Eloping in Las Vegas: How It Works, the Marriage License, Locations and a Sample Timeline

Las Vegas is the easiest place in the United States to get married, and one of the most photogenic. You can pick up a marriage license tonight, say your vows in a chapel on the Strip tomorrow morning and take portraits in Red Rock Canyon by sunset. After photographing hundreds of small weddings and elopements around the city, this is the guide we send every couple who asks us how eloping in Las Vegas actually works.

Step 1: Get your Clark County marriage license

Every Las Vegas wedding starts at the Clark County Marriage License Bureau in downtown Las Vegas. Both of you appear in person with a government photo ID, there is no waiting period and no blood test, and the license is valid anywhere in Nevada for one year. You can pre-fill the application online before you fly in, which turns the visit into a short stop. The bureau is open every day of the year with long hours, and the fee is a little over one hundred dollars at the time of writing. Check the county website for current hours, fees and ID requirements before you travel.

Step 2: Choose where to say your vows

Couples eloping in Las Vegas usually choose one of four settings, and each one photographs differently.

Classic Las Vegas chapels

A Little White Wedding Chapel, Graceland Wedding Chapel, Chapel of the Flowers and the newer Sure Thing Chapel are the fast, fun, only-in-Vegas option. Ceremonies run 15 to 30 minutes, an officiant and a witness are included in most packages, and the neon signs outside make great portraits right after the kiss. Book the last slot before sunset so the light is soft when you step out.

Strip resorts and gardens

Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Venetian and Wynn all have wedding chapels or garden terraces, and their hotel backdrops are unmistakably Las Vegas: the Bellagio fountains, the Roman columns at Caesars, the canals at The Venetian. Resorts have rules about where photographers may shoot, so we plan the portrait route in advance.

The desert: Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, dry lake beds

Twenty to sixty minutes from the Strip you can trade neon for red sandstone and open sky. Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire are the two classic desert ceremony locations; both require a permit for weddings and commercial photography and Red Rock also uses timed-entry reservations for its scenic drive during the busy months, so reserve early. The dry lake bed near Jean and the Seven Magic Mountains art installation are popular for portraits, and Mount Charleston gives you pine trees and even snow in winter, forty-five minutes from the city.

Downtown and the Neon Museum

For couples who love vintage Vegas, the Neon Museum's boneyard of restored signs and the Fremont Street area give you color and character that no other city has, especially after dark.

Step 3: Officiant and witness

Nevada requires an officiant who is registered to perform marriages in Clark County and at least one witness over 18. Chapels and resorts supply both; for a desert ceremony you book an independent officiant, and many of our couples ask their photographer or videographer to sign as the witness. If you would rather skip the paperwork entirely, a commitment ceremony with no legal component needs neither.

Step 4: A sample three-hour elopement timeline

• 3:30 pm - Getting ready and details at your hotel suite (45 minutes): the dress, rings, a few quiet portraits before you see each other.

• 4:15 pm - First look and couple portraits at the hotel or on the drive to the ceremony (30 minutes).

• 5:00 pm - Ceremony (15 to 20 minutes), followed by signing the license and a toast.

• 5:30 pm - Golden-hour portraits at the location (45 minutes): the best light of the day, and the images you will frame.

• 6:30 pm - Dinner reservation, or add an hour after dark for portraits under the lights of the Strip.

Shift every time earlier in winter, when the sun sets before 5 pm, and later in June and July. We build the timeline around sunset for the date you choose.

The best months to elope in Las Vegas

October through April is ideal: mild afternoons, clear skies and comfortable desert ceremonies at any hour. From June to September the desert is above 100 degrees by late morning, so we plan sunrise or sunset ceremonies and keep the middle of the day indoors. Late-summer afternoons can also bring short monsoon storms and dramatic skies, which make for spectacular photos if you stay flexible by an hour.

Photo and film for your elopement

Because an elopement has no guests to distract you, the photographs and the film become the way your families experience the day. MamanPRO covers Las Vegas elopements with one photographer or a photo-and-video team, so the vows, the first dance on a canyon overlook and the neon at night are all preserved. See our Las Vegas elopement photography page and a few of our wedding highlight films.

Frequently asked questions

Can we really get married the same day we arrive?

Yes. With the online pre-application done, most couples are in and out of the Marriage License Bureau in under half an hour, and chapels take same-day bookings when they have space. Popular dates such as Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve should still be booked ahead.

Do we need a witness?

Nevada requires one witness. Chapels provide one, and for desert ceremonies your photographer can sign.

Can a few family members join us?

Of course. An intimate wedding of up to twenty guests follows the same plan; we simply add fifteen minutes of family portraits after the ceremony.

Do you travel to Valley of Fire and Mount Charleston?

Yes. Both are within an hour of Las Vegas and we photograph elopements there regularly. We will tell you about permits and the best time of day for each location.

Ready to plan your Las Vegas elopement? Send us your date and the location you have in mind, and we will send you a timeline and our elopement photography options within one business day.