weddingA $40 license from the Town or City Clerk, no waiting period, and 90 days to use it. Here is every step, what a courthouse wedding costs, and how a $37,000 Maine wedding compares.
Planning the day? Collect every guest photo with one QR code
Illustrative photos
The average Maine wedding costs about 925 times the license. Bars use a log scale so the small fees stay visible.
License fee from Maine official sources, see our Maine 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 Town or City Clerk counter to a recorded marriage, in the order you do it.
Both of you must be at least 18 (no exceptions). You do not need to live in Maine. 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 Town or City Clerk and pay the license fee ($40).
There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day the license is issued.
IllustrativeOrdained ministers, priests, and clergy. Witnesses: 2 witnesses. The license is valid for 90 days.
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 Maine marriage license requirements or the national how to get a marriage license guide.
Apply no more than 90 days before.
| Rule | Maine (2026) |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Town or City Clerk |
| License fee | $40 |
| Waiting period | None |
| License valid for | 90 days |
| Minimum age | 18 (no exceptions) |
| Witnesses | 2 witnesses |
| Officiant | Ordained ministers, priests, and clergy. Judges, justices, and lawyers admitted to the Maine bar. Anyone else, including notaries, can apply for a free Marriage Officiant License from the Secretary of State. |
| Common-law marriage | Not recognized |
Town or City Clerk
$40
None
90 days
18 (no exceptions)
2 witnesses
Ordained ministers, priests, and clergy. Judges, justices, and lawyers admitted to the Maine bar. Anyone else, including notaries, can apply for a free Marriage Officiant License from the Secretary of State.
Not 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 Maine county charges, how booking works and how far ahead to plan, checked against the official page.
Source: City of Portland, Marriage Licenses, 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 $37,000 Maine wedding.
Watch on YouTube
$40
is the license fee to marry in Maine. The average wedding there runs $37,000.
Illustrative image, not a specific Maine venue.Maine runs $2,800 over 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 Maine 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 Maine rules.
Apply no more than 90 days before. There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day it is issued.
Maine 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 Maine 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 releaseMaine's wedding season is concentrated late June through mid-October. Mid-June through August is the warm-water summer window. Early October foliage weekends are among the most requested dates, especially along Acadia and the Sebago Lake region. Spring is unreliable with persistent late-season cold and mud. Winter weddings happen at Sugarloaf and Sunday River ski resorts but outdoor logistics shut down November through April.
Best month to get marriedWaterfront ceremonies are a big part of the wedding scene here.
Illustrative image, not a specific Maine venue.
IllustrativeKennebunkport, Portland, and York offer charming seaside towns, restaurants, and accessible coastal venues.
IllustrativeCamden, Rockland, and Boothbay Harbor feature harbors, islands, and classic Maine maritime character.
IllustrativeBar Harbor and Acadia National Park provide dramatic ocean cliffs, mountain views, and pristine wilderness.
Yes. Maine has no waiting period, no residency requirement, and the license is valid for 90 days. The fee is $40 at a town or city clerk's office, and both applicants appear in person with valid ID. Maine has offered marriage equality since voters approved it in 2012.
Acadia usually turns in early to mid October, and higher ground like Cadillac Mountain colors up first. Saturday weddings in that window fill early. By late October the color in Acadia is often past peak, while inland lake country can still look strong.
Usually, yes. Acadia requires a permit for wedding ceremonies, except simple ceremonies of up to 10 people (officiant included) that follow the park's no-decorations, no-amplified-sound rules. The nonrefundable application fee is $125, and applications are accepted from one year out up to 72 hours before the ceremony. Larger groups are capped by site, for example 30 at Cadillac Mountain and Sand Beach and 25 at Schoodic Point. Receptions are not allowed in the park unless they are held at a park concession facility.
Yes. Maine explicitly authorizes attorneys admitted to the Maine bar to perform marriage ceremonies. A practicing Maine attorney, including one who is a close friend or family member, has legal standing to officiate your ceremony without any additional ordination or licensing. The attorney must be in active standing with the Maine bar. They sign the marriage license in the same way clergy or judges do. The $40 license fee and 90-day validity apply the same way for all ceremony types.
IllustrativeMaine's list of authorized officiants includes attorneys admitted to the Maine bar as well as judges and clergy. This means that a practicing lawyer friend can legally officiate a Maine wedding without being ordained. Notary status alone no longer confers officiant authority as of July 1, 2023, though Maine notaries can apply for a free Marriage Officiant License from the Secretary of State. Maine has no waiting period, no residency requirement, and a $40 license fee at any town or city clerk's office. Both parties must appear together. Two witnesses are required and must sign the marriage certificate. The license is valid for 90 days. Maine's minimum marriage age is now 18, so plan on both of you being adults when you apply.
Acadia National Park lets simple ceremonies of up to 10 people go ahead without a permit. Bigger groups need a $125 permit and fit site caps such as 30 people at Cadillac Mountain.
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 $37,000 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 Maine.
The legal minimum is the marriage license: $40 in Maine. A courthouse ceremony adds $150 at the counter, $300 in the State of Maine Room in Portland. The average Maine wedding runs about $37,000 per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, against a US average of $34,200. That ranks Maine #11 of 50 states by average cost.
1. Check you can marry. 2. Gather your documents. 3. Apply at the Town or City Clerk. 4. No waiting period. 5. Hold the ceremony. 6. Return the license, order copies. The full step list is above.
A Maine marriage license costs $40. You apply at the Town or City Clerk.
No. You can marry the day you get the license. The license is valid for 90 days.
Yes. In Portland, the Portland City Clerk's office performs ceremonies at the clerk's counter or in the State of Maine Room at City Hall for $150 at the counter, $300 in the State of Maine Room. Appointment only. Call 207-874-8610 on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Rules differ by county, so call the office where you plan to marry.
Yes: 2 witnesses. Ordained ministers, priests, and clergy.
