weddingA $30 license from the Circuit Court Clerk, no waiting period, and 60 days to use it. Here is every step, what a courthouse wedding costs, and how a $34,000 Virginia wedding compares.
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The average Virginia wedding costs about 1,133 times the license. Bars use a log scale so the small fees stay visible.
License fee from Virginia official sources, see our Virginia requirements page. State and US averages: The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study.
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From the Circuit Court 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 Virginia. 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 Circuit Court Clerk and pay the license fee ($30).
There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day the license is issued.
IllustrativeOrdained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. 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 Virginia marriage license requirements or the national how to get a marriage license guide.
Apply no more than 60 days before.
| Rule | Virginia (2026) |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Circuit Court Clerk |
| License fee | $30 |
| Waiting period | None |
| License valid for | 60 days |
| Minimum age | 18 (no exceptions) |
| Witnesses | None |
| Officiant | Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. Judges and justices of any court, retired judges. A circuit court judge can grant a one-time civil marriage ceremony authorization letting a person of the couple's choosing officiate a specific wedding (Va. Code 20-25); this is a per-ceremony order, not a standing appointment, and circuit court clerks process the paperwork but do not authorize or perform ceremonies themselves. |
| Common-law marriage | Not recognized |
Circuit Court Clerk
$30
None
60 days
18 (no exceptions)
None
Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy. Judges and justices of any court, retired judges. A circuit court judge can grant a one-time civil marriage ceremony authorization letting a person of the couple's choosing officiate a specific wedding (Va. Code 20-25); this is a per-ceremony order, not a standing appointment, and circuit court clerks process the paperwork but do not authorize or perform ceremonies themselves.
Not recognized
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What one Virginia county charges, how booking works and how far ahead to plan, checked against the official page.
Source: Fairfax County Circuit Court, Marriage License Information, 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 $34,000 Virginia wedding.
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$30
is the license fee to marry in Virginia. The average wedding there runs $34,000.
Illustrative image, not a specific Virginia venue.Virginia comes in $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 Virginia 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 Virginia rules.
Apply no more than 60 days before. There is no waiting period, so you can marry the day it is issued.
Virginia 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 Virginia 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 releaseVirginia weddings peak in April and May and again from mid-September through October. Fall foliage in the Shenandoah Valley usually peaks in October, and vineyard harvest season runs through early fall. Summer humidity is heavy from late June through August, and hurricane season on the coast runs June 1 through November 30.
Best month to get marriedMountain and forest settings are a common pick here.
Illustrative image, not a specific Virginia venue.
IllustrativeThomas Jefferson's Monticello region with over 40 wineries, rolling Blue Ridge foothills, and UVA's Jeffersonian architecture.
IllustrativeHistoric estates, Potomac River venues, and easy access to the nation's capital.
IllustrativeBlue Ridge Parkway views, mountain lodges, and pastoral farmland in the scenic valley.
IllustrativeVirginia Beach, Norfolk, and the Chesapeake Bay with waterfront and historic colonial venues.
Virginia has no waiting period. The fee is $30, the license is valid for 60 days, and there is no blood test or residency rule. Apply at any circuit court clerk's office, and you can marry the same day.
Virginia has hundreds of wineries, and many in Loudoun County (around Leesburg and Middleburg) and Albemarle County (around Charlottesville) have built event spaces for weddings. Loudoun is an easy drive from Washington DC. Ask each winery about guest limits, rain plans and catering rules.
Charlottesville couples often pair a vineyard ceremony with historic sites and the University of Virginia for guest activities. The look blends Jeffersonian architecture with rolling Piedmont vineyard country. Peak fall Saturdays book early.
Yes. Any Virginia circuit court clerk can issue a license, and it is valid anywhere in Virginia, so destination couples can pick it up wherever is convenient. The fee is $30, the license is valid for 60 days, and there is no waiting period.
IllustrativeVirginia has no waiting period, a $30 license fee, no blood test and no residency requirement. The license is valid for 60 days and any circuit court clerk can issue it for a ceremony anywhere in Virginia. Since July 1, 2024, nobody under 18 can marry in Virginia. Some Virginia circuit courts have questioned online ordinations, so do not assume one is valid here. A circuit court can authorize a person of your choice to perform one specific ceremony. Virginia does not recognize common-law marriage formed in the state, and circuit court clerks issue licenses but do not officiate.
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Every document, fee and county rule in one place.
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Short answers on cost, license, waiting period, courthouse and witnesses in Virginia.
The legal minimum is the marriage license: $30 in Virginia. A courthouse ceremony adds Up to $75, the state cap for a celebrant in Fairfax County. The average Virginia wedding runs about $34,000 per The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study, against a US average of $34,200. That ranks Virginia #16 of 50 states by average cost.
1. Check you can marry. 2. Gather your documents. 3. Apply at the Circuit Court Clerk. 4. No waiting period. 5. Hold the ceremony. 6. Return the license, order copies. The full step list is above.
A Virginia marriage license costs $30. You apply at the Circuit Court Clerk.
No. You can marry the day you get the license. The license is valid for 60 days.
Yes. In Fairfax County, civil marriage celebrants on the court's list perform ceremonies at a place you choose for Up to $75, the state cap for a celebrant. Get the license together at the Fairfax courthouse, then contact a celebrant from the court's list to schedule. Rules differ by county, so call the office where you plan to marry.
No witnesses are required by Virginia law. Ordained ministers, priests, rabbis, and other clergy.
