Why eloping to Las Vegas still works
The Las Vegas elopement is not a shortcut; it is the most efficient wedding infrastructure on the planet. There is no waiting period, the licence bureau is open every day, the chapels and resorts have witnesses, officiants, flowers and photographers on standby, and the restaurants can turn a Tuesday dinner into a wedding breakfast with a phone call. Couples elope here for the cost (a few thousand dollars for everything), for the privacy, to avoid a guest list that had become a diplomatic incident, or simply because they want a wedding that is a story.
This page is written as a 48-hour plan for two people arriving by air. Stretch it to three or four days if you can; the extra day removes all the pressure and gives you a honeymoon. If you want to bring a handful of guests, everything still applies, and the chapels and resorts pages cover guest capacities.
Before you fly: the four bookings
- The ceremony. Choose a chapel, a resort or an outdoor venue and book the slot, ideally for the afternoon or early evening of day two. Weekdays are cheaper and calmer. Deposits are typically 25 to 50 percent.
- The photographer. Either the venue's package or, better, an independent photographer for one to two hours; roughly $600 to $1,500 as of 2026. Independent photographers who specialise in elopements will also scout Strip and desert locations for portraits.
- The dinner. Reserve a table for two at a restaurant you will remember. Tell them it is your wedding dinner.
- The hotel. Pick something you would not normally pay for; a suite at an all-suite resort or a room in a casino-free tower. See suites.
Then do the county's online marriage pre-application (free, valid for about 60 days) and note the confirmation number. Pack the passports or driver's licences for both of you, the rings, and the outfits in carry-on luggage, not checked bags.
Day one: land, licence, relax
Morning or midday: land at Harry Reid International Airport, take a rideshare or taxi to the hotel (15 to 30 minutes to the Strip; see the airport guide). Drop bags, even if the room is not ready.
Early afternoon: go downtown to the Marriage License Bureau on South 3rd Street. With the pre-application done, you will be out in 15 to 30 minutes with the licence in hand. Put it somewhere safe and photograph it. Getting the licence on day one, not day two, is the single most important decision in this plan: it moves the only unpredictable step away from the wedding day.
Late afternoon and evening: walk Fremont Street, or head back to the Strip, have a relaxed dinner and an early night. If you want a hair and make-up trial or a manicure, this is the slot. Do not go to a nightclub the night before your wedding unless you want to look like it in the photographs.
Day two: the wedding
Morning: a slow breakfast, the pool, or a walk. If you are marrying outdoors in summer, the ceremony is at sunrise and this section is reversed. Early afternoon: hair and make-up, either at a resort salon (book ahead, roughly $150 to $400) or a mobile artist who comes to the room. Get dressed; take a few minutes for a first-look photo if your photographer suggests it.
Late afternoon: the limo or rideshare to the venue; ceremony; photos at the venue. For a chapel, the whole thing is under an hour. Golden hour: portraits with your photographer, on the Strip, in front of the Welcome sign, under the Fremont canopy or in the desert, depending on what you booked. Evening: the wedding dinner, then whatever you like: a show, the fountains, a rooftop bar, the room. Sequences for the dinner and the night are in romantic things to do.
Choosing the ceremony for an elopement
Two people with no guests can marry anywhere, which is the joy of eloping and also the paralysis. Some honest guidance:
- Fastest and cheapest: a drive-through or a simple chapel slot, $200 to $500.
- The classic elopement: a small Boulevard chapel with a few photos and a limo, $500 to $1,500; add Elvis for the story.
- The pretty one: Little Church of the West, Chapel of the Flowers' garden or a resort chapel, $500 to $3,000.
- The extraordinary one: Red Rock at sunrise, a helicopter to the canyon, a gondola at the Venetian, $1,500 to $8,000. See unique venues.
Elopement packages sold by local companies bundle officiant, photographer, flowers, transport and sometimes a permit for a single price, and are often the best value for outdoor ceremonies. For chapels, book direct.
What it costs, all in
A realistic two-night Las Vegas elopement as of 2026, excluding flights: licence roughly $100 to $110; ceremony $300 to $2,000; independent photographer $600 to $1,500; hair and make-up $150 to $400; flowers beyond the package $100 to $250; hotel two nights $300 to $1,200 including resort fees; wedding dinner $250 to $600; transport and tips $150 to $300. Total: about $2,000 at the frugal end and $6,000 to $7,000 for a very nice version, with the extraordinary ceremonies pushing it higher. Full line-by-line detail is on the costs page.
Compared with an average US wedding, this is a rounding error, which is why couples who elope here frequently spend the savings on a longer honeymoon; see honeymoons.
Telling people, and the paperwork afterwards
Many chapels offer live streaming for a small fee, which is the kindest way to include parents and friends in an elopement; tell them the link in advance and they can watch from anywhere. After the ceremony, the officiant files the licence with Clark County; order certified copies of the certificate online from the County Recorder once it is recorded (usually within a couple of weeks) and expect them in the post soon after. International couples should plan for an apostille from the Nevada Secretary of State as well.
Then the elopement's final tradition: a party back home, when you feel like it, for everyone who was not there. Nobody has ever regretted skipping the seating plan.
Mistakes that trip up eloping couples
- Getting the licence on the wedding day and hitting a queue, a closed road or a forgotten passport.
- Packing the rings or the dress in checked luggage.
- Booking a 9 p.m. Saturday chapel slot and expecting calm.
- Not telling the restaurant it is your wedding dinner; they will make it special if they know.
- Booking an outdoor ceremony in July for the afternoon.
- Forgetting that someone must be a witness; chapels supply one, but an independent officiant in the desert may not unless you ask.
- Leaving no buffer for flights: if you must fly out the morning after the wedding, make it a late flight.
