Are you and your lover planning to elope at the courthouse in Downtown Louisville or somewhere else in Kentucky? I love this for you! Eloping at the courthouse eliminates the stress of having to plan a huge wedding (although some people also decide to throw a party or reception afterwards), it costs under $100, and you don’t even need an appointment.

It can seem confusing to figure out the logistics of how downtown courthouse elopements work, but in this blog post I am sharing all my best courthouse elopement planning tips to make things as easy as possible for you!

Here’s a quick Instagram Reel I made with the TL;DR version, and read on for the detailed steps below!

As a Louisville wedding photographer, I’ve photographed several couples’ courthouse elopement ceremonies as well as couples portraits in Downtown Louisville after the “I do’s.” Read on for all the logistical details you need to know for your courthouse elopement ceremony.

Before elopement day

As romantic as it would be to waltz right in to the courthouse and say, “We’re getting married!,” you need to have a few things planned out before heading downtown.

Step one: Get your marriage license

You and the person you plan to marry need to go in person to the County Clerks office to pick up a marriage license. This needs to be done within 30 days of when you plan to get married.

In order to get the license, you need to bring your driver’s licenses, and $50 (payable via check, card, cash or money order). You can go to the one downtown right across the street from the Hall of Justice!

Check their hours online and ensure you have plenty of time as appointments are walk-in only.

You’ll need to bring your marriage license to your courthouse ceremony, and further on in this post I’ll tell you where to send it afterwards!

When and where do you elope?

After you’ve gotten your marriage licenses, you’ll need to choose what day and time you’d like to get married at the Downtown Louisville Hall of Justice, located at 401 S 6th St, Louisville, KY 40202.

You can get married at the Hall of Justice between 9:30-11 AM, and 1:30-2:30 PM Monday through Thursday, and Fridays you can only get married between 9:30 – 11:00 AM. These time slots are available by walk-in only! You may as well take the day off work so you can celebrate afterwards, so be sure to discuss this plan with your fiance(e)!

If you plan to get hair and makeup done, make sure you have plenty of time to get ready so you don’t have to wake up earlier than you prefer or have to rush to the courthouse to fit into their walk-in hours.

PS – if the courthouse is not your ideal elopement spot or the dates and times don’t work for you, you can also ask a friend or loved one to get ordained as an officiant online and get married anywhere you like!

What to bring on elopement day 

Step two: Go to the courthouse

On the date of your downtown courthouse elopement, you’ll need to bring a few things with you: yourselves, your IDs, marriage license, and $40 in CASH only. I’ve personally seen people get turned away without having cash, so don’t forget it or you’ll have to make a pit stop at a downtown ATM.

You’ll also need to bring at least TWO witnesses with you to sign your marriage license. Many of my couples have brought their parents or best friends with them to be part of the ceremony.

What happens when we’re in the Hall of Justice?

When you walk into the Hall of Justice, you’ll pass through the metal detectors and they’ll direct you where you need to go!

Next, you’ll be asked to present your ID, marriage license, pay the cash fee and ensure you have your witnesses. You two and your witnesses will be in a waiting area until a judge is available to see you. At some courthouse weddings, we’ve been in a private office with a judge, and at others, we’ve gone into an active courtroom where others are waiting as well.

Either way, once it’s your turn, the judge will read the Declaration of Intent (the traditional vows) where you both end by saying “I do”,  you can exchange rings, and you will be invited to seal your vows with a kiss! The witnesses will also sign the marriage license at some point during or after the vows.

The judge usually takes a photo with the couple, which I think is very sweet!  

Step 3: Mail in the marriage license

All that’s left to do is mail in your marriage license within 30 days of the date you got it at the county clerk’s office (not the date you went to the courthouse to get married). It’s that easy, and all for under $100!

After eloping

That sounds easy, doesn’t it? What happens after your short and sweet ceremony? Well…it’s up to you!

My past couples have hired me to take photos before, during, and after their courthouse elopement to document the whole experience. Afterwards, we typically spend about 30 minutes or so taking photos in front of the beautiful downtown buildings in the vicinity of the Hall of Justice. In the case that you’ve invited family or close friends, we usually will take a few photos of the group together since they’re part of your courthouse wedding ceremony. 

Can we take photos somewhere else after the ceremony?

If the downtown views are not your aesthetic, we can also go anywhere else in the city you’d like to take photos! The Waterfront, Waterfront Botanical Gardens, the 21c, Falls of the Ohio, and Cherokee Park are all local spots I recommend for wedding portraits.

What other ways can we celebrate our elopement day?

Go out to eat or have a drink after the ceremony to celebrate the occasion! I’m also happy to tag along for photos if you do something more formal or unique that you’d like to have photos of.

Spend quality time doing something you both love! Whether the two of you love to walk in the park, play arcade games, visit the cat cafe, put records on in your living room, or something else – spend the day doing what you love.

Planning a bigger celebration on the weekend or later that evening? I can do split day coverage so that you can get photos of both parts of your wedding celebration with all the people you love.

Louisville Winter elopement photography special

Is reading how simple and straightforward it is making you want to elope already? Get your formal attire on and let’s head to the courthouse! Fill out a contact form below and ask about my Winter Elopement Photography special, only available between December and March!

Let’s document your downtown courthouse elopement AND newlywed photos afterwards. I offer custom elopement photography packages as well as combo collections for elopements + receptions.

Helpful resources

Here are some additional resources to answer more questions you may have, directly from the county!

Marriage License FAQs from the Jefferson County Clerk

Weddings page from the Hall of Justice (Jefferson District Court)

LGBTQIA+ ceremony at First Unitarian Church

Johanna Hribal is a wedding photographer based in Louisville, Kentucky. She enjoys traveling to other states and countries for weddings and elopements whenever possible! People love her colorful and vibrant edits and the way she captures their love in a natural and non-intrusive way. Click here to visit her website to learn more about current wedding collections. Follow me on Instagram to see more engagement sessions, weddings I’ve been photographing!