- Cost: Missouri courthouse wedding about $950 total, $50 license, free judge, two-hour photography package.
- Missouri vs Kansas: Missouri offers same-day license and free judges, 30-day validity; Kansas requires two-week processing, $85.50 fee, six-month validity.
- Photography: two-hour elopement session delivers 70-110 photos, judges set camera rules, and nearby locations provide strong portrait backdrops.
Some of the best weddings I've photographed lasted twenty minutes. A courthouse ceremony strips the day down to the two of you, a judge, two witnesses, and a set of vows, and the photos carry the same weight as any ballroom's. Our elopement collections list courthouse ceremonies by name because couples kept asking for them.
This post covers what a courthouse wedding costs in Kansas City, how the process works on both sides of the state line, and where we go for portraits once the paperwork is signed.
On the Missouri side, a Kansas City courthouse wedding runs about $950 all in: a $50 license, a judge who marries you at no charge under state law, and two hours of photography. Get the license any weekday. Ask your judge weeks ahead.
What a Courthouse Wedding Costs in Kansas City
Three numbers tell the whole story. The Jackson County marriage license costs $50. Judges of the 16th Judicial Circuit perform ceremonies at no charge, a detail written directly into Missouri law. Our two-hour elopement package, which covers courthouse ceremonies and a full portrait session after, runs $900. Total: $950.
For contrast, The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study put the average American wedding at $34,000 across more than 10,000 couples. A courthouse wedding in Kansas City costs about 3% of the national average, and the marriage certificate reads exactly the same.
Couples I've photographed at the courthouse put the difference toward a honeymoon, a down payment, or a dinner where the whole guest list fits at one table.
The Missouri Side: How Jackson County Works
The license and the ceremony are two separate steps, and the license comes first.
The license. Start the application online, then finish in person at the Historic Truman Courthouse, 112 W Lexington in Independence. Both of you appear together with a valid photo ID: a driver's license, state ID, passport, foreign passport, or military ID. The fee is $50, non-refundable, and cards carry a 2.75% processing charge. You walk out with the license the same day. From there the clock starts: the ceremony must happen in Missouri within 30 days.
The judge. Any Missouri judge is authorized to marry you without charging a fee. There is no sign-up window or standing Friday program. You contact the judge directly, usually through their judicial administrative assistant, and the 16th Circuit posts a list of judges who perform ceremonies. Two things matter here. Judges volunteer for this, so nobody owes you a slot. And calendars fill, so make the request as soon as you have a date in mind.
The room. The 16th Circuit sits in two places, the courthouse at 415 E 12th Street downtown and the courthouse in Independence. Your ceremony happens wherever your judge sits, so ask when you book. Downtown gets you 1930s Art Deco bones and marble hallways. Independence gets you the Truman-era square outside the door.
The Kansas Side: Same Metro, Different Rules
Half the couples I work with live in Johnson or Wyandotte County, and Kansas runs its own system. The application is filed online through the state courts, costs $85.50, and requires no documents or ID at application time. The trade-off is speed: the state tells couples to allow at least two weeks of processing, and same-day licenses do not exist in Kansas. Once issued, the license stays valid for six months, six times longer than Missouri's.
Officiants differ too. Kansas judges are allowed to charge for ceremonies and are not required to perform them at all. Kansas law also lets clergy officiate, and in some circumstances the two of you self-solemnize with no officiant at all, a quirk almost nobody knows about.
Marrying this month means Missouri. Planning a date next spring with a Johnson County judge works fine too. Pick the state line for your timeline rather than your address, because either license works for either side's residents as long as the ceremony happens in the issuing state.
Where We Go for Portraits After
The ceremony takes minutes. The portraits are where your two hours earn their keep, and both courthouses sit near some of the best backdrops in the metro.
From the downtown courthouse, the Liberty Memorial lawn is a five-minute drive for the Union Station and skyline view. Case Park gives a bluff-top skyline shot with no crowds. The Crossroads sits between the two, all brick, murals, and fire escapes, and a couple in wedding clothes against those walls needs no styling at all.
From Independence, walk straight out onto the square. The historic Truman Courthouse anchors four blocks of storefronts and brick streets built for exactly this kind of photo. Our full location guide covers more options by season, and ceremony time drives the plan: a late-afternoon slot puts your portraits inside golden hour.
How the Photography Works
Courthouse coverage runs through our elopement Package A: $900 for two hours and one location area. The arc of the day covers arrivals on the courthouse steps, the ceremony, the license signing, and a portrait session after. Expect 35 to 55 finished images for every hour of coverage, so a two-hour courthouse wedding delivers 70 to 110 photographs. What couples across the metro pay sits in our elopement pricing breakdown.
Every judge sets their own rules for cameras, and some limit photography during the ceremony itself. We confirm the ground rules when you book the judge, and we work the way we always do: quiet, no flash, no directing. Worst case, the courtroom stays camera-free and the steps outside give us everything anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions About Courthouse Weddings in Kansas City
About $950 on the Missouri side with photography included: $50 for the Jackson County license, a judge who performs the ceremony at no charge under Missouri law, and $900 for two hours of coverage. Skip photography and the legal minimum is $50.
Contact the judge directly, usually through their judicial administrative assistant. The 16th Circuit publishes a list of judges who perform ceremonies. Judges volunteer and calendars fill, so make the request as soon as you have a date rather than the week of.
Yes in Missouri: two witnesses sign the license. Kansas paperwork also carries witness signatures, and the state accepts electronic ones. Bring two adults who matter to you. Witnesses double as your first guests and your photo assistants for the fun shots.
Missouri. Jackson County hands you the license the same day you apply. Kansas processes applications through the state courts and tells couples to allow at least two weeks.
Thirty days in Missouri, and the ceremony must happen inside the state. Kansas licenses last six months. A couple planning far ahead sometimes finds the Kansas timeline friendlier.
Both states allow clergy. Kansas law goes further and, in some circumstances, lets couples marry with no officiant at all. Officiant recommendations come standard with every elopement booking.
Depends on the judge. Some welcome cameras through the whole ceremony, some restrict them. We ask when the ceremony is booked, then work quietly with no flash. The courthouse steps, hallways, and everything after are always fair game.
The ceremony itself runs a few minutes. With arrivals, the signing, and a full portrait session, two hours covers the day comfortably. Couples marrying midday often split coverage: ceremony at the courthouse, portraits at golden hour.
No. Same license, same signatures, same legal marriage. The only thing a courthouse wedding skips is the reception invoice.
Whatever feels like you on your best day. I've photographed full suits and floor-length dresses on the courthouse steps, and jeans with boots the next Friday. Courthouse architecture flatters structure and texture, so a jacket or a dress with real shape photographs better than anything soft and shapeless.
Book a Courthouse Date
Bring the date, or bring the idea of one. Tell us your plan on the contact page and we'll reply within 72 hours with timing, portrait spots near your courthouse, and honest advice on which side of the state line fits your timeline. Weekday ceremonies welcome. Those are the quiet ones, and the quiet ones photograph best.
