Eloping in Savannah, photographed and filmed

An elopement in Savannah can be the two of you in a square, and the City's own rule leaves room for it: fewer than 50 people and no set-up means no park permit¹. This is our Savannah elopement page; for a full wedding, see our Savannah wedding page.

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Last updated November 6, 2026

The couple seen from behind in a tall frame

Coverage: Photo · Video · Photo + Video
Collections: Half day · Full day · Two days
Travel: In the quote
Booking: Direct with your photographer

In short

An elopement in Savannah can be a half day for two: Chatham County issues Georgia marriage licenses by appointment only, and in the City's parks and squares a wedding of fewer than 50 people with no set-up needs no permit¹. One team photographs and films it, and travel is built into the quote.

Eloping in Savannah

An elopement in Savannah is a ceremony for the two of you, or for you and a handful of people, with a photographer and a videographer from one team. We build it as a half day: a first stretch for getting ready, the ceremony, and then unhurried portraits, so nothing is squeezed between a venue's time slots.

The City's rule for parks and squares works in your favor. A wedding of fewer than 50 people with no chairs, tents or other décor needs no permit¹, and the squares are first-come, first-served. In practice we choose a square for its light and its quiet, arrive early, and keep the set-up to what you can carry.

Who comes is yours to decide. Some couples bring only an officiant; others add parents for the ceremony and send everyone home before the portraits. Tell us the guest list and we will plan the arc around it.

Getting married in Savannah: the paperwork

Georgia marriage licenses in Savannah are issued by the Probate Court of Chatham County, at the Chatham County Courthouse on Montgomery Street². Applications are by appointment only: complete the online application first, then schedule. Both of you attend with a current driver's license or passport, and a divorced applicant brings the final stamped and sealed decree from the most recent marriage².

The fee is $76, or $36 with a signed, dated certificate from a premarital education program of at least six hours; it includes one certified copy of the marriage certificate². Cards carry a 5% service fee, personal checks are not accepted and fees are nonrefundable². If neither of you is a Georgia resident, the license must come from the county where the ceremony will be performed, and a Georgia license is only for a ceremony in Georgia². The court does not perform ceremonies; the completed license is returned to it by mail for recording². Its page gives no waiting period, validity period or witness rule, so confirm those with the court when you book.

For the ceremony itself: any set-up in a park or square needs a City special event permit and an off-duty Savannah Police officer. The application is $30¹. The permit has a four-hour minimum at $350 for residents¹; for non-residents it is $725 in peak season or $575 off-peak¹. Balloon releases and confetti are not supported¹.

Marriage license

Issued by: Probate Court of Chatham County, Chatham County Courthouse, 133 Montgomery Street, Room 509, Savannah
Fee: $76 ($36 with a qualifying premarital education certificate)²

The place

Elevation: 20 ft (6 m)³
Population (2020 US census): 147,780⁴

Weather by month, Savannah/Hilton Head Int'l
Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip.
Jan³	61.4 °F	40 °F	3.28 in
Feb³	65.1 °F	42.9 °F	2.8 in
Mar³	71.4 °F	48.6 °F	3.5 in
Apr³	78.2 °F	55.2 °F	3.39 in
May³	84.7 °F	63.4 °F	3.62 in
Jun³	89.6 °F	70.7 °F	6.65 in
Jul³	92.3 °F	73.7 °F	5.75 in
Aug³	90.8 °F	73.3 °F	5.46 in
Sep³	86.4 °F	69 °F	4.35 in
Oct³	79 °F	58.6 °F	3.72 in
Nov³	70.2 °F	48 °F	2.39 in
Dec³	63.7 °F	42.6 °F	3.21 in

The day

A half day in Savannah

A November half day starts after lunch and ends with the sun. On the 15th the sun rises at 06:53 and sets at 17:24⁵, and the average high is 70.2 °F with a low of 48.0 °F³. The sun times are sourced; the clock times are our plan.

14:00 We meet you at the square. Final details, a few minutes alone.
14:30 Ceremony, with the vows and the officiant recorded if you chose film.
15:00 Rings, the signed license, and a few minutes with anyone who came.
15:30 Portraits on foot, moving between squares as the light lowers.
16:30 The last portraits, in the final hour before the 17:24 sunset⁵.

November is also the driest month in the normals, at 2.39 in of rain³, which helps an outdoor plan; the cold is the bigger factor, so we keep a wrap and a warm place close. The same half day in June can start later, because sunset that month is 20:32⁵.

