Complete Wedding Guide
How to Get Married in Louisiana (2026)
Everything you need to know about marriage licenses, requirements, costs, and planning your wedding in Louisiana. Louisiana offers unmatched culture and celebration with New Orleans jazz, French Quarter courtyards, Cajun country charm, and plantation alley grandeur unlike anywhere else in America.
Louisiana weddings carry a festive, maximalist quality that reflects local culture: second lines, brass bands, beignet bars, and late-night bar crawls are common reception elements in New Orleans. The Nottoway Plantation in White Castle and Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie are bucket-list antebellum venues, though couples should research each venue's approach to historical context before booking. Louisiana has a 72-hour waiting period and one of the lowest license fees in the country at $25 to $35, which is an intentional policy to encourage deliberate marriages.
Louisiana Marriage License Requirements
Louisiana has a 72-hour waiting period after the license is issued. The state offers two types of marriage: standard and Covenant Marriage. Covenant Marriage requires premarital counseling and limits grounds for divorce.
Who Can Officiate a Wedding in Louisiana?
Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. Judges and justices of any court. Ship captains while at sea can also officiate. Louisiana also offers a Covenant Marriage option with stricter requirements.
Wedding Costs in Louisiana
Average Wedding Cost
$28,000
This includes venue, catering, photography, attire, and other typical wedding expenses in Louisiana.
Average Guest Count
155
The typical Louisiana wedding hosts 155 guests. Plan your seating, catering, and photo sharing accordingly.
Best Seasons
Fall, Spring
The most popular seasons to get married in Louisiana. Book venues early during peak season.
Coastal Wedding Tips for Louisiana
Secure your beach or waterfront permit early
Many coastal and beach ceremony sites in Louisiana require permits from the county parks department, the National Park Service, or the state coastal commission. Permit availability is limited and often opens months in advance. Apply as soon as your date is confirmed.
Always plan a weather backup
Coastal weather in Louisiana can shift quickly. Even if the forecast looks clear, have an indoor or tented backup venue confirmed before you send invitations. Many beachfront venues include a backup space in the contract.
Time the tide and the sun
For a beach ceremony, check both the tide table and the sunset time for your specific date. A low tide gives you more sand space, and a ceremony that ends 30 to 45 minutes before sunset positions you perfectly for golden-hour portraits with your photographer.
Protect your guests from wind and glare
Coastal ceremonies in Louisiana frequently deal with ocean wind that disrupts officiant scripts and guests' comfort. Provide printed ceremony programs so guests can follow along, and orient seating so the sun is behind the couple rather than in guests' eyes.
Popular Wedding Regions in Louisiana
New Orleans
The Big Easy delivers French Quarter courtyards, jazz-filled second lines, and some of the best food and music on earth.
Plantation Country
River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge features grand antebellum oak-lined plantation homes.
Cajun Country
Lafayette and the Atchafalaya Basin offer authentic Cajun culture, swamp settings, and zydeco music.
Top Wedding Venues in Louisiana
How to Get Married in Louisiana: Step by Step
Apply for Your Marriage License
Visit the Parish Clerk of Court in Louisiana with your partner. Bring valid photo ID (driver's license or passport), proof of age, and the license fee of $25 to $35. Both partners must appear in person.
Wait 72 hours
After receiving your license, you must wait 72 hours before the ceremony. Your license is valid for 30 days after issuance, so plan your ceremony date within that window.
Choose Your Officiant
In Louisiana, your wedding can be officiated by ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. Make sure your officiant is properly authorized before the ceremony.
Hold Your Ceremony
Have your ceremony at your chosen Louisiana venue. Louisiana does not require witnesses, though many couples still choose to have them.
File Your Marriage Certificate
After the ceremony, your officiant will sign the marriage license and return it to the Parish Clerk of Court. Once filed, you will receive your official marriage certificate. This is your legal proof of marriage.
