Micro wedding venues under $5,000 in St. Louis
20 real venues in the St. Louis area with published prices under $5,000, mostly park district pavilions, state park shelters and lodges and courthouse ceremonies. Every price links to the venue's own pricing page or a public fee schedule, with the date we checked it.
- Listings
- 20
- Cheapest
- Free
- Median start
- $133
- Highest start
- $1,500
Cheapest is St. Louis City Civil Courts Building Courthouse Wedding for free. Prices last verified against their sources in August 2026.
Quartiles, per-type cheapest, and the public versus private split for these listings are on the St. Louis cost index.
The list breaks down into 10 park & pavilion, 3 state park, 2 courthouse & city hall, 2 garden & conservatory, 1 chapel, plus a few others, across 6 cities. 15 have outdoor space, 7 have indoor space, and 12 publish a capacity of 50 or more. Prices were last verified in August 2026.
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.
Lily Pond Shelter
$30$30 per day for standard capacity of 20 visitors; large events up to 70 visitors require an additional $50 refundable deposit. No barbecuing or additional permits allowed.
Route 66 State Park - Forest & Dogwood Shelters
$70$70 per day per shelter (Forest or Dogwood), each accommodating up to 100 people. Includes electricity; water and restrooms nearby and seasonal (April 1-October 31).
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park - Open Shelters
$75 to $90Cochran Shelter $75/day (approx. 70 occupants, fireplace); Walnut Grove Shelter $75/day (up to 56 people, barbecue grill); Alta Shelter $90/day (up to 130 people, three fireplaces and two barbecue grills). Available April 1-October 31; no electricity.
Humboldt North & South Pavilions
$80Each pavilion (North and South) rents for $80 per day at standard capacity of 50 visitors; large events up to 150 total visitors require an additional $50 rental fee and $50 refundable deposit.
Blanchette Park Shelter #1
$95 to $190All-day rental (9am-10pm), April 15-October 31: $190 regular rate, $95 City of St. Charles resident rate. Shelter accommodates 6 tables, has a BBQ pit and 3 electrical outlets (20 amps each).
Wapelhorst Park Shelter
$95 to $190All-day rental (9am-10pm), April 15-October 31: $190 regular rate, $95 City of St. Charles resident rate. Each of the three shelters holds 12 tables, with BBQ and 1-2 electrical outlets (20 amps each).
Old Playground Pavilion
$120$120 per day for standard capacity of 75 visitors; large events up to 150 visitors require an additional $50 rental fee plus $50 refundable deposit.
Henry Babler Enclosed Shelter
$125$125 per day. Two rooms (total capacity of 60 people), tables, chairs, heat/air conditioning, refrigerator, electrical outlets, counter space, ADA accessible restrooms, large parking area.
Stone Shelter
$140Standard capacity (100 visitors): $140 per day. Large events up to 300 visitors require an additional $50 refundable deposit plus $50 (up to 200 guests) or $100 (up to 300 guests).
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).
The Stupp Center
$1,000 to $1,500Wedding ceremony fee $1,000 (includes one-hour rehearsal, setup of up to 80 white chairs, access to outdoor amphitheater and memorial garden, on-site venue assistant, $250 refundable building damage fee). Wedding reception fee $1,500 (additional two-hour access for setup, seating for 80, on-site venue assistant, $250 refundable damage fee). Booking ceremony and reception together 6-7pm adds $500. Available Friday-Sunday.
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.
The Jewel Box
$1,250 to $3,250Wedding ceremony fee $1,250. Reception fee $1,750 (Sunday-Thursday, 5pm-10pm) or $3,250 (Friday-Saturday, 6pm-midnight), plus a $1,000 security deposit and a $1,000,000 liability insurance certificate naming the City of St. Louis as additional insured. Ceremony capacity 250; reception capacity 100 with dance floor or 160 without.
World's Fair Pavilion
$1,475 to $4,200Monday-Thursday $1,475; Friday & Sunday $1,700; Saturday ceremony only (9am-3pm) $1,700; Saturday reception only (4pm-midnight) $2,500; all-day access (9am-midnight, ceremony and reception in same time frame) $4,200. $500 security deposit due at reservation.
Sugar Creek Winery
$1,500 to $4,000Ceremony fee $1,500. Venue rental (for reception) $2,500, plus a small additional bridal suite fee. Catering starts at $15/guest; bar service $30/guest for four hours (wine, beer, soda included). Tables, chairs, and wine glasses included.
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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 does a small wedding venue cost in St. Louis?
- Across the 20 St. Louis venues listed here, published starting prices run from free to $1,500, with a median of $133. The cheapest is St. Louis City Civil Courts Building Courthouse Wedding in St. Louis for free. That is the site fee only. Officiant, license, food, and rentals are separate.
- Are there any free wedding venues in St. Louis?
- 1 of the 20 listings here publish a fee of zero, meaning the site itself costs nothing. You still pay for the marriage license, and free sites often come with tight guest limits or a fixed schedule. The listing shows the terms and links to the source.
- Can you really get married in St. Louis for under $5,000 total?
- The venue is the part people overspend on, and 20 sites here come in under $5,000 for the space alone, led by 10 park & pavilion listings. With a $133 median site fee, a guest list in the 20 to 50 range, and catering handled simply, the whole day fits under $5,000 in this metro. A $1,500 venue does not leave room for much else.
- Where do these St. Louis prices come from?
- Each one is copied from the venue's own pricing page or a public fee schedule such as a park district rate sheet or a county court's ceremony page, and each listing links to that source with the date it was checked, most recently August 2026. Nothing here is estimated, and venues that do not publish a price are left out rather than guessed at.
- What is the cheapest way to get married in St. Louis?
- A civil ceremony. 2 St. Louis area courts publish a ceremony fee, starting at free beyond the marriage license itself. After that, public park pavilions are the next step up.
- Do these St. Louis venues include tables, chairs, or catering?
- Usually not. Most public sites rent the space and nothing else, which is why the fee is so low. Each listing spells out what the published price includes when the source says so, and says nothing when it does not. Budget separately for rentals, catering, and anything you have to haul in and out the same day.
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