Getting Married in Las Vegas: What You Need to Know

The most important things to know for planning a wedding in Vegas

Whether you want a traditional wedding, or you are after something wild, like being married by Elvis himself, or saying “I do” on a helicopter over the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas can truly serve up anything you can imagine!

As fun as it all sounds, getting married abroad may feel rather scary. It’s only natural to worry that if sorting out the paperwork for a wedding close to home can be a pain, then planning a marriage abroad must be a nightmare; but Vegas is not like any other place…

What do I need for getting married in Vegas?

There isn’t much you need to worry about when organizing the legal part of your wedding in Vegas. You’ll only need two things:

• Marriage license from the Marriage Bureau (we’ll explain how to get that in a bit)
• Valid photo I.D. –  a driver’s license, passport, or birth certificate will do

That’s it. As much as I like to keep my bulleted lists to a minimum of 3 points, there’s nothing else you need!

What’s NOT required:

• NO blood tests
• NO waiting periods
• NO residency requirement, so you don’t have to have lived in Vegas to get married there

Rules for Getting Married in Vegas

Even Sin City some rules, but they are absolutely reasonable, I promise!

• You must be at least 18 years of age
• You can’t marry your close family members (second cousins or cousins of half blood are OK though)
• You must not have another living husband or wife (divorces are totally acceptable as long as they are complete and you can provide exact date and city of the divorce)

Having said that if you’re 16 – 17, you can still get married in Vegas legally but it requires some extra documentation. 

The most crucial part is that your parent or legal guardian has to give consent in person at the time of application.

Additionally, you must provide the following documents:

• An original/certified copy of your birth certificate
• Proof of identity for all people giving consent
• Court order showing proof of legal guardianship
• Notarized affidavit of consent, written in English, with the birth date of the minor and the relationship of person giving consent

What you’ll need to get a Las Vegas Marriage License:

• The documents described above
• $77 for the application fee

You have to bring these 2 things in person to the Clark County Marriage Bureau in Las Vegas.

Your marriage license is issued immediately on the day and is valid for 1 year (in case you need time to think things through…)

Top Tip: Save time by filling in a pre-application form online. And please MAKE SURE you spell your names exactly as they appear on your passport – typos can get your license application rejected.

Finding the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau

I guarantee you that every cabby in Las Vegas knows where the Marriage Bureau is but for a peace of mind – here’s the address:

Clark County Marriage Bureau
201 Clark Ave.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89155-1603

Unlike most UK institutions, which usually work only on weekdays until 5pm, the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau is open 7 days a week from 8am till midnight!

How to get your Marriage Certificate

Once you are legally wed you’ll want to have the papers to prove it. Here’s how to get them:

• The wedding officiant has 10 days of performing the ceremony to file the marriage certificate
• You can pick up a copy from the Clark County Clerk’s office for about $15
• You can also order a copy online

When you get back to the UK…

Want to make sure your Vegas wedding is official back home? The good news is you don’t have to worry about paperwork!

Here are the 2 main points you need to take away:

• Your Las Vegas wedding is legal and fully-recognised in the UK, so you DON’T have to register your marriage
• Want to change your name? There are no set times for a name change, this can be done any time after the marriage, so don’t feel like you have to rush to the local registry office as soon as you land in the country

So which Vegas Wedding should you go for??

Too much legal talk for one day? Weddings are meant to be enjoyable, so how about we finish off with something more fun!

Find out what Las Vegas wedding theme fits your personality the most with a fun personality quiz.

Go to the Quiz

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