weddingWho can legally marry a couple, where ULC and AMM ordinations work, and which states need registration first. Every rule links to the statute.
In every US state, ordained clergy and judges can officiate. Most states add magistrates and justices of the peace, a few add notaries, and most accept a friend ordained online through the Universal Life Church or American Marriage Ministries.
Colorado, Pennsylvania and DC let couples marry themselves. Wisconsin and Kansas allow it inside a religious tradition that recognizes it.
Checked against statutes and clerk pages in October 2026. Confirm with the clerk's office that issues your license before the ceremony.
The license has its own fees, waiting periods and ID rules. See the exact steps for your state before you go to the clerk's office.
Put one QR code on the ceremony chairs. Guests scan it and upload the vows, the kiss and the recessional to one album, no app or account.
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Six routes to a legal ceremony. The badge shows how widely each one is accepted.
The ceremony can be any style. The signature on the license is what the law cares about.Priests, pastors, rabbis, imams and ministers of established religious bodies. Delaware, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia add a registration, certificate or license step first.
Federal and state judges, including magistrate judges, marry couples as part of the office. Some do private ceremonies, others only marry in chambers.
Civil officials who marry couples as part of the job. Availability for private weddings varies by county, so call the court first.
Florida (Fla. Stat. 741.07) and Nevada (with a county certificate) allow it. Maine moved notaries to a separate officiant license in July 2023.
ULC and AMM ministers are the usual pick for a friend. Tennessee bars online ordinations and Virginia rejected ULC ministers, so check the county first.
Colorado, Pennsylvania and DC let couples marry themselves. Wisconsin and Kansas allow it only inside a religious tradition that recognizes it.
States disagree on who counts. They agree on these.
California (Fam. Code 400) and Delaware (13 Del. C. 106) write 18 into the law.
Clergy, a civil official like a judge, or someone the statute names, like a Florida notary.
Most states take any bona fide religious body. Online ordination is the contested area.
Full legal name, title, date and place. Errors get licenses rejected at recording.
Validity runs from 20 days in South Dakota to 1 year in Nevada. An expired license means no legal marriage.
10 days in California, Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania, 30 in Texas and 63 in Colorado.
Both ordain people online for free, and state law treats them the same way. The state decides, not the ministry.
Clergy of an established church and judges work in all 50 states. Virginia clergy still need a court order under Va. Code 20-23.
Cramer v. Commonwealth (1974) held ULC ministers did not qualify under Va. Code 20-23. A friend can get a one-wedding 20-25 order instead, which may need a $500 bond.
Va. Code 20-25Tenn. Code 36-3-301(a)(2) has barred online ordinations since July 2019. A federal court ruled against AMM in September 2025 and AMM appealed.
AMM v. Collins (E.D. Tenn. 2025)No statewide registration, and 23 Pa.C.S. 1503 lists who may solemnize. Counties differ, so ask the Register of Wills that issues the license.
23 Pa.C.S. 1503We found no statute that treats AMM differently from ULC. Tennessee: Tenn. Code 36-3-301(a)(2) and AMM v. Collins (E.D. Tenn. 2025, on appeal).
The short version for a friend or relative. Training and scripts live in the officiant certification guide.
Check the statute for the state that issues the license. The state rules section below links each one.
Most friends get ordained free online through ULC or AMM. In Virginia, get a Va. Code 20-25 order; in Tennessee, pick clergy or a judge.
Delaware, Nevada, Ohio, Hawaii and New York City want this done before the ceremony. Leave a few weeks.
Most states only need the couple to declare they take each other as spouses before you and any required witnesses.
Complete your section, collect the signatures and get the license to the clerk before the state deadline.
Getting ordained, why some states are stricter about online ordination, and why to keep a certified copy of your credentials. Under five minutes.
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The same state can behave differently depending on which clerk issues the license.
Ordained officiants, clergy or online, file nothing first. They sign their section of the license after the vows.
Credentials go to a named office first: a Clerk of the Peace, county clerk, Secretary of State, Hawaii Department of Health or the NYC City Clerk.
A friend is authorized for one couple only: an NYC One-Day license, a Massachusetts one-day designation, a Virginia 20-25 order or a California deputy commissioner for a day.
Enforcement varies by county, even in permissive states. Check with the clerk's office that issues the license.
DC: DC Courts Marriage Matters and D.C. Code 46-406. New York City: Office of the City Clerk.
Three places open self-uniting marriage to every couple. Two limit it to religious traditions that recognize it.
