Eloping in New Orleans, photographed and filmed
Eloping in New Orleans is a half day, a license and two witnesses, with one team making the photographs and the film. If you are weighing a bigger day, see our New Orleans wedding page; this one is for the small version.
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In short
Eloping in New Orleans means a half-day plan, a license from the Orleans Parish office and two witnesses, which Louisiana Revised Statute 9:244 requires1. If both of you live outside Louisiana, a registered Orleans officiant can waive the 24-hour wait2. One team photographs and films it all.
Eloping in New Orleans
An elopement here is a ceremony with only the people you choose, planned around the light instead of a reception. Louisiana requires two witnesses1, so it is never quite just the two of you: your witnesses stand with you, an officiant leads, and our crew of photographer and videographer makes up the rest of the group.
The arc is the Half day collection, which covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits. You choose a morning or an evening, we film and photograph the ceremony, and the remaining time goes to portraits on foot. Family can come for part of the day, for the ceremony itself or for a single stop afterwards, as long as your partner knows who is coming.
Because one crew makes both, the officiant carries the microphone and the vows are recorded clearly while the photographs are made from the same positions. Everything below is specific to New Orleans: the paperwork, the light on a March day, and the places that suit a party this small.
Getting married in New Orleans: the paperwork
Orleans Parish licenses come from the Louisiana Department of Health, Vital Records, at the Orleans Parish Marriage License Office in Benson Tower, 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 4072. The fee is $27.50. The license expires at midnight 30 days after issuance, and a postponed ceremony needs a new one2.
Both of you should be present with a current driver's license, state ID or passport, plus a certified birth certificate each; applicants born in the United States also need a Social Security number2. Licenses are issued from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays, and are valid in any Louisiana parish2.
The 24-hour wait runs from issuance to the ceremony, and a registered Orleans officiant can waive it if both of you live outside Louisiana2. Two competent witnesses of full age must be present1.
In City Park, bridal and other commercial photography with any equipment but a cell phone needs a City Park Conservancy permit, and photography is prohibited in Carousel Gardens, Storyland, Popp Fountain, Tad Gormley Stadium and City Putt. The permit is $75 per session, and the NOMA sculpture garden needs its own NOMA permit3.
Marriage license
The place
- Population (2020)
- 383,9974
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan5 | 62.5 °F | 46.1 °F | 5.18 in |
| Feb5 | 66.4 °F | 49.7 °F | 4.13 in |
| Mar5 | 72.3 °F | 55.3 °F | 4.36 in |
| Apr5 | 78.5 °F | 61.7 °F | 5.22 in |
| May5 | 85.3 °F | 69 °F | 5.64 in |
| Jun5 | 90 °F | 74.7 °F | 7.62 in |
| Jul5 | 91.4 °F | 76.5 °F | 6.79 in |
| Aug5 | 91.3 °F | 76.6 °F | 6.91 in |
| Sep5 | 88.1 °F | 73.5 °F | 5.11 in |
| Oct5 | 80.6 °F | 64.3 °F | 3.7 in |
| Nov5 | 71.2 °F | 53.7 °F | 3.87 in |
| Dec5 | 64.8 °F | 48.4 °F | 4.82 in |
The day
A half day in New Orleans
Take March 15: the sun rises at 07:10 and sets at 19:086, and the month averages a 72.3°F high, a 55.3°F low and 4.36 inches of precipitation5. A half day can be anchored to either end of that light, and the end you choose changes the whole shape.
- Sunrise6. A morning ceremony begins in the first light, so we arrive while you are still getting ready.
- Morning Vows, then portraits on foot through the places you picked from the list on this page.
- Evening The alternative: the ceremony is timed to end before the sun goes down, so the portraits get the last light.
- Sunset6. The final portraits and the closing frames of the film.
Either way, the license has to be in hand first. The office issues licenses on weekdays only and the 24-hour wait runs from issuance2, so fit the office visit in before the day. A rainy afternoon is planned for in advance, with a sheltered alternative agreed before the date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 06:56 | 17:22 |
| Feb | 06:40 | 17:49 |
| Mar | 07:10 | 19:08 |
| Apr | 06:33 | 19:27 |
| May | 06:07 | 19:46 |
| Jun | 05:58 | 20:02 |
| Jul | 06:09 | 20:02 |
| Aug | 06:27 | 19:41 |
| Sep | 06:44 | 19:05 |
| Oct | 07:02 | 18:29 |
| Nov | 06:25 | 17:04 |
| Dec | 06:48 | 17:02 |
Sunrise and sunset on the 15th of each month of 2027, local time (America/Chicago), computed at the lat/lng above.6
Where we shoot an elopement in New Orleans
Three places suit a small party especially well, and one more is hard to leave out. None of them is a venue; they are public spaces where we make portraits, and rules differ by place, so your partner confirms the current one before the date.
- Lafayette Square the second-oldest public park in New Orleans, in the Central Business District7. A compact stop for portraits close to the ceremony.
- Louis Armstrong Park a park in the Tremé neighborhood across Rampart Street from the French Quarter, 32 acres in all8. Room for a small party to move around while we film.
- Bayou St. John the Mid-City neighborhood along the waterway on the Esplanade Ridge, where the Esplanade Ridge Historic District was listed on the National Register in 19809. A waterside walk for the portraits after the vows.
- Jackson Square the historic French Quarter park, formerly the Place d'Armes10. We use it for portraits rather than the ceremony, so the vows stay private.
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 New Orleans 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 New Orleans rather than publishing one number for every town. Ask for it below; it arrives within one business day.
Half day
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
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
Two days
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
How booking works
- Send the form with your date and location.
- We reply within one business day with the New Orleans 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.
Elopement questions
01Do we need witnesses to elope in New Orleans?
Yes. The ceremony must take place in the presence of two competent witnesses of full age1, so an elopement in New Orleans is the two of you, two witnesses and an officiant. Choose your witnesses before you book the date and tell us on the form, so the plan has them in the portraits too.
02Can you help us choose a time and a spot for the ceremony?
03How long does an elopement session take?
It runs as a half day, the shape of our Half day collection: the ceremony, then portraits on foot, photographed and filmed by one crew. Start and end times are agreed with your partner against the sunrise or sunset for your date rather than fixed in advance.
04Can family join us for part of the day?
Yes. Family can come for the ceremony or for part of the portraits; tell your partner who is coming so the plan includes them. Louisiana's two-witness rule1 means at least two guests are there anyway, so deciding who they are is the first step.
Say when.
Send the date you have in mind, or a month, and the New Orleans price list arrives within one business day. Tell us who your two witnesses will be, if you know.
Sources
- Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:244 — Witnesses required legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=107105
- Louisiana Department of Health — How To Obtain An Orleans Parish Marriage License ldh.la.gov/page/644
- City Park Conservancy (New Orleans) — City Park Commercial Photo Permit neworleanscitypark.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PhotoPermit_26.pdf
- Wikidata — New Orleans (Q34404) wikidata.org/wiki/Q34404
- Wikipedia — New Orleans (climate table: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans
- Computed with suncalc (NOAA algorithm): Sunrise and sunset on the 15th of each month of 2027, local time (America/Chicago), computed at the city's coordinates. github.com/mourner/suncalc
- Wikipedia — Lafayette Square (New Orleans) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_Square_(New_Orleans)
- Wikipedia — Louis Armstrong Park (New Orleans) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong_Park_(New_Orleans)
- Wikipedia — Bayou St. John (neighborhood) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayou_St._John_(neighborhood)
- Wikipedia — Jackson Square (New Orleans) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Square_(New_Orleans)