Plan your wedding in the United States, step by step
Enter your date and get a month-by-month checklist, find your county's marriage license rules, and see what each guest really costs. Guides reviewed by a person.
Marriage license by county
- No sign-upSee your full result
- FreeAll 3 tools, no cost
- Reviewed by a personEvery guide, before it's published
- Official sourcesWith the review date
Three tools to plan your wedding without surprises
Pick where to start. All three are free and work without creating an account.
Marriage license by county
Fee, waiting period, witnesses and office, with the official source and review date.
Wedding planning checklist and timeline by date
Enter your wedding date and see what to do each month, and when to send save-the-dates and invitations. Includes a PDF.
Wedding budget calculator and cost per guest
Add up what you'll spend and see what each guest costs.
Getting married at a courthouse in the U.S.
To marry at a courthouse, you first need a marriage license, and in most states the county issues it. Each county sets its own fee, waiting period, validity and whether it requires witnesses. After the ceremony, the signed license is recorded, and that is how you get your marriage certificate.
Every county has its own rules
What you pay and how long you wait vary by county. Check these four things before you decide.
- CostThe fee the county sets
- Waiting periodDays between applying and using it
- ValidityHow long it's good for
- WitnessesHow many, if any
Your wedding, stage by stage
How long until your wedding? Pick your stage and jump straight to what's next.
Set the date, the type of wedding and the budget
See this stage →
Build the guest list
See this stage →
Plan the save-the-dates and invitations
Look up your county's marriage license and when to apply
Final steps: confirmations, payments and the license in hand
What does each guest cost?
Enter your total budget and your guest count. Free, no sign-up. We also give you a suggested split to get you started.
Wedding invitations in Spanish and English
We're building a wedding invitation editor. It isn't available yet. In the meantime, the checklist tells you when to send them.
We use AI tools to support design and writing. A person reviews and approves every guide, and data is checked against official sources.
Official sources, with dates
Every license detail names the county office that publishes it and the date we reviewed it.
Reviewed by a person
No guide is published until a person reviews and approves it.
If you spot an error, we'll fix it
Write to us and we'll look into it.
AltarPlan is not a government agency and does not issue licenses. How we work and AI disclosure · About AltarPlan
Frequently asked questions
Is a marriage license the same in every state?
No. In most states the county issues it, and each one sets its own fee, waiting period and validity. Find yours with the marriage license by county.
Do I need an account to use the tools?
No. You see the full result without signing up. Your checklist and budget are saved only on this device, and you can delete them whenever you want.
What if my county isn't listed?
We only show counties with data verified at the official source. If yours isn't there yet, we tell you and recommend contacting your county clerk or recorder's office. We keep adding more.
When should I send save-the-dates and wedding invitations?
It depends on your wedding date. The wedding checklist by date gives you exact dates and tells you if you're running behind.