option.

Bride greets the groom in his Army uniform outside San Antonio City Hall

Groom in Army uniform and bride by the arches of San Antonio City Hall

Step 3: Book the Ceremony

Justices of the Peace in Bexar County perform weddings by appointment, and some judges do too, so call early and ask about availability around your report date. You can also bring your own officiant and say your vows at one of downtown's landmarks. Either way, we'll plan your photos around the ceremony time.

Step 4: Bring the Family, Even on Short Notice

Parents and grandparents will move mountains to be there. Ceremony rooms can be small, so ask your officiant how many guests can come inside, and we'll take family photos right outside afterward. If family is flying in, send them our guide to hotels and things to do downtown.

Military newlyweds with family in front of San Antonio City Hall

Step 5: Wear the Uniform If You Want To

Plenty of our couples get married in a dress or service uniform, like Sam did in his Army greens. Check your branch's uniform guidance, have everything pressed the day before and tell us ahead of time so we can plan portraits that show it off.

Bride embraces the groom in his Army uniform against an old stone wall downtown

Groom in his Army uniform smiles with his bride in downtown San Antonio

After the Wedding: The Paperwork That Matters for Your PCS

This is the part military couples ask us about most. Here's the order most couples go in:

Get the license recorded. Your officiant signs it and returns it to the Bexar County Clerk, and Texas law gives them up to 30 days. On a tight timeline, ask your officiant how quickly they'll turn it in, and ask the clerk's office about returning it to Vital Statistics at the courthouse, 100 Dolorosa, Suite 104.
Order certified copies. Once it's recorded, certified copies are $8 each from the County Clerk. Get several, because you'll need them for DEERS, name changes and your orders.
Enroll your spouse in DEERS. The service member starts the process, and you'll usually need the certified marriage certificate plus your spouse's birth certificate, Social Security card and two forms of ID. In San Antonio, the JBSA ID card offices at Fort Sam Houston, Lackland and Randolph work by appointment.
Tell your chain of command right away. Your orders may need to be amended to add your spouse, and an overseas move requires command sponsorship, which isn't guaranteed. Start early so your spouse's travel and move are covered.

Your unit, your personnel office and the ID card office will have the exact steps and documents for your branch, so check with them first.

Bride and groom at a grand Art Deco doorway in downtown San Antonio

Real Military Couples: Sam and Abby

Sam and Abby celebrated their wedding downtown with family there, then explored City Hall, the River Walk and downtown's old doorways with Sam in his Army greens. See their wedding photos.