How to Get Married in Las Vegas

Las Vegas calls itself the marriage capital of the world for good reason: It’s an easy place to tie the knot, and lots of people do it here—about 80,000 happy couples each year. If you want to hear wedding bells of your own, here’s what you need to know about how to get married in Las Vegas.

How to Get Married in Las Vegas

You don’t need a blood test to obtain a marriage license in Las Vegas, and there is no waiting period once your license has been issued. You and your partner must be at least 18 years old, and no nearer of kin than second cousins or cousins of half blood. If you are divorced or widowed, you must list the date and location of your divorce or your partner’s death. Minors age 16 or 17 require parental consent as well as some additional paperwork.

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Both partners will need to fill out a marriage license application, which you can do online in advance. To obtain the license, you will need to provide your Social Security number and legal proof of identification (government-issued ID or passport).

After a license is issued, you must have a ceremony performed in the state of Nevada within a year from the date of issuance. The ceremony can be performed in any wedding chapel (they’re everywhere, and many are open 24 hours) or church, or at the Office of Civil Marriages, located on the sixth floor at 330 South Third Street.

Wherever the ceremony is performed, you’ll need one witness. If you don’t have one of your own, chapels often can provide one, while the Office of Civil Marriages won’t. But you can always trade witness duties with another couple—with so many Las Vegas weddings happening every day, you’re sure to run into at least one.

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• What to Wear in Las Vegas

—Original reporting by Fran Golden and John Deiner