No officiant and no witnesses required. Either partner returns the certificate to the county clerk within 63 days.
A Quaker-rooted self-uniting license open to any couple. Two witnesses sign; ask the Register of Wills for it.
List yourselves as the officiant on the application. No witnesses needed, and both partners apply in person.
Only when the ceremony follows a religious society that recognizes self-marriage, with two adult witnesses present.
By mutual declaration, when the couple follows the customs of a religious society either partner belongs to.
Not an exhaustive list of religious self-marriage exceptions. If your state is not listed, ask the clerk who would issue your license.
Find your state in a group. Each rule links to the statute or clerk page it was checked against.
The officiant files with a named office before the ceremony.
An online ordination alone is not enough here.
The couple files the paperwork themselves.
Statutes checked: AS 25.05.261, A.R.S. 25-124, Cal. Fam. Code 400, Fla. Stat. 741.07, K.S.A. 23-2504, MCL 551.7, N.C.G.S. 51-1, 23 Pa.C.S. 1503, S.C. Code 20-1-20, Tex. Fam. Code 2.202, RCW 26.04.050. Georgia and Illinois were not confirmed against the statute.
Late filing rarely voids the marriage, but it delays the certificate. Texas treats it as a misdemeanor for the officiant (Fam. Code 2.206).
California: Fam. Code 359. Texas: Fam. Code chapter 2.
The full wedding checklist covers the rest: license timing, vendor deposits, RSVPs and the day-of timeline, in one free list.
Couples usually find these later, at the name change or benefits office.
| Do this | Not that |
|---|---|
| Check the license expiry against the wedding date | Marrying the couple on an expired license |
| Register in DE, NV, OH or NYC weeks ahead | Finding out about registration the day before |
| Have witnesses sign before anyone leaves | Ending the ceremony with blank witness lines |
| Write your exact legal name and title | Sloppy entries the clerk rejects at recording |
| Name one person to return the license | Everyone assuming someone else mailed it |
| Get a Va. Code 20-25 order in Virginia | Relying on an online ordination in Virginia |
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Most states follow the same framework. These six do something different.
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Marriage law is a state matter. There is no federal list of authorized officiants: each state defines who may perform a legal ceremony, and counties can add administrative steps.
The legal moment is the signing of the license. A ceremony by a beloved friend has no legal effect without a properly signed and filed license.
Once the clerk records the license, it issues a certified marriage certificate, the proof used for name changes, insurance and benefits. Order 3 to 5 certified copies when you file.
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Who can marry you, ULC and AMM, notaries, registration and paperwork: short answers.
In every US state, ordained clergy and judges can officiate. Most states add justices of the peace and magistrates, and most accept a friend ordained online through ULC or AMM. Florida and Nevada let notaries officiate. Many statutes set 18 as the minimum officiant age. Colorado, Pennsylvania and DC let couples marry themselves, and Wisconsin and Kansas allow that inside a religious tradition that recognizes it.
In most states, but not all. The Supreme Court of Virginia held in Cramer v. Commonwealth (1974) that ULC ministers did not qualify under the state's minister statute, and Tennessee has barred online ordinations since 2019. A federal court rejected a challenge by American Marriage Ministries in September 2025, and AMM has appealed. Always confirm with the county clerk that issues the license.
Your ordination travels with you, but each state decides whether it counts and whether you must register first. Delaware wants clergy on the Clerk of the Peace registry, Nevada a county certificate, Ohio a Secretary of State license, Hawaii a state officiant license and New York City a City Clerk registration. Virginia wants a circuit court order, and Tennessee bars online ordinations.
Only in some states. Florida (Fla. Stat. 741.07, inside Florida only) and Nevada (with a county certificate) let notaries perform marriages. Maine moved resident notaries to a separate officiant license on July 1, 2023, and South Carolina allows officers authorized to administer oaths. Arizona, Delaware, Kansas, Texas and Washington do not let notaries officiate.
Both are non-denominational and ordain people online for free. We found no statute that treats AMM differently from ULC: Tennessee's 2019 ban covers all online ordinations (AMM is appealing a 2025 ruling that upheld it), and in Virginia a Va. Code 20-25 court order works whatever body ordained you.
The officiant signs the license with the couple and any required witnesses, then it goes back to the county clerk on time: 10 days in California, Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania, 30 days in Texas and 63 days in Colorado. A late filing usually does not void the marriage, but it delays the certified certificate and can bring a penalty for the officiant.
