weddingA $16 to $77 license from the Probate Court, no waiting period, and a license that does not expire. Here is every step, what a courthouse wedding costs, and how a $29,000 Georgia wedding compares.
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The average Georgia wedding costs about 1,813 times the license. Bars use a log scale so the small fees stay visible.
License fee from Georgia official sources, see our Georgia requirements page. State and US averages: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study.
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From the Probate Court counter to a recorded marriage, in the order you do it.
Both of you must be at least 18 (17 only after emancipation). You do not need to live in Georgia. No blood test.
Bring valid photo ID. If either of you was married before, have the date the last marriage ended. Your county may ask for more, so check its list before you go.
IllustrativeApply together at the Probate Court and pay the license fee ($16 to $77).
There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day the license is issued.
IllustrativeOrdained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other religious leaders. Witnesses: None. The license is valid for as long as you need, it does not expire.
The signed license goes back to the issuing office to be recorded. Order certified copies for name changes, insurance and benefits.
Need the document list and county fees? See Georgia marriage license requirements or the national how to get a marriage license guide.
Any time, it does not expire.
| Rule | Georgia (2026) |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Probate Court |
| License fee | $16 to $77, varies by county |
| Waiting period | None |
| License valid for | No expiration |
| Minimum age | 18 (17 only after emancipation) |
| Witnesses | None |
| Officiant | Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other religious leaders. Judges of any court, justices of the peace, and retired judges. Any religious society can designate a person to perform marriages according to their customs. |
| Common-law marriage | Not recognized |
Probate Court
$16 to $77, varies by county
None
No expiration
18 (17 only after emancipation)
None
Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other religious leaders. Judges of any court, justices of the peace, and retired judges. Any religious society can designate a person to perform marriages according to their customs.
Not recognized
First dance
You guys!!
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In Chatham County (Savannah) the clerk's office handles the paperwork but does not marry couples, so you bring the officiant. Here is how that works, checked against the official page, and how it compares with a full wedding.
Source: Chatham County Probate Court and Chatham County Probate Court, Marriage License Application, checked October 2026. Other counties set their own rules and fees.
Courthouse column from the county source above. Wedding cost from The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study; venue and officiant lead times from Zola, 2026 wedding planning checklist. See courthouse wedding costs explained.
A short news report on couples choosing courthouse ceremonies as wedding costs rise. Worth two minutes before you weigh a civil ceremony against a $29,000 Georgia wedding.
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$16 to $77
is the license fee to marry in Georgia. The average wedding there runs $29,000.
Illustrative image, not a specific Georgia venue.Georgia comes in $5,200 under the US average. Rank 1 is the most expensive state.
State averages are the same figures as our wedding cost calculator. US average $34,200, per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study.
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The license is the easy part. It only fits a short window before the day, while venues and photographers book many months out. Here is the national advice next to the Georgia license window.
Average engagement for couples who married in 2024
The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study (via The Plumb Club)Of couples began planning about 12 months ahead
The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study (via The Plumb Club)Bars show the advice range from Zola, 2026 wedding planning checklist (updated May 2026), dots the single figure from WeddingWire, vendor booking timeline (2018). These are planning advice, not survey data, and Zola gives two figures for some vendors (venue 11 months in its timeline, 12 to 18 in its FAQ). The license bar comes from Georgia rules.
Any time, it does not expire. There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day it is issued.
Georgia license rules
IllustrativeLicense applications are by appointment only. The court tells couples to submit the online application first and not leave it to the last minute.
Chatham County Probate Court, Marriage License Application
IllustrativeZola puts the venue 12 to 18 months out, photographers and caterers 9 to 12, and save the dates 6 to 8. The license comes last, inside the Georgia window above. Zola's 2026 report also found a few couples now book a venue before they are even engaged (7%, up from 6%).
Zola First Look Report 2026
Illustrative photos: courthouse steps, regional settings and the guest shots couples collect afterwards.
of couples in The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study married in October, the most popular month in the US. Your own state's peak can sit elsewhere, so check the strip.
The Knot Worldwide, 2025 Real Weddings Study releaseSpring and fall carry most Georgia wedding calendars. Spring bloom makes April and early May popular in Savannah and Atlanta, and fall brings cooler evenings plus mountain color in North Georgia, with peak foliage timing that shifts by year and elevation. Summer heat and humidity push many coastal and Atlanta couples toward evening ceremonies or indoor receptions from late June through August. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and the National Hurricane Center puts most activity between mid-August and mid-October, so Golden Isles and Savannah couples booking late summer or early fall should read each venue's weather and rescheduling terms closely.
Best month to get married
Waterfront ceremonies are a big part of the wedding scene here.
Illustrative image, not a specific Georgia venue.
IllustrativeA booming metro with rooftop venues, converted warehouses, botanical gardens, and world-class catering.
IllustrativeOne of the most romantic cities in America with cobblestone streets, historic squares, and coastal elegance.
IllustrativeBlue Ridge and Dahlonega offer vineyard weddings, mountain lodges, and waterfall backdrops.
Each probate court publishes its own fees, and the gap is large. Chatham County Probate Court in Savannah charges $76 without premarital education and $36 with it, and Athens-Clarke County lists $66 and $26, with each fee including a certified copy of the completed license. Chatham County requires the certificate to come from a qualifying program of at least six hours of instruction. Both applicants must appear in person, and Athens-Clarke County notes that blood tests have not been required since July 1, 2003.
It depends on residency. Athens-Clarke County Probate Court explains that if either applicant is a Georgia resident, the license may be bought in any Georgia county, but if neither applicant lives in Georgia, the license must come from the county where the ceremony will be performed. For a destination wedding on Jekyll Island or in Savannah, that means planning a stop at the probate court for the ceremony county rather than a court near the airport. A Georgia license can only be used for a ceremony performed in Georgia.
Yes. Athens-Clarke County Probate Court states that the license is issued at the time of application unless a problem comes up, that processing typically takes 10 to 30 minutes, and that there is no waiting period before the ceremony. Court hours set the practical limit: Athens-Clarke accepts applications Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and its probate court does not perform ceremonies, so you still need an officiant lined up. Check the hours and ceremony options of the probate court in your county before planning a same-day wedding.
Both are built around historic settings, so the logistics matter. Jekyll Island Club Resort lists three historic Island Cottages (Cherokee Cottage, Crane Cottage and Sans Souci) plus the beachfront Jekyll Ocean Club and the main Jekyll Island Club as wedding settings. In Savannah, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum rents its gardens and covered Assembly Room for one event at a time and offers a weekday ceremony-only slot from 5 to 7 p.m. Ask each venue what the rental includes, which space serves as the rain plan and when your vendors can start setup.
IllustrativeGeorgia marriage licenses come from the county probate court, and fees vary by county under a structure that rewards premarital education: Chatham County lists $76 without it and $36 with it, and Athens-Clarke County lists $66 and $26, each including a certified copy. Both applicants must appear together with proper identification, and anyone previously married must bring the final divorce decree signed by a judge, or a death certificate. If either applicant is a Georgia resident, any Georgia county can issue the license; if neither is, the license must come from the county where the ceremony will take place, and a Georgia license can only be used for a ceremony performed in Georgia. There is no waiting period once the license is issued, and blood tests have not been required since July 1, 2003. Applicants must be at least 18, and Chatham County Probate Court notes that a 17-year-old must prove emancipation. Each applicant also designates on the application the surname they will use after marriage. Confirm how long the license remains valid with the issuing probate court when you pick it up.
In Chatham County, home to Savannah, a marriage license costs $76, or $36 for couples who bring a certificate from a qualifying premarital education program of at least six hours. Both fees include one certified copy.
Georgia wedding weekends tend to move: a welcome dinner in Savannah's Historic District, a ceremony at a garden or island venue, or a vineyard day in the mountains before the reception. Guests capture all of it on their own phones and rarely send the photos afterward. A Pix Wedding QR album gives them one place to upload: they scan the code on a sign or table card, add photos and videos from the phone browser without installing an app, and the couple gets every angle from the weekend in one gallery.
Courthouse or full reception, guests scan one QR code and add photos and videos from the phone browser. No app and no account, and nothing gets lost in group chats.
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Every document, fee and county rule in one place.
Where the $29,000 average goes, line by line.
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Short answers on cost, license, waiting period, courthouse and witnesses in Georgia.
The legal minimum is the marriage license: $16 to $77 in Georgia. The Chatham County (Savannah) office does not perform ceremonies, so any officiant you book is a separate cost. The average Georgia wedding runs about $29,000 per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, against a US average of $34,200. That ranks Georgia #21 of 50 states by average cost.
1. Check you can marry. 2. Gather your documents. 3. Apply at the Probate Court. 4. No waiting period. 5. Hold the ceremony. 6. Return the license, order copies. The full step list is above.
A Georgia marriage license costs $16 to $77, varies by county. You apply at the Probate Court.
No. You can marry the day you get the license. The license is valid for an unlimited time, it does not expire.
Not at the clerk's counter in Chatham County (Savannah). The Chatham County Probate Court issues licenses ($76, or $36 with a premarital education certificate) but does not perform ceremonies, so bring your own officiant. Other counties in Georgia may differ, so call the office where you plan to marry.
No witnesses are required by Georgia law. Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other religious leaders.
