Rehoboth in June, a Brandywine estate in October, and a guest list driving in from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. Real Delaware weddings, filed with the vendor list and the budget attached.
The smallest state but one, priced alongside California, on beach demand from three metro areas at once.
Delaware prices high for its size because Rehoboth, Bethany and Lewes draw weekend demand from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington simultaneously, into a coastline only about 25 miles long. Inland Delaware is a completely different price.
Two halves of a very small state. The north is effectively an extension of the Philadelphia market. The beach towns are their own summer economy, priced accordingly.
Du Pont estates, gardens and mansions, with most of the vendor bench driving down from Philadelphia.
The summer market. Ceremony permits, boardwalk logistics and lodging priced for holiday weeks.
Quieter than Rehoboth, more house rentals than hotels, and a shorter local vendor list.
Farms, historic greens and the lowest price floor in the state, an hour from everything else.
Proximity, season and permits shape more here than venue style does.
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington are all inside two hours. Good for attendance, awkward for hotel blocks, because plenty of people will drive home the same night.
Memorial Day to Labor Day is when the coastal towns make their money. A May or October beach wedding costs materially less, and the water was never the point.
The state parks and each beach town run their own rules on permits, chairs, amplified sound and where you may actually stand. Confirm before anything gets printed.
Delaware is one of the few states that charges non-residents materially more for the same license.
The marriage license
The beach market
Photographers, venues, florists and the people who keep the day running, filed by market so you are not scrolling past Dover and central Delaware listings when the wedding is in Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley. Every listing names what it costs and what it does not include.
Real weddings, fashion and planning filed under Delaware, newest first. Every story carries the vendor credits and the numbers the couple actually spent.
About $39,000 in 2026, high for the state’s size because Rehoboth, Bethany and Lewes draw demand from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington at once.
$70 for residents and $100 for non-residents. Delaware is one of the few states that charges visitors more.
Yes, 24 hours. The license is then valid for only 30 days, so apply close to the date.
Yes, two witnesses are required at the ceremony.
Nearby: Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia. Or start with wedding venues and photographers.
We publish real weddings with the full vendor list and the real budget attached, from Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley to Dover and central Delaware. Photographers and planners can claim a directory listing at the same time.