ThingsVegas

Getting Married in Las Vegas: The Complete Elopement Guide

Las Vegas issues more than 70,000 marriage licenses a year, and it has been the Wedding Capital of the World since a London newspaper coined the title in 1953. The reason is not just the chapels; it is the machine underneath them: a license bureau open 8 AM to midnight every day of the year, no waiting period, no blood test, and ceremonies that can legally happen an hour after you land. This guide walks the whole path, license to certified certificate, with the real prices checked on October 26, 2026.

Step 1: the marriage license ($102)

  • Apply online first. Clark County's pre application (each partner fills in their own details, names exactly as on your ID) puts you in the system for a year and cuts the counter visit to about 15 minutes.
  • Pick it up together at the Marriage License Bureau, 201 E. Clark Avenue downtown, open 8 AM to midnight, 7 days a week, holidays included. Quietest: Sunday and Tuesday mornings and after 8 PM.
  • Bring: original government photo ID each (driver license, state ID, military ID, or a passport; foreign visitors use their passport). US citizens provide a Social Security number. Both of you must appear in person.
  • Pay $102 by card (a convenience fee applies; checks are not accepted for licenses). You must be 18+, not currently married, and the license is valid for one year.
  • There is no waiting period and no blood test. You can marry the same hour.

Step 2: the ceremony

The ceremony must happen in Nevada, performed by a Nevada authorized officiant, with at least one witness besides the officiant present (chapels provide one free if you elope alone; Graceland and The Little Vegas Chapel both say so). The officiant files your certificate with the county within 10 days. Book a package below, or hire an independent officiant for a sign, park or hotel ceremony.

The chapels, honestly priced

A Little White Wedding Chapel (1301 Las Vegas Blvd S)

The original quickie chapel (since 1951) and home of the drive through Tunnel of Love. Simple packages from $159, outdoor venues from $399. Read the fine print the chapel itself publishes: a $60 minister fee and a 19% surcharge are added, plus $100 on Fridays, Saturdays and premium days. Elvis packages include the Pink Cadillac ride through the tunnel.

Chapel of the Flowers (1717 Las Vegas Blvd S)

The polished end of the market since 1960: garden chapels (one seats 101), a gazebo, and an explicit "not a drive through" philosophy. Intimate packages from $299, specialty from $899, elegant from $1,099; their FAQ puts the range at $300 to $6,000. Also sells off site ceremonies, including Valley of Fire. Packages are bookable on Viator: Chapel of the Flowers packages on Viator.

Graceland Wedding Chapel (619 Las Vegas Blvd S)

The Elvis originator: it brands itself the home of the world's first Elvis themed wedding (since 1977) and is officially licensed by Elvis Presley Enterprises. Gazebo Special $189 plus tax; the Loving You Elvis package is $329. Budget the extras the chapel lists openly: $60 officiant fee, a customary $20 photographer tip, $40 to $60 limo tip where applicable. Its Elvis package is a Viator best seller (from $183, 4.9 stars across 480 reviews at our check): Elvis wedding at Graceland on Viator.

The Little Vegas Chapel (1330 S 3rd St, downtown)

Small, modern, at the edge of the Arts District: two chapels seating 18 and 24. Weddings from $249, traditional package from $299, the Elvis "Burning Love" package $399 (plus a $100 cash only Elvis officiant fee). Themed weddings run from Star Wars to a female "Miss Elvis." With limousine transport included, its Elvis package lists on Viator from $565: Little Vegas Chapel Elvis package on Viator.

Viva Las Vegas Weddings (1205 Las Vegas Blvd S)

The themed wedding factory: packages from $159, with 19% surcharge and $60 to $100 minister fees added. Elvis Hound Dog $295, Elvis Pink Caddy $777 (he drives you down the aisle in a 1964 pink Cadillac), and themes from Western ($650) to Alice Cooper ($750) to full Super Hero ($950). If your wedding concept is ridiculous, this is the chapel that has done it before.

Sure Thing Chapel (1110 Fremont St)

The design led downtown option on Fremont Street: vintage styling, a lady Elvis ("The Queen Herself"), showgirl ceremonies and the only analog photobooth in a Vegas chapel. It publishes no prices on its site (third party figures conflict, so we print none): ask for a quote, and compare it against the corridor chapels above.

Bookable packages on Viator

Viator's Las Vegas wedding inventory is deep, from $65 quickie ceremonies upward. The ones we verified on October 26, 2026: Graceland's Elvis wedding (from $183, above), the Las Vegas Sign Elvis ceremony with photos (from the Sign package listing), Chapel of the Flowers packages from $299, and a Valley of Fire wedding by private limousine from $781 with the park permit fee included: Valley of Fire wedding on Viator. Browse the full shelf: Las Vegas wedding packages on Viator.

