How Much Does It Cost to Elope in 2026? A Real Breakdown

What you pay depends on three things: where you elope, how long the ceremony lasts, and how many guests you bring. Below is a real, line-by-line breakdown using our actual 2026 pricing — not estimates, not averages from random venues, the same numbers couples see on our pricing pages.

Does one package price cover the entire ceremony?

When we say a package is “$1,875,” that single number covers the entire ceremony. Here's what's baked in at every venue we work with:

• The ceremony venue (permits, fees, and access included)
• A licensed officiant to perform the ceremony
• A professional photographer for the package's full duration
• Edited high-resolution photos delivered in a private online gallery
• Ceremony coordination and a planned timeline
• State marriage license guidance (we walk you through the application)

What is not included in the base price: your attire, your travel and lodging, the actual marriage license fee (paid to the county), and any reception afterward. We'll cover all of those below.

Real 2026 Package Prices by Destination

Nashville

Nashville elopement packages range from $575 for a 15-minute Just Married ceremony at Belmont Mansion, Spring Haven Mansion or the Nashville Wedding Chapel to $2,975 for a 2-hour Friends and Family package for up to 40 guests at Belmont Mansion.

Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg elopement packages start at $1,275 for the 1-hour Getaway Plus at Foothills Parkway and go up to $2,975 for a 3-hour Friends and Family Plus at Willow Ridge.

Charleston

Charleston elopement packages run from $1,275 to $2,575 at venues like Cypress Gardens and Hampton Park.

Savannah

Savannah elopement packages start at $1,275 at Forsyth Park and reach $2,775 at the Davenport House.

Sedona

Sedona elopement packages are $1,875 at red rock venues and $2,275 at our most-requested venue, Crescent Moon Ranch. The slightly higher Sedona baseline reflects national-forest permit fees baked into every package.

Add-Ons That Are Worth It

We sell two add-ons, priced by package tier, and nothing else is upsold:

• Videography ($675 – $1,475, on Getaway Plus and larger) — A short cinematic film of your day, usually 2–4 minutes. Almost universal feedback: couples wish they'd added it.
• RAW photo files ($100 – $300) — Only worth it if you actually edit photos yourself. Most couples never touch them.

Hair and makeup isn't something we sell. If you want a stylist at your hotel, you book one yourself, and our team will recommend local artists.

Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions

Things that aren't in the package price and routinely surprise people:

• The marriage license itself — $99.50 in cash in Nashville, $41 for out-of-state couples in Gatlinburg, $70 in Charleston County, $76 in Savannah ($36 with a premarital education certificate) and $98 in Arizona. Paid to the county, not us.
• Travel and lodging — A 2-night stay near the venue runs $300–$800 in most of our destinations.
• Flowers — We don't sell florals, so a bouquet comes from a florist you book; our team recommends local ones. Budget $150–$400.
• Tips — A small thank-you for your officiant and photographer ($50–$150 each) is appreciated but never expected.

What do couples really spend in total to elope?

For a two-person elopement, expect a real total of $2,500–$4,500(package + travel + attire + license). For a 20-guest micro wedding with a casual dinner afterward, expect $5,000–$9,000 all in.

Compare that to the national average traditional wedding cost of $35,000+. Even our highest-end package, with every available add-on and a fancy hotel afterward, rarely cracks $10,000.

Why an Elopement Costs Less Than a Traditional Wedding

The savings come from three places that the wedding industry rarely talks about openly:

1. No reception, no per-head costs. The single biggest line item at a traditional wedding is feeding 100–150 people. Catering alone runs $75–$200 per person; a 150-person wedding burns $15,000–$30,000 on dinner before you've paid for flowers, music, or rentals. Elopements skip this entirely. If you do host a small celebration afterward, you control the size and format completely.
2. No 12-month planning treadmill. Traditional weddings need a planner, a coordinator, an event designer, a stationer, a rental company, a DJ, a band, a videographer, and often a florist with a team of three. Each of those vendors charges by the hour and by the complexity of the event. Strip the event down to 1–2 hours with 0–20 guests and the vendor count drops to two: photographer and officiant. Both are bundled into your package, and the planning is ours.
3. No venue minimums. Most traditional wedding venues require $10,000–$30,000 food-and-beverage minimums, plus a separate site fee. Our elopement venues — Crescent Moon Ranch, Cypress Gardens, the Davenport House garden, Belmont Mansion — charge a flat permit or rental fee that's included in the package. No minimums, no per-head, no surprise add-ons.

The result: a beautifully photographed, officiated, planned ceremony at a venue most couples can't afford for a 150-person wedding — for under 1/10 the cost.

How to Compare Elopement Companies on Price

Not every “$1,200 elopement” advertised online actually includes what our packages include. Before comparing prices across companies, make sure you know the answers to these five questions:

• Are venue fees, permits, and access included? Many low-priced packages quote only the officiant and require you to book and pay the venue separately. National-forest fees, courthouse fees, and private-venue rentals can add $200–$2,000 on their own.
• How long is the photographer on-site? “Photography included” can mean 15 minutes of ceremony coverage or two full hours. Big difference in what you actually receive.
• How many edited photos are delivered? 30 images vs 150 images is the difference between a real gallery and a token.
• Is a licensed officiant included, or do you bring your own? Some companies subcontract this and add it as an “extra.”
• Who plans the day? Without a planning team, you're scheduling vendors and building the timeline yourself.

We include all five in every package, at every venue. That's why “our $1,275 package” isn't actually comparable to a $1,275 package on most competing sites — the line items are different.

Where to Start

Pick a destination first, then a package. Browse our five elopement destinations and our complete planning guide — most couples have their date and venue locked in within a single 20-minute conversation.