“How can we get Eloped in Connecticut?”
That’s a question couples ask me at least twice a month.
Call or text 860-543-2334 for free help or advice.
What does “Get eloped in Connecticut” mean?
People who want to marry say, “get married”, so why not have couples who want to elope say “get eloped”? I can't fault the logic!
Today, “elope” means that you’d like an informal wedding ceremony, usually with a small number of guests or no guests at all, at a place that is meaningful to you.
You may enjoy Merriam-Webster.Com’s article
The Changing Meaning of ‘Elope’.
How to elope in Connecticut:
Step 1
You’ve already taken the first step: You got engaged, so you’re already on the right track. Congratulations on your engagement!
Step 2
Think about a place that has special meaning to you two that would be appropriate for you to have your ceremony.
- Where you first met;
- Where you had your first date;
- Where you first kissed;
- Where one of you first said, “I love you”;
- Where you got engaged;
- Where one or both of you live now.
Step 3
Choose your ceremony date and time, keeping in mind where you’d like it to be.
If needed, reserve the date and time for your ceremony with the authorities for your ceremony location.
Step 4
Contact Ernest Adams, Justice of the Peace, (that’s me) by text or voice at
860-543-2334 to ask questions and to book me.
Please remember, there are no silly questions except unasked questions, and there’s no such thing as “the last question.”
You can reach me until at least midnight every night.
Step 5
Will you and / or your spouse-to-be be escorted down the aisle? By whom? How / when will you ask them to be escorts?
Think about who, if anyone, you’d like to have in your wedding party. (That is, who you want standing up with you, e.g., maid of honor, best man, etc.)
How will you be contacting them to ask them to be in your wedding party?
Will you have a dress code for your wedding party? If so, what will it be?
It goes nearly unsaid that you and your beloved will have to choose what to wear!
Step 6
Think about whether you’d like to have guests at your ceremony.
Parents, grandparents, siblings, school mates, neighbors, work mates?
Will you be calling all your guests to invite them, mailing paper invitations, or texting or emailing invitations?
Step 7
If you have time, will you write your own vows? Your own vows make your ceremony uniquely your own!
See some example vows on this website for inspiration.
Ernest can give you more examples and help! That’s why I exist!
Step 8
Plan the other details of your ceremony, such as
- After your ceremony, will you have a reception for your wedding party and guests?
- If you have a reception, will it be formal or informal, catered or potluck, picnic-style or in a restaurant?
- (Depending on your location, you may have restrictions, such as
“No alcohol”, “No pets”, “No confetti”, “No balloons released”, “No flower petals”, …)
- Will you have live or recorded music? (If recorded, please tell me so that I can send you help about having one of your guests press “Play” and “Stop”!)
- Where do you want me to tell your guests to go when your ceremony is over, you have kissed The Kiss, and you have left the ceremony space?
Step 9
Relax! Have date nights, just the two of you. Breathe!
A couple of weeks before your ceremony (a maximum of 64 days before your ceremony!), get your marriage license.
- Call the Town Clerk’s Office in the town in which you’re going to have your ceremony to make an appointment to get your marriage license.
- The Town Clerk, or her assistant, will probably send you a link to that town’s website for a printable marriage license application.
- Download the marriage license application and print it out.
- Fill out the application in black ink to the best of your ability. (Tell me if you’d like instructions provided to me by a Town Clerk!)
- If you honestly don’t know the answer to a specific question, just write “unknown” if you can’t find out (from a parent, for example).
- Take your marriage license application with you to your appointment at the Town Clerk’s Office.
- Give the person who helps you at the Town Clerk’s Office your completed application plus $50.00.
- Proofread your printed marriage license carefully before you sign it!
Step 10
Rest and hydrate on your special day before your ceremony!
Meet me at your location and give me your marriage license. No marriage license means no marriage. Period.
Be escorted down the aisle or just meet at your ceremony area within your overall ceremony location.
Enjoy your own wedding! It’s your wedding day!
Relax and get home safely!
My responsibilities:
I will fill out my portion of your marriage license.
I will return your marriage license to the Town Clerk’s Office either in person or by Certified Mail.
If I return your marriage license in person, I will tell you when I took it to the Office.
If I use Certified Mail, I will email the Tracking Number to you so that both you and I can track the envelope.
When the Town Clerk’s Office has received your marriage license, the Clerk or her Assistant will do their magic on the license, and you can get a certified copy or copies.
Certified copies are the only kind of copy they will make, and copies cost $20.00 each.
By Connecticut law, I cannot give you your marriage license back for you to file it. Absolutely forbidden.
As always, your questions are welcome! That’s why I’m here.
Call or text 860-543-2334 for free help or advice.