Beyond the chapel

  • The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign: officiant companies sell ceremonies at the sign (about 14 guests max on observed packages, photos in front). Honest framing: you are booking an officiant, not the sign; it is a public site with a public photo line and no exclusive use. Bring your license; renewals need none.
  • The Neon Museum: Sweetheart Weddings in the North Gallery among the restored signs: $2,500 for a private 60 minute ceremony up to 50 guests (September through May), $3,500 for the Stardust package, plus $500 for golden hour. License and officiant are yours to arrange; the museum includes neither.
  • Valley of Fire: weddings are a commercial activity requiring a Special Use Permit: apply 60 days ahead with a $25 processing fee; the park's fee table is a $400 base plus $10 per person, and the park closes to weddings during its December 1 to 14 maintenance window. The Viator limo package above bundles the permit, which is the easy route.
  • Red Rock Canyon: BLM requires an approved Special Recreation Permit for every wedding, however small. In practice couples book one of the permitted wedding companies, which handles the permit; plan on applying at least two weeks out, more for commercial packages.
  • Fremont Street photos: casual phone photos are unrestricted, but a professional shoot on the mall is commercial filming (city and Fremont Street Experience permits plus insurance). Keep pro shoots to side streets unless your photographer has the permits.

Step 3: the paperwork that proves it

  • Certified copies of the marriage certificate: $20 each from the County Clerk (online, in person or by mail). This, not the decorative certificate the chapel gives you, is your legal proof. Buy two or three: banks, insurers, immigration and name changes all want one eventually. Do not confuse it with a certified copy of the license application ($6.50), which proves nothing.
  • Foreign couples: for recognition at home, most Hague Convention countries want the certified certificate plus an apostille from the Nevada Secretary of State ($20 fee set by statute). Order both before you leave Nevada if you can; it is slower from abroad.
  • Vow renewals need no license and no paperwork. The bureau sells an optional souvenir Certificate of Vow Renewal for $21.

The real total, three ways

  • The $350 elopement: license $102 + Graceland Gazebo $189 + officiant fee and copies, with the Viator Elvis route (from $183) landing in the same band.
  • The $700 classic: license + a Chapel of the Flowers intimate package ($299+) or Little White mid tier, photos, flowers, two certified copies and tips.
  • The $2,500+ statement: Neon Museum Sweetheart, a Valley of Fire permitted ceremony, or a themed Viva Las Vegas production with a reception.

Coming in for the wedding? The hotel guide and the events calendar will tell you what your date does to room rates; Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve are the two most expensive wedding days of the year, and February 14, 2027 is also Super Bowl Sunday.

License fee, hours and rules verified at Clark County (clarkcountynv.gov); chapel prices are the chapels' own published starting prices, and Viator prices were observed on viator.com, all on October 26, 2026. Added fees noted are the ones the chapels publish.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to get married in Las Vegas, all in?

The license is $102 from Clark County. Add a simple chapel package (from $159 at A Little White Wedding Chapel, $189 for Graceland's Gazebo Special, from $299 at Chapel of the Flowers), the officiant fee most chapels add on top ($60 to $100), a service surcharge at some chapels (19% at Little White and Viva Las Vegas Weddings), and certified copies of the marriage certificate at $20 each. An honest budget elopement lands around $300 to $400 all in; a classic chapel wedding with photos and flowers, $500 to $900. Every price here was checked on October 26, 2026.

Can foreigners get married in Las Vegas?

Yes, and it is routine: a passport is an accepted ID at the Marriage License Bureau, there is no waiting period and no blood test, and couples marry the same day they arrive. Afterward you need certified copies of the marriage certificate ($20 each from the County Clerk), and most couples whose home country is in the Hague Convention also get an apostille from the Nevada Secretary of State ($20 by statute) so the marriage is recognized at home. Check your own country's exact recognition rules before you fly.

Do we need a witness, and what if we elope alone?

Nevada requires at least one witness other than the officiant. If you elope with nobody, the chapel supplies one: Graceland and The Little Vegas Chapel both state a witness is provided free if needed. It is one of the reasons the chapel route beats a DIY ceremony for couples traveling alone.

Can we get married on Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve?

Yes, but book the chapel well ahead: February 14 and December 31 are the two biggest wedding days of the year in the Wedding Capital of the World (70,000+ licenses a year), chapels add premium day fees (Little White charges $100 extra on premium days), and in 2027 Valentine's Day is also Super Bowl Sunday. The license bureau keeps the same 8 AM to midnight hours even on holidays.