What Do You Need To Officiate A Wedding In West Virginia
Once you’ve spoken with county marriage officials, simply sign in to your account on our website and order whatever materials you may need via our online catalog. One of our more popular items in West Virginia is an Ordination Set along with an Official Letter of Good Standing.
In West Virginia, ministers are generally not required to register. With that being said, it isn’t uncommon for the county clerk to ask for proof of your ordination before giving the “go-ahead” to perform marriage ceremonies. Plus, it gives the couple to be wed peace of mind knowing that their wedding minister has all the official documents, like your ordination certificate, on hand. As requested by county officials, please order your materials well in advance of the ceremony.
How To Become An Ordained Minister In West Virginia
If you haven’t already, you should get ordained online with the Universal Life Church. Ordination is free and can be completed in just a matter of minutes. Thousands of legally valid marriages are performed by ULC ministers around the world every year. Begin the process by clicking the big blue button below!
West Virginia Wedding Need
The mountainous state of West Virginia has an ideal wedding venue for every couple, no matter what they’re looking for. West Virginia is particularly perfect for couples envisioning a stylistically rustic wedding. More and more couples are opting for the favorable climate of a West Virginia spring for their wedding but summer and early fall are popular too. However, it is important to be cautious and aware of the summer thunderstorms as the weather can be temperamental during the warmer months. As the largest cities in West Virginia, Charleston and Huntington offer a variety of venue options with some very affordable options starting at $2,000 to more extravagant venues that’ll cost around $13,000. The most popular time to get married is early fall, so be sure to book your venue well in advance if you are considering a wedding at that time. There are many factors to consider when deciding how much to charge as an officiant, such as how experienced the officiant is, how much preparation will be involved and if travel will be required. However, the typical cost for an experienced officiant is between $200-$500.
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Officiating A Wedding In West Virginia
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority . Let them know that you are a minister of the Universal Life Church in Seattle, and ask what they will require of you to officiate a legal marriage.
Select your County Clerk to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
All Officiants Are Required To Register With A County Clerk
Before performing marriage, you are required to register with a County Clerk’s office. This is the same office that issues the marriage license to the couple. You do not need to register with the same office that issues the marriage license to the couple. Successful registration with one Clerk grants you the authority to perform marriage anywhere in Virginia.This mean that if you are experiencing discrimination while attempting to register with one office we recommend that you apply with a different County Clerk’s office. As there are 95 Counties in Virginia, there are many options available to you.
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State Of West Virginiamarriage License Requirements
- The fee for a West Virginia marriage license is $56 and is required at the time of application.
- Couples with premarital certificate of completion the marriage license fee is reduced to $36.
- Marriage licenses are issued by the County Clerks office found in all counties in West Virginia.
- Minimum age to marry is 16.
- If under the age of 16 must receive consent from a Judge in addition to parental consent.
- If under the age of 18 there is a three day waiting period and both parents of the underage person must appear with identification to give consent or a single parent must be present with identification and full custody papers.
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What Do You Need To Get A Marriage License In West Virginia
West Virginia marriage licenses are issued by the County Clerk’s Office.
You’ll need to present a form of ID that shows proof of age. Be prepared to give your Social Security Number, too. You’ll also need to provide your mother and father’s full names along with where they were born. If you’ve had a previous marriage, you’ll need to share the exact date that the marriage endedplus how it ended .
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How To Get Ordained In West Virginia To Officiate
Welcome to the West Virginia guide to marriage laws. While officiating a wedding is an incredible honor, presiding over the ceremony comes with plenty of responsibility. We’ve created this page in hopes of providing guidance to couples and ministers alike in order to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible on the big day. We encourage you to follow the guide below. It will explain how to become a wedding minister, how to marry someone, and how to make sure the ceremony is legal in West Virginia.
Here are the basic steps one must follow to officiate a wedding:
Do Wedding Officiants Have To Be Ordained
If you are considering a career as a professional wedding officiant, or if you have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony for a friend or family member, chances are that you will need to get ordained. While some states make allowances for civil officiants without the need for any type of credentials or ordination, most states require at least an online ordination in order to qualify to perform a legal marriage.
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Officiating A Wedding In Virginia
After getting ordained, next youll contact the circuit clerks office . Explain that youre an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church, and that you need to know what is required to preside over legal marriage ceremonies in their jurisdiction. Unfortunately, we are aware that many Virginia circuit courts will not recognize marriages performed by Universal Life Church ministers.
Choose your Circuit Clerk below to see contact info for their offices.
Select your Circuit Clerk to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Are There Ways To Be Safe If I Hire A Wedding Officiant When Social Distancing
If you decide to hire a wedding officiant when social distancing, ask if the officiant can offer remote services. Some wedding officiants are choosing to conduct services virtually and/or stand more than 6 feet away from the parties. Discuss possible arrangements with your wedding officiant, and familiarize yourself with your local community guidelines, as well as the CDCs guidelines for social distancing. Only move forward if you and the officiant both feel comfortable.
You may want to implement extra precautions, such as using digital payments instead of exchanging cash, sanitizing all involved spaces and waving instead of shaking hands.