Sunrise and sunset
Month	Sunrise	Sunset
Jan	07:25	17:42
Feb	07:06	18:10
Mar	07:34	19:32
Apr	06:55	19:53
May	06:27	20:14
Jun	06:17	20:32
Jul	06:28	20:31
Aug	06:48	20:08
Sep	07:08	19:30
Oct	07:27	18:52
Nov	06:53	17:24
Dec	07:17	17:21

Sunrise and sunset computed for the 15th of each month, local time.⁵

Wide frame with the couple small in the landscape

Where an elopement goes in Savannah

For an elopement we look to quieter ground, where two people and a small group do not need to share the frame. Both residential districts below are lived-in streets, so we keep to public sidewalks and keep the group small.

Monterey Square in the southernmost of the five rows of squares, on Bull Street and Wayne Street, laid out in 1847⁶. A square for the ceremony itself, inside the City's no-permit rule if you stay under 50 people and bring no set-up¹.
Savannah Victorian Historic District a mostly residential district of Late Victorian and Queen Anne architecture⁷. We use its streets for portraits that do not need a park.
Ardsley Park–Chatham Crescent Historic District first listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, a 400-acre residential district⁸. A change of scene for the last portraits of the day.

Collections

Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. Half day covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits; Full day runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception; Two days adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session. Travel to Savannah is built into the quote, not added later.

Prices depend on the date, the team and how far we travel, so we send a price list for Savannah rather than publishing one number for every town. Ask for it below; it arrives within one business day.

Coverage

Half day

4 h · Photo + Video

Covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits.

Edited gallery
Print rights
Sneak peek within days
Feature film
Teaser
Full ceremony audio
One crew

Full day

8 h · Photo + Video

Runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception.

Edited gallery
Print rights
Sneak peek within days
Feature film
Teaser
Full ceremony audio
One crew

III

Two days

12 h · Photo + Video

Adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session.

Edited gallery
Print rights
Sneak peek within days
Feature film
Teaser
Full ceremony audio
One crew

Get the Savannah price list

How booking works

Send the form with your date and location.
We reply within one business day with the Savannah price list and the partner's recent work.
Call with the photographer; if it fits, a deposit holds the date.
A short questionnaire about people, places and timing, two weeks before.
The day.
A sneak peek first, then the full gallery and the film on the dates set in your contract.

Eloping in Savannah

01Do we need witnesses to elope in Savannah?

The Chatham County Probate Court's page says who must be at the application, both of you with photo ID, but gives no witness rule for the ceremony², so we will not guess. Ask the court or your officiant, who completes the license. If you want a witness in the frame, we plan for one.

02Can you help us choose a time and a spot for the ceremony?

Yes, that is part of the planning call. We match the spot to the light: in November the sun sets at 17:24 on the 15th⁵, so we favor an early-afternoon ceremony. We also check the City's calendar, since Forsyth Park has St. Patrick's Day block-out dates in March¹.

03How long does an elopement session take?

The half day collection is built for it: a short ceremony and unhurried portraits, with the end time set by the light, not by a venue booking. In November that means starting after lunch and finishing at the 17:24 sunset⁵; in June the day can run on to a 20:32 sunset⁵.

04Can family join us for part of the day?

Yes. Some couples bring parents to the ceremony and carry on alone. The number to keep in mind is the City's: a wedding of fewer than 50 people with no chairs, tents or décor needs no permit in the parks and squares¹. Above that, or with any set-up, you need a special event permit and an off-duty police officer¹.

Say when.

Tell us the date you are thinking of, and whether it is the two of you or a small group. We reply within one business day with the Savannah price list and a partner whose work suits an elopement.

Sources

City of Savannah — Special Events (weddings in parks and squares) savannahga.gov/3604/Special-Events
Probate Court of Chatham County — Marriage Licenses courts.chathamcountyga.gov/Probate/MarriageLicenses
Wikipedia — Savannah, Georgia: history and climate table (Savannah/Hilton Head Int'l, 1991–2020 NOAA normals) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah,_Georgia
Wikidata — Q83813 (accessed 2026-11-06) wikidata.org/wiki/Q83813
Computed with suncalc (NOAA algorithm) for the 15th of each month, 2027, at 32.0809, -81.0912, local time (America/New_York) github.com/mourner/suncalc
Wikipedia — Monterey Square (Savannah, Georgia) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_Square_(Savannah,_Georgia)
Wikipedia — Savannah Victorian Historic District en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_Victorian_Historic_District
Wikipedia — Ardsley Park–Chatham Crescent Historic District en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardsley_Park%E2%80%93Chatham_Crescent_Historic_District