Planning guide · Courthouse weddings
Licenses, fees, hours and photos, checked against the Orange County Clerk of Courts.
A courthouse wedding in Orlando costs $116 in county fees. That’s the license and the ceremony. That’s the whole bill.
Some couples pick the courthouse to save money. Some just don’t want the production. Either way, it’s still your wedding day, and you’ll want more than a phone photo on the steps.
Here’s how it works, step by step.
1. Get your license. You both apply together, in person, with a driver’s license, state ID, passport or military ID. U.S. residents also need their Social Security numbers. You can fill out the application online first. If either of you has been married before, bring the date that marriage ended. Florida also requires you to read the Family Law Handbook and sign a statement saying you did.
2. Plan around the waiting period. Florida residents have to wait 3 days between getting the license and the ceremony, unless they’ve finished a premarital preparation course. The course also takes $25 off the license. If neither of you lives in Florida, you can get the license and get married the same day.
3. Get married. Deputy clerks perform ceremonies Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, for $30. The main location is Room 350 at the downtown courthouse. The Clerk’s office offers online appointment booking, so call 407-836-2000 before you go to ask how scheduling works right now.
4. Return the license. The signed license has to get back to the Clerk within 10 days of the ceremony. Your marriage isn’t official until it does.
Ask the Clerk’s office ahead of time whether a photographer can come into the ceremony room. Their website doesn’t say, and you don’t want to find out at the door.
Then plan the real photos for after. Lake Eola Park is a short drive from the downtown courthouse, with the fountain, the swan boats and the skyline behind you. Marrying at the Winter Park branch? Park Avenue is a short drive away.
Light matters more than location. Midday Florida sun is harsh. If you can, take a later ceremony slot and do portraits as the light softens.
Our elopement coverage is $600 for two hours of photography, or $1,350 for two hours of photo and video. Both include editing and travel within 50 miles of Orlando.
Two hours is usually enough for the ceremony and a portrait session afterward. If you want more, extra hours are $300 for photo and $375 for video.
Plenty of couples do the paperwork on a weekday and celebrate later with everyone they love. If that’s your plan, our DJ packages start at $1,200 for four hours, and we can photograph and film the party too.
$116 in Orange County fees: $86 for the license and $30 for the ceremony. With proof of a premarital course, the license drops to $61, so the total is $91. Paying by card adds $3.50.
If neither of you lives in Florida, yes. Florida residents wait 3 days unless they’ve completed a premarital preparation course.
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, in Room 350 at 425 N. Orange Ave. The Apopka, Ocoee and Winter Park branches perform ceremonies during the same hours.
The Clerk’s website doesn’t say. Call 407-836-2000 before your date and ask.
Ours is $600 for two hours, including editing and travel within 50 miles of Orlando. Photo and video together is $1,350 for two hours.
Two hours, a photographer who knows downtown, and photos you’ll actually frame. Tell us your date.
Fees, hours and requirements from the Orange County Clerk of Courts (marriage licenses, ceremonies, FAQs), checked October 2026. These can change, so confirm with the Clerk before your date.
