About this directory
Weddings Under 5K is a directory of real micro wedding and elopement venues with published prices under $5,000. It exists because affordable venues are genuinely hard to find: the big wedding platforms bury them under sponsored placements, and the venues with the best prices, park districts, county clerks, botanic gardens, often are not on those platforms at all.
Where the data comes from
Every listing comes from one of two places: the venue's own published pricing or packages page, or a public fee schedule such as a park district rental sheet, a county clerk's civil ceremony fee page, or a state park permit schedule. Each listing shows its source link and the date we last checked the price.
What we will not do
- We do not invent or estimate prices. If a venue does not publish a number, it is not listed.
- We do not publish reviews, ratings, or testimonials of venues.
- We do not fill in capacities or amenities the venue does not state itself. Anything a venue does not publish is simply absent.
Current coverage
1046 venues across 41 metros: Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Houston, Austin, Las Vegas, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Charlotte, Orlando, Kansas City, Columbus, Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Boston, Miami, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Portland, Detroit, Baltimore, San Antonio, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Raleigh-Durham, Salt Lake City, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Riverside-San Bernardino, Greenville-Spartanburg. More metros are on the way.
Who runs this
Weddings Under 5K is written and maintained by Jude Horak, a software developer in Joliet, Illinois who builds directories and small tools through Everyday Software. It is an independent site. No venue pays to be listed, no listing is ranked by payment, and the site is not affiliated with any wedding platform, planner, or venue.
The guides are written by hand from the dataset and from primary sources: state marriage statutes, county clerk pages, and park district fee schedules. Where a guide quotes a number, the number is either computed from the listings on this site or attributed to the page it came from. Guides carry the date they were last revised.
How the site makes money
Display advertising, and an optional paid Featured placement that venues can buy to sit at the top of their metro page. Featured listings are labeled. Neither changes whether a venue is listed or what price is shown.
Corrections and additions
Prices change and pages move. If you spot something outdated, or you run a venue that belongs here, use the add or claim a listing page, or email jude@everydaysoftware.ai. Listings are free.