Local rules and logistics
The facts that change a decision, from official sources, checked September 29, 2026. Jump to: licenses, alcohol, weather, hotels, tents and noise, getting home.
Marriage license: Indiana and Kentucky side by side
| Indiana | Kentucky | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | $25 resident, $65 out of state, plus a county document fee (about $4). Most counties want cash. | $60, same for everyone. |
| Waiting period | None. Couples may marry the same day the license is issued. | None. Issued same day. |
| Good for | 60 days | 30 days, counting the day issued |
| Who must show up | Both applicants in person at the clerk's office (online pre-application first, then finish in person). | Both parties in person. |
| Bring | One form of ID proving date of birth (certified birth certificate, passport, driver's license, immigration record or court decree) plus Social Security number. Floyd and Clark also want current address on the ID and parents' full names and birthplaces. | Driver's license, current state photo ID, or passport. |
| Where you apply | Indiana residents apply in the county where at least one applicant lives; the ceremony may be anywhere in Indiana. Out-of-state couples apply in the Indiana county where the ceremony will be held. | No Kentucky residency requirement noted. Statewide license, ceremony must be in Kentucky. |
| Apply online first? | Yes: mycourts.in.gov, then finish in person. | No online pre-application; both go in person. |
| Who can officiate | IC 31-11-6-1: a member of the clergy of a religious organization (minister, priest, bishop, rabbi, imam, etc.), a judge, a mayor (within the mayor's county), a city/town clerk or clerk-treasurer (within their county), a clerk of the circuit court, the governor, lieutenant governor, or a member of the general assembly, plus Friends, German Baptist, Bahai and LDS bodies. Indiana has no notary or one-day designation provision; a friend must qualify as clergy of a religious organization (online ordination is commonly used but the statute does not address it, so this is not confirmed by an official source). | KRS 402.050: ministers or priests of any denomination in regular communion with a religious society; justices and judges of the Court of Justice (including retired); county judge/executives; justices of the peace or fiscal court commissioners authorized by the Governor or county judge/executive; or a religious society without an officiating minister, at its usual place of worship. At least two witnesses in addition to the couple and officiant must be present. |
| Can a friend officiate? | Only if they qualify as clergy of a religious organization. The statute does not address online ordination; ask the clerk before you count on it. | Only ministers, judges and a few officials. Two witnesses are required besides the couple and officiant. |
| Age | 18 or older. 16-17 only with a juvenile court emancipation order and the older party not more than 4 years older. Under 16 cannot marry. | 18 or older. 17 only with a District Court order. No one under 17. |
| Blood test | None | None |
Where to apply
Rule of thumb: get the license in the state where the ceremony happens. An Indiana license is only good in Indiana; a Kentucky license only in Kentucky.
Alcohol at a venue
Indiana
Alcohol at an Indiana venue must be served under an Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission permit. A venue or event host can get a Temporary Beer and Wine Permit ($50 per day, beer and wine only, on-premises consumption only) by filing with the local Excise office at least five days before the event with a floor plan. Liquor requires a licensed alcoholic beverage caterer; a licensed supplemental caterer can also be used on short notice. The ATC FAQ states that guests may not bring their own alcohol into a function held under a temporary permit, so BYOB at a permitted event is not allowed. Anyone serving must hold an Indiana Employee Permit ($45, requires a BMV driving record). Permanent retailer permits should be applied for at least 90 days ahead.
Kentucky
Kentucky ABC issues a Special Temporary License for alcohol sales at qualified events (beer/wine/liquor $266.66, beer only $25, wine only $50, per point of sale), applied for 7 to 10 business days ahead, but it is limited to nonprofits or for-profit civic/community events and cannot be issued in moist or dry territory. Most private wedding bar service in Kentucky runs through a licensed caterer under KRS 243.033, which lets the caterer transport, sell and serve drinks at an off-premises site or banquet hall while catering food, with food-receipt percentage tests that vary by wet or moist territory. In dry territory a caterer may only serve at private events where the alcohol was lawfully bought elsewhere and is not sold on site. Kentucky is a patchwork of wet, moist and dry counties and precincts, so venue location determines what is possible. Louisville Metro (Jefferson County) is wet and has its own local ABC office.
What this means for you: in either state the venue's own rule decides. "Venue bar required" means you buy from them; "licensed caterer required" means your caterer must hold the permit; "BYOB allowed" is rare and still needs a permitted server. Each venue's rule is on its page.
Rain and temperature by month
Louisville airport, 30-year NOAA normals. Rural sites run a few degrees cooler at night.
NWS Louisville publishes freeze climatology only as charts; the most common week for the last spring freeze (32F) is April 9-15 (since 1871). Record latest spring freeze May 10, 1966; record earliest fall freeze Oct 3, 1974. Rural areas freeze earlier and later than the airport.
Sunset on your date
Plan an outdoor ceremony to end 30 to 45 minutes before sunset for the best photos.
Hotels by area
"Room blocks" means the hotel's own site advertises group bookings. Call to confirm a wedding rate. "Airport shuttle" is from the hotel's own listing.
Corydon, IN
New Albany, IN
Jeffersonville, IN
Clarksville, IN
Louisville East / Middletown, KY
Shelbyville, KY
Elizabethtown, KY
Tents and noise
Tent permits in Indiana
Indiana Fire Code (675 IAC 22-2.5-24, adopting IFC Chapter 31) applies Chapter 31 to tents and membrane structures over 400 square feet, and the fire department having jurisdiction must be notified when a tent over 400 sq ft is erected. IDHS says a Construction Design Release is not required for temporary outdoor event equipment in place 45 days or fewer per year; local fire departments and counties may add their own tent permits.
Noise
Louisville Metro: Louisville Metro Code Chapter 99. Noise from a building or structure that is unreasonably loud is a violation between 9pm and 7am Sunday-Thursday and 11pm to 7am Friday-Saturday; non-structural noise can be cited at any hour. No decibel thresholds; officers weigh time of day, proximity to homes, churches, schools and hospitals. Permitted festivals and entertainment events are exempt. Warning normally precedes a citation.
Floyd County, IN (unincorporated): Ordinance passed Feb 16, 2010 for unincorporated Floyd County (outside New Albany, Georgetown, Greenville). Regulated sound is anything audible 50 feet or more from its source. Business, organizational and governmental noise, lawn and farm equipment and power tools are exempt 5am-11pm only. Enforced by the sheriff; fines up to $100 first offense, $250 second.
Harrison County, IN: no county noise ordinance found. Venue curfews still apply; check each venue's page.
Getting guests home
Rideshare: Uber's own Corydon page says: 'Yes. The Uber app gives you the power to request a ride to get around Corydon anytime, 24/7,' and warns pickup times may be longer than in larger cities; Uber Reserve is suggested for advance booking. Practical availability in rural Harrison County (Palmyra) is thin; advise guests to book Uber Reserve or a shuttle.
Shuttle and charter companies serving the area
- Miller Transportation. Charter buses, minibuses, trolleys; serves KY, IN, OH; testimonials cite wedding hotel-to-venue shuttles.
- Xtreme Transportation LLC, (502) 795-3525. States it serves Louisville and Southern Indiana weddings.
- Louisville Charter Bus Company, (502) 586-4543. Charter broker network for Louisville-area wedding shuttles.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), 600 Terminal Drive, Louisville, KY 40209.