The part the courthouse leaves out
King County (and all other counties in Washington State) will issue your marriage license. They will not marry you.
What you get instead is a list of judges and the job of calling them yourself, leaving voicemails for strangers about the most personal day of your life and hoping somebody has a free afternoon before your license runs out. That is the gap. Filling it is our entire job.
Bronwen Stevenson of Shotgun Ceremonies has been licensed and marrying people in this city since 2010. You book a date, you show up, you leave married. If you call, Bronwen answers.
How this chapel ended up in a shipping container
For the first ten years Shotgun Ceremonies was on First Avenue in Pioneer Square. In 2020 the building closed and everyone in it had to leave.
Nobody in Seattle was showing commercial space that year. So for about a month, weddings happened on Bronwen’s porch. Couples came to a house because there was nowhere else for them to go and she was not going to tell them no.
Running out of options, she started asking Facebook neighborhood groups where a person might put a wedding chapel. The same answer kept coming back: the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall. It made no sense to her. Then the owner of the Trailer Park Mall got in touch. She walked Bronwen out to three things: a shipping container packed with storage, a small gazebo and a trailer.
In the middle of a pandemic, when the only safe way to gather was outside, an open air lot with a container on it started looking like the answer.
So the container got emptied out. It got sprayed pink, wired for light, heat and sound, carpeted, filled with salvaged church pews and painted on the outside with a skull, two shotguns and a rose. Six years later it is the only wedding chapel of its kind in the country, and it is where most of our ceremonies happen.
Bring your marriage license. Everything else is handled.
FIND OUR NEXT OPENING
Shotgun Ceremonies Wedding
What is included?
A Shotgun Ceremonies elopement includes:
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A licensed officiant who has done this thousands of times
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Two witnesses if you do not have any, at no extra cost
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Your music choices cued, not a stock playlist
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A private dressing trailer on site
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Time for photos
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Your dog, your cat, whoever else you consider family
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The signed license filed with the county afterward
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2 "take-a-shot-at-love" souvenir shot glasses
The ceremony runs about twenty minutes and you have up to an hour in our spaces for photos and visiting with any guests you may have. You are not being rushed out, and you are not sitting through anything you did not ask for.
You bring your license and your partner. We take care of the rest!
Where you may have seen us
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Or maybe from our 4.9 star rating on Google. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Donyai, Virginia
My wife and I had a WONDERFUL experience with Bronwen and Shotgun Ceremonies. The website is easy to navigate and schedule your special day. Cost is pretty much the same as a getting married by a judge without the wait. Bronwen made our day so special and memorable. We loved the questions she asked leading up to the exchanging of rings etc. THANK YOU SO MUCH BRONWEN!!!!
Mrs. Symons, Seattle
From beginning to end, the entire experience was ridiculously easy, relaxed, fun, and completely stress-free. There was no wedding-day circus, no complicated production, and no pressure to make our day look like anyone else’s. It was unconventional, a little quirky, incredibly personal, and 100% us.
And then there’s Bronwen, our officiant, who is an absolute GEM. She was warm, funny, genuine, and somehow made such a simple ceremony feel incredibly meaningful. She immediately made us feel comfortable and turned what could have been a quick “let’s get hitched” moment into something we’ll remember forever.
Stephen, Seattle
My wife and I had an absolutely wonderful wedding here and could not recommend it enough for anyone who's a little alternative and doesn't want a huge ceremony. There was space enough for our 10 closest friends and family members and Bronwen gave us a beautiful ceremony. Thanks again for our perfect little wedding!
Frequently asked questions
Where we're located
Shotgun Ceremonies
5805 Airport Way S
Seattle, WA 98108
Located in the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall
Free parking, quirky neighborhood vibes and great spots for photos after your ceremony.
You've found the person who will marry you.
Book online in 5 minutes or call us if you have any questions. 206.372.3349. Georgetown Trailer Park Mall, 5805 Airport Way S., Seattle, WA