Planning a Special Event in Washington DC: Rules and Regulations for Music at Weddings

Residents and organizations planning a special event in Washington DC must obtain permits to hold the event. The application process can be simplified by using the forms and links provided. Before applying for permission to hold a wedding at one of the three approved locations, it is important to review the rules to make sure it is the right one for your special day. Once the wedding request has been processed, couples have two weeks to send the rent payment to their wedding coordinator.

Couples who want to have a Catholic ceremony should submit their wedding request online and contact Carol Jones, of the Catholic Student Center at the University of Washington. No other permits will be issued during a wedding ceremony, including other wedding permits, photography, or any other event. Applications to hold an event in the United States must be accompanied by a date and time stamp in the order in which they were received and processed 12 months before the requested wedding date for affiliated couples. After the meeting of the working group on special events, their next priority is the agencies that issue permits and licenses for different aspects of a special event.

Find information about filming and photography permits if you are only taking wedding-related photos in a park or in areas other than those specified in the wedding ceremony permit. Couples who are not affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis can celebrate Catholic ceremonies, not including mass, at Graham Memorial Chapel. Couples who are not affiliated with the university can complete and submit the application for the wedding ceremony on the first calendar day of the month, 12 months before the wedding date.

College-affiliated couples can complete and submit the application for the wedding ceremony on the first calendar day of the month, 14 months before the wedding date. Coordinating public safety planning efforts for events that require inter-agency coordination is handled by the Mayor's Office's Special Events Working Group (MSETG). It is important to note that weddings for up to 200 people are allowed at the Washington Memorial on Independence Avenue, near Martin Luther King, Jr.