7 ceremony-only elopement venues in St. Louis
Ceremony-only sites are priced for the vows and nothing else, which is the entire point of an elopement and the reason the number is so small. Every listing below is a real St. Louis area site with a price published by the venue itself or in a public fee schedule, checked in August 2026. We do not publish estimates, and we do not take a cut of what you book.
- Listings
- 7
- Cheapest
- Free
- Median start
- $400
- Highest start
- $1,200
Cheapest is St. Louis City Civil Courts Building Courthouse Wedding for free. Prices last verified against their sources in August 2026.
The mix here is 2 courthouse & city hall, 2 park & pavilion, 1 chapel, 1 restaurant, plus a few others, spread across 2 cities in the metro. Filter by price tier, guest count, indoor or outdoor, and ceremony versus reception below, then open any listing to see its source link.
St. Louis City Civil Courts Building Courthouse Wedding
FreeNo-cost wedding ceremonies performed by Judges of the 22nd Judicial Circuit on select Fridays at 2:00pm in the Civil Courts Building (registration 1:15-1:45pm). Marriage license fee (separate, not the ceremony fee): $60.00 nonrefundable application fee, which includes a $48.00 license fee and a $12.00 certificate copy fee.
Madison County Courthouse Wedding Ceremony
$10$10.00 judge's fee for a courthouse wedding ceremony, paid in the Circuit Clerk's Office, Room 118, prior to the ceremony. Ceremonies held Friday afternoons at 1:00 and 1:15pm. Marriage license fee (separate, not the ceremony fee): $35.00 cash only, per the County Clerk's marriage license brochure.
St. Louis Wedding Chapel
$150 to $695Three chapel ceremony tiers, published on the chapel page. Basic "Elope" (30 minute appointment, license signers only, no guests) is $150 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm or $225 Saturday and Sunday, plus $75 for a 6pm-10pm slot any day. Simple "Elope+Plus" (1 hour, up to 28 guests) is $295 Monday-Friday or $395 weekends, plus $100 for the evening slot. Premium "Traditional" (2 hour fully planned session) is $595 Monday-Friday or $695 weekends, plus $100 evening. Vow renewals use the same options.
The Ruins
From $400$200 per hour, 2-hour minimum ($400 minimum), for a wedding ceremony or elopement. Optional rehearsal add-on $200.
The Music Stand
$400$400 wedding ceremony fee for exclusive use of a time slot (11am-1pm, 2-4pm, or 5-7pm daily) with bench seating for about 200 guests and electricity during the slot. Optional rehearsal $200.
Lemp Mansion
$950 to $2,400Ceremony fee $950.00 to $2,400.00 for a 2-hour time slot, depending on the space chosen (the Mansion, Gazebo & Patio, Grand Hall, or Lemp's Loft) and date. Additional charges apply for setup ($400-$550), rehearsal ($195), and coordination ($145).
Missouri Botanical Garden - Garden Ceremony Sites
$1,200 to $2,900Ceremony-only rental (no reception): Japanese Garden, Lehmann Rose Garden, and Gladney Rose Garden are $2,900 each; Boxwood Gazebo and Chinese Garden are $1,200 each. Rate is flat regardless of day of week. A $100 fee applies for any change to a booked event.
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Tell us your date, guest count, and budget. We'll email you the St. Louis venues under $5,000 that fit, each with its published price and source. We don't book or hold anything, you contact the venue yourself.
Common questions
- How much do ceremony-only elopement sites cost in St. Louis?
- Across the 7 St. Louis listings on this page, published starting prices run from free to $1,200, with a median starting price of $400. The cheapest is St. Louis City Civil Courts Building Courthouse Wedding in St. Louis for free. Every figure comes from the venue's own pricing page or a public fee schedule, checked in August 2026.
- What is the cheapest of the ceremony-only elopement sites in St. Louis?
- St. Louis City Civil Courts Building Courthouse Wedding in St. Louis, for free. 1 of the 7 listings here publish a fee of zero, though a marriage license is still a separate cost. Rental fees do not include the marriage license, an officiant, or anything you bring in.
- Which parts of St. Louis have ceremony-only elopement sites?
- The 7 listings here sit across 2 cities in the St. Louis area, including St. Louis and Edwardsville. Some rates are lower for residents of the city or county that owns the site, so check whether a resident rate applies to you.
- Can any of these St. Louis venues hold 50 or more guests?
- Yes. 3 of the 7 listings on this page publish a capacity of 50 or more. The rest are sized for smaller ceremonies, and a few courthouse and garden sites cap guests in the low single digits.
- Are these St. Louis venues indoor or outdoor?
- Both. 4 of the 7 have an outdoor ceremony or reception area and 4 have indoor space. Outdoor sites almost never include a rain backup, so ask what happens to your fee if the weather turns.
- Are these prices current?
- Each listing shows the date its price was checked against the source, most recently August 2026, and links straight to that source so you can confirm it yourself. Fee schedules change, peak-season and weekend surcharges are common, and nothing here is a quote. Confirm with the venue before you book.
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