Marriage is not less than any festival, not only for the couples but also for the family and relatives. However, many individuals didn’t like the limelight because marriage is all about love and trust. Demand for courthouse marriages is increasing, but how much it cost to get married at the courthouse?
If you found your better half and are ready to hold his/her hand for a lifetime, you can go to a courthouse wedding. However, it solely depends upon you and your partner’s choice. Though courthouse marriages are affordable, not knowing complete details can cause trouble.
Here, we will discuss everything about courthouse marriages, including how much it costs to get married at the courthouse. So let’s start.
Table of Contents
Courthouse Marriages: An Intro
Before knowing about the cost of getting married at the courthouse, it’s important to know about it. A courthouse marriage, as its name implies, is a legal form of marriage where religious traditions don’t matter. As marriages are an important part of life, every married couple must have a legal document regarding their marriage.
This is called a marriage certificate, which the district court issues in most cases. So, in courthouse weddings, legal documents are signed in the presence of the officant, witnesses, and other legal authorities.
Requirement For Courthouse Marriage
If you are planning for a court marriage, the first thing you must know is the requirements. If you know the requirements you will not worry about how much it cost to get married at the courthouse. Well, the process for a courthouse marriage varies from state to state and country to country. However, the typical requirements are almost the same, which is mentioned below.
Venue
If you think that court marriages happen only in specific courthouse venues, you are wrong. Generally, you can choose any courthouse in your locality, state, county, etc. For this, you have to explore the venues online and book that spot. In most cases, you don’t have to wait because multiple marriages can occur in a single day. This is because court marriages require very little time. So choose the date and time as per your preference.
Wedding License
A wedding License is one of the most important things for courthouse marriages. You can apply for a wedding license online or offline. City govt or local court websites allow you to apply for a wedding license. If you are unable to do so, visit the local clerk’s office, court, etc. Complete all the formalities, paperwork, and fees, and your wedding license will be issued. Using this license, you are eligible for courthouse marriage across the state and county.
Documents
When you have acquired a wedding license, it’s time for documents. Courthouse marriages are legal proceedings. So you and your partner must carry different sorts of documents. From valid ID proof to Residence Certificate and Passport Size Photographs, you have to collect all legal documents you have along with their photocopy.
Officiant
Generally, the officiant is the judge or clerk, and many states provide an officiant from their side. However, you are free to hire an officiant. Hiring an officiant will make your courthouse marriage different from normal courthouse marriages.
- Firstly, it can ensure some basic rituals and traditions.
- Secondly, you can get a religious and cultural touch.
These are just a few. In short, you will get a personalized courthouse marriage with everything going smoothly.
How Much It Cost To Get Married At the Courthouse?
The cost of getting married at the courthouse depends upon multiple factors like state, county, additional fees, and extra services. We will later discuss the additional cost. For now, let’s talk about the main fees. The major part of wedding fees comprises of wedding license and officiant fees. If you are not hiring an officiant, the courthouse will charge fees for the officiant. Some minimal costs are also charged by the courthouse apart from the attorney fees. Now, the total wedding cost may range between 45$ to 150$ when you are not opting for any extra service. Also, remember, if you are serving in the military, you don’t have to pay any fees.
Addition Costs To Get Married At The Courthouse
Courthouse marriages are extremely affordable, so many couples opt for special services that will make their wedding memorable. Also, these services are not very costly, but their impact is valuable.
Special Venue
Many courthouses allow couples to book special venues so that they can invite many guests. In such cases, you have to pay a little more. Here, you can also opt for photography, music, etc.
Special Date & Time
This is very important. Suppose you are willing to marry your partner on a special day that is not a working day; In that case, you have to pay extra fees. The same applies to marriages outside working hours.
Personal Officiant
In case, you don’t want only a civil officant provided by the Courthouse, you can hire a personal officant.In this case, you have to pay more, and this is the most expensive additional cost because officiants charge significant amounts of fees. But yes, this amount will make your marriage perfect.
Conclusion
Even after adding all additional costs, there is no doubt that courthouse marriages are way more affordable than Traditional weddings. While some people do it by mutual choice, some are not capable of spending a humongous amount of money. In most cases, people go for court marriage first, and after some time, they hold a grand ceremony.
The choice is up to you, but the answer for how much it cost to get married at the courthouse is less than $2000 in all cases.
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