How to Elope in Nashville

Step 1: Get Your Tennessee Marriage License

Apply together in person at the Davidson County Clerk's office in Nashville. The fee is $99.50 in cash or $101.49 by card, and it drops substantially if you complete a premarital preparation course beforehand. Bring valid photo ID. There is no waiting period, no blood test, and no residency requirement, so out-of-state couples can fly in and marry the same day if they want to.

Your license is valid for 30 days from the date it is issued and can be used for a ceremony anywhere in Tennessee, not just Nashville. After the ceremony, your officiant signs it and returns it to the clerk so your marriage gets recorded.

Step 2: You Need an Officiant, but No Witnesses

Tennessee does not allow couples to marry themselves, so you will need an officiant. That can be a local professional officiant, a pastor, or a friend who is ordained. One of my recent couples flew in two of their best friends, one of whom was ordained, and those two doubled as their entire guest list. It was perfect.

The good news: Tennessee requires no witnesses at all. It can literally be the two of you, your officiant, and me.

Step 3: Pick Your Spot

This is the fun part. These are places I have actually photographed elopements and intimate ceremonies, not a list copied off the internet:

• Percy Priest Lake: rocky shorelines and open water fifteen minutes from downtown. Gorgeous at sunset, and one of my favorite spots for both elopements and engagement sessions.
• Shelby Park: East Nashville's riverside park, with meadows, old stone structures, and unbeatable golden hour light.
• Grace Valley Farms: rolling Tennessee farmland that works for everything from boho ceremonies to an elopement with motorcycles. Yes, that happened, and it was incredible.
• Harpeth River State Park: bluffs, river bends, and wooded trails about half an hour west of the city.
• The Natchez Trace area: dramatic bridge views and endless countryside south of Franklin.
• Downtown Nashville: rooftops, murals, and neon if the city is more your energy. The Capitol steps make a surprisingly beautiful backdrop for a weekday elopement.

A practical note on permits: some parks, including state parks and lakefront areas, ask for a small permit or reservation for ceremonies. It is usually cheap and easy, and once you pick your spot I will point you to exactly what that location needs, because I have been through the process before.

What Eloping in Nashville Actually Costs

• Marriage license: about $100
• Officiant: typically $200 to $400, or free if a friend does it
• Photography: my elopement coverage starts at $1,800. See the full pricing guide for details.
• Flowers, hair and makeup, outfits, dinner afterward: as little or as much as you want

Most couples I work with land somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000 all-in, which is a fraction of the average full wedding, and it buys a day that is entirely about the two of you. Some couples put the savings toward the honeymoon. One couple put it toward the dogs' matching outfits. Both were correct.

Make It Feel Like a Wedding, Not an Errand

The best elopements I photograph have intention built in. A real first look. Vows you wrote yourselves, read out loud with nobody else around. A private last dance on a hilltop with a bluetooth speaker. Dinner at the restaurant where you had your first date. Eloping does not mean skipping the meaning, it means keeping only the parts that matter to you.

Photography-wise, I plan your ceremony time around golden hour whenever possible, the soft last hour of light before sunset. It is the difference between nice photos and photos that make your stomach flip a little every time you see them. Browse my elopement gallery to see what I mean.

A Simple Elopement Timeline That Works

• 2:00 pm: hair, makeup, and getting ready photos
• 4:30 pm: first look and portraits around your location
• 6:00 pm: ceremony and vows in the best light of the day
• 7:00 pm: golden hour portraits, just the two of you
• 8:00 pm: dinner, a toast, and your first evening married

That is a full, unhurried elopement day inside four hours of coverage. If you are dreaming about something different, a sunrise ceremony, a waterfall hike, a downtown night shoot, I am absolutely up for it. I am based in Nashville and photograph elopements across Middle Tennessee, from Franklin to the waterfalls a couple hours out, and I travel beyond that too.