How to get married in Atlanta
Getting married in Atlanta is popular and it's easy to see why. The whole area is Southern charm meets ultra chic, with tons of amazing locales and outdoor opportunities for your guests. To get married in ATL, you'll need to know how to navigate all the legal requirements for making it official in Atlanta and the surrounding areas.
We've got everything from the nitty-gritty of how to get legally married in Atlanta, to a few of our favorite Atlanta weddings, to special tips for how to save money in Atlanta.
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Tips for planning a wedding in Atlanta
Budget
Budgeting efficiently in Atlanta is actually not too hard since the typical Atlanta wedding costs less than the national average. But you can totally cut your costs even more by limiting your guest list, choosing off-season dates, and avoiding heavily trafficked weekends like the Martin Luther King March & Rally in January and Atlanta Pride in October. Check with your venue AND local hotels to see if there any big events that could cause you issues with pricing, parking, and hotel block rates.
Ways to save in your Atlanta wedding budget:
- Look into non-traditional venues like restaurants for hosting smaller gatherings.
- Choose in-season flowers for your decor OR opt for no flowers and decorate with items that mean something to you instead (board games? Funko Pop?)
- Prioritize what's important to you and minimize the rest: if great food and a good photographer are important, see if you can skip things like a limo, a huge cake, and expensive favors.
Weather
Atlanta has typically mild winters and hot and humid summers and a chance of rain all year round. While Atlanta isn’t known for too many active hurricanes, storms have hit the city in recent years, especially in late summer. If you're worried about beating the heat in thos sizzling hot months, click here for some tips on staying cool.
How to get legally married in Atlanta
All couples who want to get married in Atlanta must obtain a marriage license. You'll want to see all of the documents and requirements you'll need to fulfill at the Fulton County Clerk's Office.
Changing your name in Atlanta
If you're planning to change your name after the wedding, get a few copies of your license to have on hand when obtaining your new documents. Hit up your local Social Security office, update your Passport, head to the DMV, and update your voter registration.
Atlanta wedding officiant requirements
Atlanta does not require minister registration before performing a marriage. If you're getting married outside of the city, you should always check with the local city or town clerk to check that your officiant can perform the wedding in that jurisdiction.
Offbeat Atlanta wedding vendors
You may think finding skilled wedding vendors in Atlanta is easy — it's a cool city with an abundance of amazing venues! But you may be overwhelmed with options and might have to do some research to find vendors who work with all budgets and all styles. You can find offbeat-friendly Atlanta wedding vendors in our Vendor Guide.
Don't miss our online vendors, too, for honeymoon registries, stationery, gifts, ketubahs, rings, guestbooks, wedding websites, and more.
Some of our favorite Atlanta weddings
Take a peek at some of the most fun offbeat weddings in Atlanta. Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of each to find out who they chose for their Atlanta wedding vendors!
What did we miss about getting married in Atlanta?
Email us your wedding planning tips and favorite Atlanta vendors!
Ready to start planning a Atlanta wedding? Head to our Tools page for wedding planning resources, our big planning checklist, editable planning spreadsheets, and TONS of wedding planning help and info.
Photo credits: Nathalia Frykman Photography; YouAreRaven; Gemini and the Bear; Sharma Shari Photography; Leah and Mark