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Join The Officiant Association
If youre serious about building a sustainable career as a professional wedding officiant, then joining the International Association of Professional Wedding Officiants may be the single smartest decision you can make. The IAPWO offers educational content, networking opportunities, and member discounts for many products and services your business needs, as well as producing an annual wedding officiant conference. We are proud to be an official partner of the IAPWO, and WeddingOfficiants.com offers discounted advertising packages and upgraded directory placement to IAPWO members. For more information about IAPWO benefits or to become a member, visit IAPWO.ORG.
Requirements For A Marriage License:
AGE – Must appear in person and be 18 years of age. – If under the age of 18 there is a three day waiting period and both parents of the underage person must appear with identification to give consent or a single parent must be present with identification and full custody papers. If under the age of 16 must receive consent from a Judge in addition to parental consent.
FAMILY INFORMATION – Both parties must know the complete name of each of their parents including their Mother’s maiden name. – Both parties must know the city and state or foreign country where each of their parents were born.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN MARRIED BEFORE – Must know the exact date of the divorce. This is the date the Judge signed the divorce decree. – Must know the exact date of death if your previous marriage ended due to the death of your spouse.
FEE – Cash, Credit/Debit Card, or Money Order for $57. If parties present a certificate of completion of a pre-marital counseling course, the fee is $37. Payment must be presented at the beginning of the application process. There is a $2 administrative fee for Credit/Debit payments. Money Orders should be made payable to the Monongalia County Clerk.
EXPIRATION DATE – Once issued the Marriage License must be used within 60 days of the date issued or it will be void and must be returned to the Monongalia County Clerk’s Office.
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West Virginia Wedding Laws
Deadlines, waiting periods, acceptable forms of ID West Virginia has a unique collection of requirements for a wedding to be considered valid, and trying to navigate those rules can feel overwhelming, especially when youre also trying to plan the rest of the wedding. Weve studied all the pertinent legal provisions and created this convenient, comprehensive guide to make it easy for couples and officiants to comply with the Mountain States marriage laws.
How Do You Perform A Wedding In Virginia
First things first, you will need to contact the office that will issue the marriage license to the couple. This is typically going to be the county clerk in your area. Tell the clerk you are a minister and ask what documents they might require you to present. There are number of items you could be asked to present to prove your ordination. Always remember that requirements can vary from county to county, so you should make sure to contact this office before each wedding. The documents that you might be asked to present are available for order in the Minister Store here on our site.
Please note that officials in Virginia have a tendency not to recognize ULC ordinations. We suggest you check with the clerk in your county for more information.
Select a county to see contact information for each office:
Select your county to view contact information for each office:
297 Court St, Suite B Appomattox, VA 24522
1425 N. Courthouse Road, Suite 6700 Arlington, VA
123 East Main St, Suite 201 Bedford, VA 24523
612 Main St. Suite 104 Bland, VA 24315
1 W Main St Suite 120 Fincastle, VA
13061 W. James Anderson Hwy Buckingham, VA 23921
520 King Street, Room 307 Alexandria, VA 22314
497 Cumberland Street, Room 210 Bristol, VA
307 Albemarle Drive, Suite 300A Chesapeake, VA 23322
4110 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 116 Fairfax, VA 22030
400 N Washington St, Suite 101 Falls Church, VA 22046
701 Princess Anne St Ste 100 Fredericksburg, VA
353 North Main Street, Suite 204 Galax, VA 24333
365-6233
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Minister Registration Office West Virginia Secretary Of State
No matter where you plan on officiating weddings in West Virginia you need to register with the Secretary of States office. The officiant licensing procedure in West Virginia is pretty straightforward. You will need to submit:
- Valid Government ID
- Your Letter of Good Standing
- Your Completed West Virginia Marriage Celebrant Registration Application
- A $25 Check or Money Order Payable to the West Virginia Secretary of State.
About The Application For License To Perform Marriage In Hawaii
We recommend that you first read the on the Hawaii Department of Health website. This will provide context for what to expect on the application.
Once you have read through the guideline materials you can begin the application here. Completing the application should only take you a few minutes.
At the end you will be asked for a $10 fee for processing the application. You can pay by credit card Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. Bitcoins are not acceptedat least not yet.
Once your application is submitted you will get a payment confirmation via email right away. Your application approval can take up to two weeks, so be patient.
If you do not hear back from the Department of Health after two weeks, you should contact the Department of Health.
The Application Asks for the Church Address. What Should I Put?
We dont want to assume that you got ordained with American Marriage Ministries. If you were not ordained with AMM, then you will have to check that organizations website, or if they do not have their address listed you will have to contact them.
If you were ordained with American Marriage Ministries, you can find their physical address here.
How Much Does Registration Cost?
The registration fee is a flat $10, payable by all major credit cards.
Is Registration Affected Depending on Which Island I Will be Officiating the Wedding?
Do I Need to Submit My Ministry Credentials to the Department of Health?
Nope.
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West Virginia Marriage Code
§48-2-401. Persons authorized to perform marriages. A religious representative who has complied with the provisions of section 2-402, a family court judge, a circuit judge or a justice of the supreme court of appeals, is authorized to celebrate the rites of marriage in any county of this state. Celebration or solemnization of a marriage means the performance of the formal act or ceremony by which a man and woman contract marriage and assume the status of husband and wife.View the West Virginia Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for West Virginia state:
