weddingAn $85.50 license from the District Court Clerk, a 3 day wait, and 6 months to use it. Here is every step, what a courthouse wedding costs, and how a $20,000 Kansas wedding compares.
Planning the day? Collect every guest photo with one QR code
Illustrative photos
The average Kansas wedding costs about 234 times the license. Bars use a log scale so the small fees stay visible.
License fee from Kansas official sources, see our Kansas requirements page. State and US averages: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study.
Courthouse vows or a full reception, guests scan one QR code and add their photos from the phone browser. No app, no account, one shared album.
WEDDING ALBUM
Example album
From the District Court Clerk counter to a recorded marriage, in the order you do it.
Both of you must be at least 18 (16 with parental consent, 15 with court approval). You do not need to live in Kansas. 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 District Court Clerk and pay the license fee ($85.50).
Kansas has a waiting period: 3 days.
IllustrativeOrdained ministers, priests, rabbis, and religious leaders. Witnesses: 2 witnesses. The license is valid for 6 months.
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 Kansas marriage license requirements or the national how to get a marriage license guide.
Apply no more than 6 months before, at least 3 days before.
| Rule | Kansas (2026) |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | District Court Clerk |
| License fee | $85.50 |
| Waiting period | 3 days |
| License valid for | 6 months |
| Minimum age | 18 (16 with parental consent, 15 with court approval) |
| Witnesses | 2 witnesses |
| Officiant | Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and religious leaders. Judges of any court, justices of the peace, and magistrates. Any person authorized by a religious denomination to perform marriages. |
| Common-law marriage | Recognized |
District Court Clerk
$85.50
3 days
6 months
18 (16 with parental consent, 15 with court approval)
2 witnesses
Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and religious leaders. Judges of any court, justices of the peace, and magistrates. Any person authorized by a religious denomination to perform marriages.
Recognized
First dance
You guys!!
Courthouse or ballroom, guests scan one QR code and upload straight to your shared album. No app download, and every photo lands in one place.
From Mom
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
UPLOADING
THE ALBUM
June 21, 2026
647 photos · 95 guests
SCAN TO TRY
pix.wedding/
your-wedding
What one Kansas county charges, how booking works and how far ahead to plan, checked against the official page.
Source: Johnson County District Court, Who Can Perform Marriages, 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 $20,000 Kansas wedding.
Watch on YouTube
$85.50
is the license fee to marry in Kansas. The average wedding there runs $20,000.
Illustrative image, not a specific Kansas venue.Kansas comes in $14,200 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.
Try 20 guest uploads free, no card. In USD, Starter is $49 once with QR templates and ZIP download, Standard is $59 with a live slideshow, and Pro is $89 with AI selfie search.
For collecting every original
Most couples pick this
One-time payment, no subscription
For big guest lists
One payment. Yours to keep. No subscription. No renewals. No surprise charges.
Secure checkout. Polar, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
Money-back guarantee: if your guests never upload a single photo, you get 100% back. See how it works
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 Kansas 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 Kansas rules.
Apply no more than 6 months before, at least 3 days before. The 3 days wait runs from when the license is issued.
Kansas license rules
IllustrativeClerk offices close on holidays and some only take appointments. Dodge County, Wisconsin, for one, tells couples to apply two to three weeks before the wedding.
Dodge County, Wisconsin, County Clerk
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 Kansas 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 releaseKansas weddings peak from late April through May and again from mid-September through October. Spring brings thunderstorms and tornado watches, so every outdoor ceremony from April through June needs an indoor backup. Fall prairie color makes late October Saturdays popular at Flint Hills venues, so book early.
Best month to get married
Barns, ranches and open country set the look for many weddings here.
Illustrative image, not a specific Kansas venue.
IllustrativeThe KC area straddles Kansas and Missouri, offering BBQ culture, jazz venues, and cosmopolitan style.
IllustrativeThe largest city in Kansas has riverside venues, historic districts, and a growing arts community.
IllustrativeOne of the last remaining tallgrass prairie ecosystems, offering dramatic wide-open ceremony backdrops.
Yes. Kansas has a 3 day waiting period. The license fee is $85.50, the license is valid for 6 months, and no blood test is required. A judge can waive the wait in an emergency, so ask the district court clerk if your timing is tight.
The Flint Hills hold the largest remaining stretch of tallgrass prairie in North America. Ranch and barn venues across the region host ceremonies with open prairie views, and the grass turns gold and red in the fall. Ask each venue about weather backup and guest parking on rural roads.
Yes. A common-law marriage in Kansas needs the capacity to marry, a present agreement to be married, and holding yourselves out to the public as married. It can affect property and inheritance, so couples in long-term relationships should know where they stand.
Apply with the clerk of the district court. The fee is $85.50, the 3 day wait applies, and the license is valid for 6 months. Two witnesses are required at the ceremony.
IllustrativeKansas licenses come from the clerk of the district court. The fee is $85.50, there is a 3 day waiting period that a judge can waive in an emergency, and the license is valid for 6 months. Two witnesses are required. Kansas also allows marriages performed by the customs of a religious society, sect or denomination, which need two witnesses as well (K.S.A. 23-2504). Kansas recognizes common-law marriage, which requires capacity to marry, a present agreement to be married and holding out to the public as married.
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.
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
UPLOADING
THE ALBUM
June 21, 2026
647 photos · 95 guests
Every document, fee and county rule in one place.
Where the $20,000 average goes, line by line.
Venue styles, prices and regions to tour.
Parks, gardens and weather windows.
Collect every guest photo with one QR code.
Everything you need to make your wedding day stress-free and unforgettable.
Plan your reception seating visually.
Track RSVPs and dietary needs.
Turn your total into a category-by-category plan.
Plan your entire wedding day.
Count down the days to your big day.
Month-by-month planning checklist.
15+ games with rules, supplies, and timing.
15 creative alternatives guests enjoy.
Short answers on cost, license, waiting period, courthouse and witnesses in Kansas.
The legal minimum is the marriage license: $85.50 in Kansas. A courthouse or civil ceremony adds a small fee that varies by county. The average Kansas wedding runs about $20,000 per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, against a US average of $34,200. That ranks Kansas #43 of 50 states by average cost.
1. Check you can marry. 2. Gather your documents. 3. Apply at the District Court Clerk. 4. Wait 3 days. 5. Hold the ceremony. 6. Return the license, order copies. The full step list is above.
A Kansas marriage license costs $85.50. You apply at the District Court Clerk.
Yes: 3 days. The license is valid for 6 months.
Yes. In Johnson County (Olathe), current and retired 10th Judicial District judges perform weddings, each booked directly. Call the judge directly from the court's wedding page, or call the district court at (913) 715-3300. Rules differ by county, so call the office where you plan to marry.
Yes: 2 witnesses. Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and religious leaders.
