RUNAWAY AND GET MARIEDRunaway and get married
RUNAWAY AND GET MARRIED
Run away and elope with an Officiant and Photographer, in any location you like, a great courthouse wedding alternative!
Run Away and Get Married
Just the two of you. No guests. No drama. No $47,000 price tag.
Picture it. You wake up, get dressed — not in a ballgown, just in something that feels like you — and go somewhere that matters. Your officiant is already there. The ceremony takes seven minutes. Then you are married, and the whole day is yours. No seating charts, no caterer, no speeches. Just you, your person, and the fact that you did it exactly the way you wanted.
Why Couples Choose to Elope Just the Two of Them
Some couples know from the start that a big wedding is not them. Some get halfway through planning one and realise they are doing it for everyone else. Some want to skip the performance and go straight to the marriage. All of these are completely valid reasons — and all of them end up at the same place: a seven-minute ceremony, a signed licence, and a feeling of lightness that none of their friends who spent $40,000 on a wedding ever quite describe.
Running away to get married is not immature or impulsive. It is one of the most deliberate, intentional, romantic things two people can do. You are choosing each other — loudly and clearly — without any of the noise.
Day 1: Get your marriage licence from your local clerk's office. Takes about 30 minutes. Costs $35 in NYC, around $100 in California, $102 in Las Vegas, $30–$50 in Virginia.
Day 2 (or same day in LA, Vegas or Virginia): Meet your I Do Drive Thru USA officiant at the location you chose. They arrive. You say your vows. You sign the licence. You are married.
The rest of the day: Yours. Go eat somewhere incredible. Walk around the city. Check into a hotel. Call your families. Or don't — and tell them in your own time.
The Best Locations for a Runaway Elopement
When it is just the two of you, the world opens up. Here are some of our favourite spots across our cities — chosen specifically because they feel like moments, not venues.
Before 7am the park is almost entirely yours. The light through the trees, the bridge over the lake, the sound of the city just waking up. The most romantic seven minutes you will ever spend in New York.
Get your licence at the Clark County Bureau after 8am, drive 17 miles west, and be married in the desert before noon. No waiting period. Just you, the red rocks, and the silence.
Sea stacks, crashing waves, golden California light. Get there at sunrise and you will have the beach entirely to yourselves. California has no waiting period — get your licence and be married the same day.
The sound of falling water, the light through old-growth forest, complete solitude. No permit needed for small ceremonies. Virginia has no waiting period. Just park, walk in, and get married.
Capture It — So You Can Share It
Just because you elope without guests does not mean nobody gets to see it. In fact, elopement photography is one of the most powerful things you can do for the people who love you — because instead of them watching a ceremony for ten minutes before being herded to a reception, they get to sit with a coffee and scroll through thirty images of the two of you, genuinely in the moment, in an extraordinary location, looking exactly like yourselves.
The photos become the way you share the day with everyone who was not there. Post them on Instagram. Send them in a WhatsApp message. Print them and post them to your grandparents. Reveal them at your celebration party. The reaction from people seeing elopement photos for the first time — the location, the light, the expressions — is almost always better than anything that happens at a traditional wedding.
✓ A professional photographer who meets you at your chosen location
✓ 30–45 minutes of coverage — ceremony, couple portraits, candid moments
✓ 10 of the best high-resolution images, colour corrected and professionally retouched
✓ Delivered digitally — download, share, print, post wherever you like
✓ Your photographer can also serve as your legal witness if one is required — meaning it really can be just the two of you plus them
Add a photographer for $500. Total for a complete runaway elopement with officiant and photographer starts from $1,000 — plus your marriage licence fee. See all pricing here.
Frequently Asked Questions
In New York and California, one witness is required — your photographer can serve as your legal witness, or we supply one for you. Virginia does not require a witness at the ceremony. Nevada requires one witness. Either way, we sort this out completely — you do not need to bring anyone else if you want it to be truly just the two of you.
This is one of our favourite questions because there is no single right answer — and all the options are actually kind of wonderful.
The surprise party reveal. Host what everyone thinks is an engagement party or birthday dinner — then announce that you are already married and share your elopement photos. The reaction in the room is extraordinary. Tears, laughter, complete chaos. Arguably better than watching any ceremony.
Share the photos. Send your elopement images to family and friends — by text, by post, framed, or as a simple social media post. Let the photos do the talking. When people see the location, the light, your faces — they understand immediately why you did it this way.
Plan a celebration party later. Get married now, celebrate with everyone when it suits you. Many couples elope quietly and throw a dinner or party weeks later — with none of the wedding planning stress, because the marriage has already happened and you can just enjoy the night.
Tell nobody — or tell everyone in your own time. There is no rule that says you have to explain yourselves. Some tell family immediately. Some wait until they are ready. Some keep it between them for months. It is your marriage.
Completely. There is no legal requirement to inform family or friends before or after getting married in the USA. Many couples elope first and celebrate with family later. Others keep it between themselves indefinitely. We respect whatever you choose and our team is entirely discreet.
In Las Vegas, Virginia, or California — the same day. Get your licence in the morning, be married in the afternoon. In New York there is a 24-hour wait after your licence is issued, so minimum two days. Book your officiant first, then we guide you through the exact timeline for your state.
In our experience — often more. When it is just the two of you, every word of the ceremony is for you and only you. There is no audience to perform for, no timeline to stick to, no obligation to anyone else. Couples who elope consistently tell us it was the most present and connected they have ever felt. The ceremony is about the marriage, not the wedding.
Ready to Run Away Together?
From $500. Any location. Any day. NYC · LA · Las Vegas · Virginia.
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Want to elope in a specific location? Check out our NEW YORK or LOS ANGELES locations!