How Much It Costs (2027)

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The license is the one unavoidable cost, and it is typically modest — often somewhere in the $25 to $115 range in many US counties, with similar modest fees in UK and Canadian jurisdictions. It is usually paid when you apply, by card or cash depending on the office. Think of it as the ticket price for everything else on this list.

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Many courthouses charge a separate ceremony fee for the judge, clerk, or officiant — typically anywhere from free in some places to around $25–$150 in others. UK register office ceremonies and Canadian municipal ceremonies follow their own fee schedules, often with a standard room price and higher weekend rates. This is usually the second and final ‘official’ cost of the legal wedding itself.

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Certified copies are the budget line couples forget and then need immediately — for name changes, passports, insurance, and bank accounts. They typically cost a few dollars to around $25 each depending on the jurisdiction. Ordering three to five copies at the start is almost always cheaper than reordering one at a time later.

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Witnesses usually cost nothing beyond their own travel — most offices require one or two, and your guests typically count it an honor. If you elope with no guests, some offices can provide witnesses from staff for a small fee or free, depending on local practice. Budget zero here, but budget a thank-you coffee or small gift for the humans who sign your license.

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Some courthouses and register offices offer a nicer ceremony room, a historic chamber, or an attached chapel space for an additional fee — typically from nothing for the standard room to a few hundred for premium rooms and weekend slots. It is an optional upgrade, not a requirement, and the standard room is often perfectly handsome.

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Outfits are usually the biggest single cost of a courthouse wedding, and the range is enormous: a beloved dress or suit you already own costs nothing, while new outfits with shoes and accessories typically run from about $100 to $1,000+ for the couple. Courthouse style rewards fit and confidence over labels — a tailored $200 outfit photographs better than an ill-fitting designer one.

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Simple wedding bands are one of the best-value lines in any budget: plain bands typically start well under $100 each in affordable metals and rise with gold, platinum, and stones. Because you will wear them daily for decades, many couples choose to spend a little more here and a little less almost everywhere else. Engraving is usually a small extra worth having.

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A courthouse bouquet does not need to be grand: a small hand-tied bouquet from a florist typically runs in the $40–$120 range, with a matching boutonniere around $10–$25, and supermarket or market flowers can halve that. One beautiful bunch, well chosen, photographs like a luxury arrangement at this scale.

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Short-coverage photography is the splurge most couples rate highest afterward: two to three hours with a professional typically ranges from a few hundred dollars to around $1,500 depending on your city and the photographer’s experience. That covers getting ready, the ceremony, steps portraits, and the start of your celebration. The photos outlast every other line in this budget.

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Professional hair and makeup typically costs in the $75–$250 range per person in most cities, while doing your own costs whatever you already own plus maybe one new lipstick. Courthouse weddings are the perfect case for a middle path: a blowout at a salon the morning of, and your own practiced makeup.

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The celebration meal is usually the largest flexible cost, driven entirely by headcount: casual lunches can run a modest amount per guest, while private-room dinners with set menus typically land several times higher per person. A useful rule — every additional guest costs the price of their meal plus a slice of cake, so guest count is your budget’s master dial.

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A small celebration cake from a good bakery typically costs in the $40–$150 range depending on size and decoration — a single tier serves a courthouse group beautifully. Cupcakes and a dessert spread can cost less and serve faster. Delivery and a cake stand are the two extras to confirm in the quote.

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The toast is one of the cheapest lines in the budget: quality sparkling cider or sparkling juice typically costs just a few dollars a bottle, and a small Italian soda or spritz setup for a group is similarly gentle. Glassware makes it feel grand — borrow or rent real glasses if your venue allows, and the whole toast line stays tiny.

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Transport is a small but real line: fuel and courthouse-area parking, a rideshare for the couple, or a fun one-way splurge like a classic car for the steps photos. Typical costs range from a few dollars for parking to a few hundred for a specialty car booked by the hour. Decide in advance who drives, so nobody’s outfit meets a steering wheel unnecessarily.

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Printed announcements typically cost in the $1–$4 per card range from online printers, plus postage — a line that quietly grows with your mailing list. Digital announcements cost nothing and arrive instantly. Most couples do both: a printed card for close family and older relatives, and a photo announcement online for everyone else.

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Courthouse decor spending should be small because the venues do the visual work: think $0–$150 for candles, a welcome sign, ribbons, and a few stems for the celebration table. The buildings are handsome, the restaurant is already decorated, and your outfits carry the photos. Spend on one beautiful thing rather than ten small ones.

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Music costs almost nothing at courthouse scale: a playlist and a decent Bluetooth speaker cover a home or restaurant-room celebration, while a single live musician for an hour — a guitarist or violinist — typically runs a few hundred dollars and feels like pure luxury at a small dinner. Ask the restaurant before bringing any speaker, as some rooms provide their own system.

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Favors are entirely optional at a courthouse wedding, but if you love the gesture, edible favors — chocolates, local jam, coffee beans — typically cost $2–$6 per guest and never get left behind. With small guest lists, the whole favor line usually stays under the cost of the cake. Skip anything with your names printed on it; guests keep what they can eat or use.

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A hotel night is the classic courthouse splurge: a nice room in your own city typically ranges from around $120 to $400 depending on the hotel and date. It gives you somewhere beautiful to get ready, a quiet place to land afterward, and breakfast in bed the next morning. Many hotels add a small treat when you mention the occasion at booking.

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If either of you changes a name, expect a tail of small official fees afterward: updated driver’s license, passport reissue, and bank or professional documents each carry their own typical charges, from a few dollars to around a hundred or more for a passport in some countries. None are urgent on the day itself — but budgeting a small ‘paperwork’ line prevents grumpy surprises.

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Add a buffer of roughly 10 percent of your total budget for the things nobody predicts: a taxi when the car will not start, a replacement boutonniere, an extra round of coffee for everyone. Courthouse budgets are small, so the buffer is small — but having it converts every surprise from a crisis into a story.

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A lean US courthouse wedding — license and ceremony fees, rings from the affordable end, outfits you mostly own, market flowers, and lunch for a handful of witnesses — commonly totals in the low hundreds of dollars. The legal core of it is usually well under $200 in many counties. This is not a lesser wedding; it is a wedding with the spending aimed at the marriage itself.

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A comfortable mid-range US day — new outfits, a two-hour photographer, a small bouquet, and a private-room dinner for fifteen to twenty — typically lands somewhere in the $2,000 to $5,000 range in many cities, driven mostly by the meal and photography. It feels like a full wedding celebration at a fraction of traditional costs, because the venue line is essentially zero.

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In the UK, couples usually give notice and marry at a register office or approved venue through the registrar; fees for notice and the ceremony are set locally and typically total in the low hundreds of pounds for a standard register office ceremony, with larger rooms and weekend slots costing more. Add outfits, photos, and a meal and a lovely day typically lands in the same modest bands as the US versions. Requirements vary, so check your local register office for current fees and notice rules.

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In Canada, couples typically buy a marriage licence from their municipality or province and choose an officiant or a municipal civil ceremony where offered; licence fees are commonly in the low hundreds of Canadian dollars and civil ceremony fees are similarly modest, varying by city and province. With outfits, photography, and dinner added, totals mirror the US ranges. Requirements vary, so check your municipal clerk’s office for the current fees and licence validity window.