Louisiana Wedding Planning Tips
Second line parades are a beloved New Orleans wedding tradition where a brass band leads guests through the streets
Avoid late summer when hurricane season and extreme humidity peak
Louisiana weddings tend to have larger guest counts and bigger celebrations, so budget accordingly
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Explore Louisiana Wedding Venues
Browse our guide to the best wedding venues across Louisiana.
Wedding Photo Sharing in Louisiana
Learn how to collect every guest photo at your Louisiana wedding.
What Makes Getting Married in Louisiana Unique
Louisiana weddings carry a maximalist, festive quality rooted in local culture: second-line brass bands leading the bridal party through the reception, beignet bars at dessert, late-night French Quarter walkability. New Orleans dominates the wedding market with Garden District mansions, French Quarter courtyards, and the Audubon Park location list. The Nottoway Plantation in White Castle and Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie are bucket-list antebellum venues, though couples should research each property's approach to historical context. North Louisiana around Shreveport and Natchitoches operates as a distinct sub-market with cotton-country and pine-forest aesthetics. Louisiana's 72 hour waiting period is one of the longer in the South and should be planned around for destination couples.
Signature Louisiana Wedding Angles
Louisiana Wedding Season: What Locals Know
Louisiana weddings peak October through April when humidity drops and outdoor French Quarter ceremonies become comfortable. May through September is genuinely difficult outdoors with consistent 90s temperatures and afternoon thunderstorms. Mardi Gras week each year locks New Orleans for hotel rooms and vendors. Hurricane season for the coast runs June through November.
Louisiana-Specific Wedding Questions
How does Louisiana's marriage license waiting period work?
Louisiana requires a 72 hour waiting period after the license is issued before the ceremony can occur. The fee is $25 to $35, the license is valid for 30 days, and no blood test is required. The waiting period can be waived by a District Court judge for emergency circumstances. Destination couples should apply at least 4 days before the ceremony to allow for the full 72 hour wait.
What is a second-line wedding entrance in New Orleans?
A second-line is a New Orleans cultural tradition where the bridal party and guests parade behind a brass band through the streets or reception space, waving handkerchiefs or parasols. Local brass bands offer 30 to 45 minute wedding-specific second-line packages. Permit-required street second-lines through the French Quarter add a permit fee but produce some of the most photogenic moments of the weekend.
Is hurricane season a serious risk for Louisiana weddings?
Yes. Louisiana sits squarely in the Gulf hurricane corridor. The official season is June 1 through November 30 with peak risk August through early October. Most New Orleans wedding venues now offer relocation or rescheduling clauses, and named-storm wedding insurance is standard for any date between August and October. The 2005, 2008, 2017, and 2021 storm seasons illustrate the real planning concern.
Popular Wedding Searches in Louisiana
Wedding Guides for Other States
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Marriage laws and requirements can change. Always verify current requirements with your local Parish Clerk of Court in Louisiana before making plans. Last reviewed: 2026.
Louisiana Marriage & Wedding FAQ
Everything you need to know about our free tools and how they help your wedding day.
A marriage license in Louisiana costs $25 to $35. You can apply at the Parish Clerk of Court. No residency requirement, so out-of-state couples can apply as well.
Louisiana has a 72 hours waiting period after the marriage license is issued before the ceremony can take place. The license is valid for 30 days after issuance.
Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. Judges and justices of any court. Ship captains while at sea can also officiate. Louisiana also offers a Covenant Marriage option with stricter requirements.
The minimum age to marry without parental consent in Louisiana is 18. With parental consent, individuals as young as 16 may marry.
The most popular wedding seasons in Louisiana are Fall and Spring. During these windows, top venues in regions like New Orleans and Plantation Country book out months in advance. Fall weddings benefit from cooler temperatures and, in some regions, stunning foliage color.
The average wedding in Louisiana costs $28,000 with an average guest count of 155. Fall and Spring are the most popular seasons for weddings in Louisiana. Popular wedding regions include New Orleans, Plantation Country, Cajun Country.
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