weddingAn $80 license from the Town Clerk, no waiting period, and 60 days to use it. Here is every step, what a courthouse wedding costs, and how a $47,000 Vermont wedding compares.
Planning the day? Collect every guest photo with one QR code
Illustrative photos
The average Vermont wedding costs about 588 times the license. Bars use a log scale so the small fees stay visible.
License fee from Vermont official sources, see our Vermont 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 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 Vermont. 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 Clerk and pay the license fee ($80).
There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day the license is issued.
IllustrativeClergy residing in Vermont, and clergy from an adjoining state whose congregation lies partly in Vermont; other out-of-state or Canadian clergy need authorization from a Vermont probate court. Witnesses: None. The license is valid for 60 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 Vermont marriage license requirements or the national how to get a marriage license guide.
Apply no more than 60 days before.
| Rule | Vermont (2026) |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Town Clerk |
| License fee | $80 |
| Waiting period | None |
| License valid for | 60 days |
| Minimum age | 18 (no exceptions) |
| Witnesses | None |
| Officiant | Clergy residing in Vermont, and clergy from an adjoining state whose congregation lies partly in Vermont; other out-of-state or Canadian clergy need authorization from a Vermont probate court. Judges of the Supreme, Superior, and District courts, plus probate judges, assistant judges, magistrates, and Judicial Bureau hearing officers. Justices of the peace. Any person over 18 can also register with the Vermont Secretary of State as a temporary officiant for one specific Vermont marriage ($100 per ceremony, paid before the wedding, non-refundable; 18 V.S.A. 5144a). |
| Common-law marriage | Not recognized |
Town Clerk
$80
None
60 days
18 (no exceptions)
None
Clergy residing in Vermont, and clergy from an adjoining state whose congregation lies partly in Vermont; other out-of-state or Canadian clergy need authorization from a Vermont probate court. Judges of the Supreme, Superior, and District courts, plus probate judges, assistant judges, magistrates, and Judicial Bureau hearing officers. Justices of the peace. Any person over 18 can also register with the Vermont Secretary of State as a temporary officiant for one specific Vermont marriage ($100 per ceremony, paid before the wedding, non-refundable; 18 V.S.A. 5144a).
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
In Burlington 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: City of Burlington, Marriage Licenses and City of Burlington FAQ, 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 $47,000 Vermont wedding.
Watch on YouTube
$80
is the license fee to marry in Vermont. The average wedding there runs $47,000.
Illustrative image, not a specific Vermont venue.Vermont runs $12,800 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 Vermont 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 Vermont rules.
Apply no more than 60 days before. There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day it is issued.
Vermont license rules
IllustrativeThe license is valid for 60 days, so line up your officiant before you pick it up.
City of Burlington FAQ
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 Vermont 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 releaseVermont's outdoor wedding season is framed by the venues' own tent and pavilion calendars. The von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort puts up its wedding tent from mid-May through mid-October, and Mountain Top Inn & Resort runs its Lakefront Beach Pavilion seasonally from mid-May to October. Fall foliage weekends draw heavy demand across the state, and peak color shifts with elevation and weather each year, so choose a site that looks good with or without full color. Winter weddings move indoors to rooms like the von Trapp resort's Mozart Room, which has a wood-burning fireplace, and late spring can bring mud season on back roads, so check access to farm and hilltop venues before a May date.
Best month to get marriedMountain and forest settings are a common pick here.
Illustrative image, not a specific Vermont venue.
IllustrativeSki resorts, mountain lodges, and one of the most photographed villages in New England.
IllustrativeVermont's largest city with lake views, Church Street dining, and a thriving local food scene.
IllustrativeManchester, Woodstock, and charming villages with covered bridges, farms, and antique shops.
Any person over 18 can register with the Vermont Secretary of State as a temporary officiant. The filing fee is $100 per ceremony and must be paid before the wedding date, the couple's names on the registration must match the marriage license, and the authority covers only that one Vermont marriage and expires with the license. The Secretary of State does not refund the fee, so file once the date and names are final.
Yes. The Vermont Department of Health explains that a town or city clerk will issue the license if at least one of you signs it in front of the clerk, although licenses cannot be issued by mail or by proxy. Any town or city clerk in Vermont can issue it, the fee is $80, and the license is valid for 60 days. It can be used anywhere in Vermont but only in Vermont, and both partners must be at least 18.
It depends on where the minister lives. The Vermont Department of Health lists clergy residing in Vermont as authorized officiants, along with clergy from an adjoining state whose congregation lies partly in Vermont. Other out-of-state or Canadian clergy need authorization from a Vermont probate court. The simpler route for many couples is to have that person register as a temporary officiant with the Secretary of State for $100.
The officiant completes the certificate and returns it within 10 days of the ceremony, according to the Vermont Department of Health. Vermont law does not require witnesses, so the certificate needs only the couple and the officiant. Once it is recorded, certified copies cost $10 each, and couples usually order a few for name changes and records.
IllustrativeVermont keeps the marriage process simple for visiting couples. Both partners must be at least 18, there is no blood test, no residency requirement and no waiting period. The $80 license comes from any town or city clerk, is valid for 60 days, and can be used anywhere in Vermont but not in other states. Only one partner needs to sign the license in front of the clerk, although the clerk cannot issue it by mail or proxy. Authorized officiants include Supreme Court justices, superior, district, probate and assistant judges, justices of the peace, and clergy residing in Vermont; clergy from an adjoining state can officiate if their congregation lies partly in Vermont, and other out-of-state or Canadian clergy need probate court authorization. Any person over 18 can instead register with the Secretary of State as a temporary officiant for one specific marriage for $100, paid before the wedding and not refundable. No witnesses are required by law, the officiant returns the certificate within 10 days, and certified copies cost $10. Vermont's Act 91 of 2000 created civil unions for same-sex couples, and today marriage is open to all couples on the same terms.
Any person over 18 can register with the Vermont Secretary of State as a temporary officiant for $100, which authorizes them to solemnize one specific Vermont marriage. Vermont also requires no witnesses and no waiting period.
Source: Vermont Department of Health, Getting Married in Vermont FAQs
Vermont weddings tend to spread out: a ceremony in a meadow or garden, cocktails by a barn, dinner under a seasonal tent, and a fireside room once the evening cools. When a friend serves as the temporary officiant, that is one more person whose view of the ceremony is unlike anyone else's. With a Pix Wedding QR guest album, guests scan a code and upload photos and videos straight from their phone browser, no app required, so the officiant's close-up, the barn candids and the tent dance floor all end up in the same album.
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 $47,000 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 Vermont.
The legal minimum is the marriage license: $80 in Vermont. The Burlington office does not perform ceremonies, so any officiant you book is a separate cost. The average Vermont wedding runs about $47,000 per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, against a US average of $34,200. That ranks Vermont #4 of 50 states by average cost.
1. Check you can marry. 2. Gather your documents. 3. Apply at the Town Clerk. 4. No waiting period. 5. Hold the ceremony. 6. Return the license, order copies. The full step list is above.
A Vermont marriage license costs $80. You apply at the Town Clerk.
No. You can marry the day you get the license. The license is valid for 60 days.
Not at the clerk's counter in Burlington. Vermont has no courthouse wedding service. You book a justice of the peace, judge or clergy member, and Vermont sets no fixed fee for a justice of the peace, so ask each one. Other counties in Vermont may differ, so call the office where you plan to marry.
No witnesses are required by Vermont law. Clergy residing in Vermont, and clergy from an adjoining state whose congregation lies partly in Vermont; other out-of-state or Canadian clergy need authorization from a Vermont probate court.
