The guide · updated 2026
How to elope in Arkansas.
I am Crystal. I own a small garden chapel in Dardanelle and I have walked a lot of couples through this. Here is the whole process, including the one rule that trips people up every single year.
First, the good news
Arkansas is one of the easiest states in the country to get married in. No blood test. No waiting period if you are both 18 or older. No residency requirement, so you can live in Texas and still get married here. You can walk into a county clerk's office in the morning and legally be married that same afternoon.
Step 1: Get your marriage license
Both of you go together, in person, to any Arkansas county clerk's office. It does not have to be the county where you live or the county where the wedding is. A license from anywhere in the state works anywhere in the state.
Bring with you:
- A valid government photo ID each, such as a driver's license, passport, or military ID
- Your social security numbers. You need to know the numbers, but you do not need the physical cards
- Payment. The fee is right around $60 in most counties. Some clerks take cards with a small processing fee, and some are cash only, so call ahead
| Requirement | Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Waiting period (18 and older) | None |
| Blood test | Not required |
| Residency | Not required |
| Both parties present | Yes |
| License fee | About $60 |
| License valid for | 60 days |
| Age without parental consent | 18 |
Your license is good for 60 days, and here is the part people miss: it has to be returned to the issuing clerk within those 60 days whether you used it or not. Because of that, most couples wait until a week or two before the wedding to go get it. There is no advantage to getting it early, and a real headache if you get it too early.
Closest clerk to us
If you are getting married at our chapel in Dardanelle, the Yell County Clerk is right in town. Coming from Russellville, the Pope County Clerk is just across the river. Either one works, and so does any other clerk in the state.
The rule that catches people Your officiant's credentials have to be recorded with an Arkansas county clerk before they perform your ceremony. This is the single most common problem I see, and it usually shows up when a couple asks a friend or a family member to marry them. Getting ordained online is fine. Getting ordained online and never registering with a clerk is not. Have your officiant call a clerk's office and take care of it well ahead of the date.
Step 2: Pick your day, and think hard about a weekday
This is where couples leave the most money on the table. The venue does not change, the flowers do not change, and your photos do not change. The only thing that changes is which square on the calendar you circle.
At our chapel, a Monday through Thursday wedding is $2,900 all in. The same day on a Friday or Saturday is $5,700. That is a $2,800 difference for choosing a Tuesday, and I have never once had a couple tell me they regretted it. Your guests take a day off, they show up, and they have a wonderful time.
Weekdays come with a second advantage nobody talks about: the photographer you love, the one who has been booked solid on Saturdays since last spring, is very likely wide open on a Wednesday in October.
What does eloping in Arkansas actually cost?
It depends enormously on whether you piece it together yourself or book somewhere that includes things. A courthouse ceremony runs about $60. A full traditional wedding in Arkansas can pass $30,000. Almost everybody lands in between.
Pieced together vendor by vendor, most couples end up somewhere in the mid four figures and up, plus a great many phone calls. That is exactly why we built our package the way we did. Our $2,900 weekday minimony already includes the venue, the florals, the cake, the planning, and the day-of coordination. The only things left for you to book are your photographer, your officiant, and your hair and makeup.
A realistic timeline
Three to six months out
Lock your date and your venue. Book your photographer, because good ones go first. Tell your guests early, especially if it is a weekday, so they can request the day off.
Two months out
Finalize your flowers, your cake, and your timeline. Confirm your officiant is registered with a clerk. Buy the dress, and leave room for alterations.
Two weeks out
Go get your marriage license together. Confirm your final guest count. Do a hair and makeup trial if you want one.
The week of
Nothing. That is the entire point of eloping. If your venue is doing its job, your only assignment that week is to rest and be excited.
Where to elope in Arkansas
Arkansas gives you real range. Couples elope at Petit Jean and Mount Magazine for the overlooks, in Eureka Springs for the historic downtown, on the Buffalo National River for something rugged, and in the Arkansas River Valley for gardens and mountain views without a hike in a wedding dress.
State parks are beautiful and inexpensive, but you are handling permits, weather, chairs, restrooms, and your own coordination. A small venue costs more up front and removes essentially all of that. Neither one is wrong. Just go in knowing which one you are choosing.
Come see ours
We are on 20 acres at the foot of Mt. Nebo in Dardanelle, about 15 minutes from Russellville and an hour from Conway. My husband Josh built our chapel by hand. I design every bride's flowers myself and I am there on your wedding day running it, start to finish.
If a weekday works for you, $2,900 covers just about all of it.