For most couples, the best state to get married in is Colorado or Nevada. Neither imposes a waiting period or a residency requirement, both keep paperwork light, and each offers something the other doesn’t: Colorado is the only state that lets the two of you legally marry yourselves with no officiant and no witnesses, while Nevada — Las Vegas especially — runs marriage license offices late into the evening and gives you a full year to hold the ceremony. More than 30 states have no waiting period at all, so if speed is your only concern, you have options. The right choice really depends on what you want: a same-day courthouse wedding, a private elopement on a mountaintop, a destination ceremony months out, or a specific legal arrangement.
What Actually Varies From State to State
A few rules separate the easy states from the ones that add friction. Waiting periods are the big one. A slight majority of states let you walk into a clerk’s office, get the license, and marry the same day — Nevada, Colorado, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Utah, Montana, and Idaho among them. The states that do impose a wait usually require one to three days. Texas has a 72-hour wait. Illinois requires 24 hours. Florida imposes a three-day wait on residents, though a four-hour premarital course eliminates it.
Witnesses are the next variable. About half the states require none, including Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, Virginia, and Florida. States that do require witnesses typically ask for one or two, which matters if you’re planning to elope with just the two of you.
No state requires a blood test anymore. Montana was the last to drop that requirement, in 2019.
License validity is the last piece, and it matters more than couples expect. Once issued, the license has to be used before it expires or you pay the fee again. Hawaii and Kentucky give you only 30 days. New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio use the common 60-day window. California, Texas, and Maine allow 90 days. Nevada, Arizona, Nebraska, and Wyoming give you a full year.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 122 NRS 122.040 For a destination wedding planned months out, that window can decide the state.
Why Colorado Is the Top Pick for Elopements
Colorado state law explicitly allows “the parties to the marriage” to solemnize their own union. No officiant. No witnesses. No special paperwork beyond the standard marriage license.2Justia Law. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 14-2-109 – Solemnization You can hike to a summit, exchange whatever words you want, sign the license yourselves, and mail it back. That combination of legal simplicity and scenery is why Colorado has become the most popular state for elopements.
Several other states offer a version of self-uniting marriage, including Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maine, Nevada, Kansas, California, and the District of Columbia. The rules vary — some require Quaker or similar religious-society membership, others attach paperwork or conditions. Colorado attaches nothing.
Colorado also requires no waiting period, no witnesses, and no residency. If your priority is a private ceremony without hiring anyone or coordinating anyone’s schedule, no other state comes close.
Why Nevada Wins for Speed and Convenience
Nevada built its reputation on same-day weddings, and the infrastructure holds up to it. License offices in Las Vegas keep long hours, wedding chapels operate on walk-in schedules, and there’s no waiting period or residency requirement. The one-year license validity means you can also get the paperwork done well in advance of a planned ceremony without worrying about expiration.
Nevada is the strongest choice if you want the ceremony to happen on the same day you decide to have it, or if you’re organizing a wedding that involves guests flying in and want to remove every possible source of delay from the license side.
Other States Worth Considering for Specific Situations
If you or your partner is active-duty military and can’t attend in person, a small number of states allow proxy marriage. Colorado, Montana, and Texas allow single-proxy marriages, generally restricted to service members stationed elsewhere. Montana is the only state that reliably permits double-proxy marriages, where neither spouse is physically present, which makes it the practical choice for couples deployed to different locations. Kansas permits proxy marriages on a county-by-county basis. California allows them only for service members deployed to active combat zones.
If you want the opposite — a marriage that’s legally harder to dissolve — covenant marriage is offered only in Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Covenant couples agree to premarital counseling and accept restricted grounds for divorce. In Louisiana, those grounds are limited to adultery, a felony conviction with imprisonment, abandonment for a year, abuse, or living apart for at least two years.3Louisiana Department of Health. Covenant Marriage Fewer than 2 percent of couples in those states choose it.
If you’d rather skip the license and ceremony entirely, common law marriage is recognized in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah through statute, and in Rhode Island through case law. Oklahoma’s statute requires a license, but courts have upheld common law marriages there. The District of Columbia recognizes them as well. New Hampshire recognizes common law marriage only after one partner dies, treating couples who cohabited and held themselves out as married for at least three years as legally married for inheritance purposes. Georgia, Idaho, Ohio, and Pennsylvania honor common law marriages formed before a state cutoff but no longer allow new ones.4National Conference of State Legislatures. Common Law Marriage by State The requirements are similar where it’s allowed: both parties legally eligible to marry, cohabitation, and holding yourselves out to the community as a married couple. Proving one after the fact, though, is far harder than producing a certificate.
Your Marriage Will Be Recognized Everywhere
A marriage legally performed in any state is recognized in every other state. The Respect for Marriage Act, passed in 2022, reinforces that states must honor marriages from other states regardless of the spouses’ sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.5National Constitution Center. Article IV, Section 1 Full Faith and Credit Clause Elope in Nevada, self-solemnize in Colorado, or fly to Hawaii — the marriage carries full legal weight when you return home. That’s what makes “best state” a practical question about convenience and setting rather than a legal one about validity.
What to Bring to the Clerk’s Office
Whichever state you choose, the process starts at a local government office, usually the county clerk, recorder, or vital records department. Both of you generally need to appear in person together, though some jurisdictions — including New York City and parts of Colorado — offer online pre-applications or virtual appointments that shorten the visit.
Bring valid government-issued photo ID. A driver’s license or passport works everywhere. Know your Social Security numbers. If either of you was previously married, bring a certified copy of the divorce decree, or the former spouse’s death certificate for widowed applicants. Some states ask for a certified birth certificate, though this is less common. License fees typically run from about $20 to $100 depending on the county. A few states offer discounts for couples who complete a premarital course.
On officiants: every state authorizes judges and clergy. Most also allow justices of the peace, court magistrates, and certain elected officials. A growing number of states recognize ministers ordained online, though a few jurisdictions have questioned whether online ordination qualifies. If a friend is officiating, confirm the ceremony state’s rules or ask the county about a one-day marriage commissioner permit. Notaries public can solemnize marriages in Florida, Maine, and South Carolina, among a few others.
Age Requirements
Every state sets the general marriage age at 18, with Nebraska at 19 and Mississippi at 21. More than a dozen states plus the District of Columbia now set 18 as an absolute floor with no exceptions, including Connecticut, Michigan, Virginia, Washington, New Hampshire, Maine, Missouri, and Vermont. Oregon joins that list in 2026. Elsewhere, minors 16 or 17 can typically marry with parental consent, and a smaller number of states permit younger marriages with judicial approval.
What Makes the Marriage Official
The ceremony itself doesn’t make you legally married. Returning the signed license to the issuing clerk’s office does. The officiant — or the couple, in self-solemnization states — plus any required witnesses sign the license after the ceremony. Most jurisdictions require the signed license back within 10 to 30 days. Miss the deadline and you may need to reapply.
Once the clerk records the license, you can request a certified marriage certificate. That’s the document you’ll actually use going forward for name changes, insurance updates, beneficiary designations, and tax filings. Certified copies aren’t automatically mailed everywhere; you usually request them and pay a small fee, typically $15 to $30 per copy. Order at least two or three, because different agencies will need them at the same time.