Eloping in Vegas? Here’s What You Need to Know

Calling all Vegas-bound baddies!

Here’s what you need to know as you prep to elope in Vegas. 

Get Your Marriage License 

You will first need to apply for your marriage license in one of two ways.

You can apply online and then go pick up your marriage license in person, or you can go directly to the Clark County Marriage License Bureau. Their hours are 8 AM to midnight every day, including holidays.

You will need to provide your Social Security number (not the actual card) and a valid form of ID like a driver’s license, birth certificate or passport to apply.

Keep in mind that they will legally register you under the name as it appears on your ID. The marriage license will cost $102 so make sure you have cash or credit with you.

Choose Your Wedding Date

If you’re not quite ready to spontaneously get married with an hour’s notice, that’s ok. Instead, secretly pick a time and day so you can plan a little.

The date you choose might be impacted by a few other things, including:

  • Will you be inviting anyone? If you’d like to have your best friend or sister present, you’ll want to choose a date that works for everyone. 

  • Do you want an outdoor wedding in Montana? Probably don’t want a winter date. This is an advantage to marrying in a warm location like Las Vegas — it’s almost always outdoor weather. 

Choose a Location

Here’s the fun part. Be as creative as you please! Electric Sugar Elopements offers so many options for elopement locations and not one of them is a dreary courthouse.

If the two of you love hiking with your dogs, what about an outdoor wedding in the mountains? Maybe you both love architecture.

Find the coolest architecture in the area — an old library, museum or historic movie theater. 

Hire a Wedding Planner and Photographer

After the initial adrenaline rush of your wedding ebbs a bit, there’s nothing quite as fun as sitting down to look at photos and video from the day.

So don’t miss the opportunity to hire someone awesome — someone who gets you and your vision.

Plus, your family and friends will enjoy seeing those photos. It might even help to smooth over any hurt feelings. 

Find an Officiant and Plan the Ceremony

Once you’ve chosen your location, time and date, it’s time to find someone who will do the honors of officiating.

Before you meet with an officiant, sit down as a couple and decide what kind of wedding ceremony you both want — long, short, funny, sentimental…

Knowing which routes you’ll take will make choosing your officiant much easier. And once you sit down with them, do a vibe check to be sure they’re the one!

Go Shopping

Here are some of the best parts of a wedding of any kind. It’s time to pick the clothes.

If you’ve not already done so, choose that ring you’ve always dreamt about. Maybe you want something a little unique, less traditional.

Since you know where you’re getting hitched, you’ll also have a good idea about extras.

Do you want to carry a bouquet, or maybe something more unique? Will you have a long veil? What kind of shoes will be best for your location?  

Decide How You Plan to Spread the Good News

Even though you didn’t want a big wedding, you may still want to share your awesome news with the masses… or at least your family and friends.

Since news travels fast, pick your announcements ahead of time and have them ready to go.

That way, once you’re happily married, you can drop them in the mailbox and let the good news spread. 

Let’s chat about how we can make your Vegas elopement everything you want it to be and nothing you don’t! 

McKenzi Taylor

McKenzi Taylor

For couples with personality wanting an offbeat, boundary-pushing wedding, McKenzi Taylor is fast-becoming America's go-to elopement and micro-wedding expert. Electric Sugar Elopements barged onto the scene in 2021, with the company drawing on McKenzi’s 15+ years as a wedding photographer, 5+ years as a successful wedding coordinator, and standing as a board member for the LV chapter of WIPA. Her ‘let’s do this differently’ attitude to weddings has helped over 700 couples get hitched in style around Las Vegas, San Diego and Black Hills, and has led to her being featured in small and major media outlets, such as the New York Times.