Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris says "We want to be the wedding destination of the world," and the new 24,000-square-foot marriage bureau at 141 Worth Street, a historic 80-year-old building in lower Manhattan, certainly makes for wonderful wedding ceremonies. With a computerized system that cuts down on lines and waiting times, credit cards are now accepted and you can even buy flowers on the spot! Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on track to turn New York City into America's #1 place to get married: almost 70,000 marriage licenses were issued here in 2008, whereas Las Vegas issued just over 95,000—the lowest number in 15 years. Just imagine: • 14 computer kiosks for online application processing • one-stop windows for service instead of multiple windows • large restrooms with vanities and full-length mirrors; refinished and decorated chapel space • iPod docking stations so you can play your own music for your special ceremony • an area to take photos in front of a backdrop of City Hall • a branch of the City Store selling disposable cameras, film, costume rings, and NYC merchandise—plus the flowers mentioned above.
The wedding chapels feature artwork on loan from the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the City Hall backdrop was supplied by Duggal. Literature in the new Marriage Bureau will be available in English and Spanish. Customers can also speak to clerks in their preferred language using a telephone interpretation system available in 170 languages.
The City’s Marriage Bureau provides marriage licenses, domestic partnership registrations, marriage officiants registrations, copies and amendments of marriage records, certificates of non-impediment, and other services. Click HERE for all the information you need to get married.
The Customer Service Group at the Mayor’s Office of Operations has been working with the City Clerk’s office to enhance the experience for the City’s customers during their visits to the Clerk’s Office. For example, the City Clerk has made comment cards available to capture customer feedback. Also, the City Clerk’s office has created printed materials, available at the information desk, providing customers with necessary information about the process for acquiring services and a map so customers can find services appropriate to them.
Working with the Mayor’s Office of Operations and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, the City Clerk has trained its front-line staff in customer service practices. To further improve the visitor experience, the Clerk’s Office is employing workers from ReServe, a not-for-profit organization that connects New York City’s retired professionals with civic engagement positions. ReServists will help greet and direct visitors to expedite and improve the process within the facility.
While Manhattan is its most heavily trafficked location, the City Clerk has offices in each borough. The Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island offices have recently received aesthetic and structural enhancements and the staff in those offices will receive customer service training. These offices also now accept credit cards, can receive applications electronically, and access translation services.
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