Marriage License Tips and Hints

As mentioned in an earlier blog post, both the couple and their chosen friend or family member Officiant should know what is required to make the ceremony legal and understand the entire process of getting the license before the wedding and submitting it afterward.   For the friend or family member officiating, here are some tips and hints that will help.

• Review the marriage license form before the wedding and make sure you know what to fill in for the Officiant part. For example, in California, you not only fill in your name and address but you also fill in your Religious Denomination and your Official Title.  Although these are usually “given” to you as part of your ordination process, you want to verify and make sure what you are going to enter in those fields is an accepted denomination and official title in that county/state.
• Be very careful when filling out the license. The marriage license is a legal document thus the state/county is very particular in regards to how it is filled out and usually they do not allow mistakes (cross-outs, overwrites, etc.).  For example, in California, a license will most likely need to be redone for a stray pen mark or stain.  Luckily the process for redoing the license is usually just a small fee and a bit of the Officiant’s time at the county office.
• Know how many witnesses are required. Some states only require one and others require two.  And to reduce the potential for errors, either make sure you explain to the witnesses exactly how to fill out their part of the license or, to reduce the chance of mistakes, just have them sign it and you fill in their name and address information.
• Understand who is responsible for turning in the license and know how many days you have after the wedding to submit it back to the county. For example, in California, the completed license needs to be submitted back to the county within 10 days after the wedding.

By both the couple getting married, and the Officiant marrying them, having an understanding of the license, another check box on the making the wedding run smoothly list can be checked off.