Step 2confirm That The Indiana Marriage License Is Valid
Before you put pen to paper you should confirm that the marriage license is still valid. The validity of a marriage license is governed by three laws that determine the marriage license waiting period, expiration, and return. For more information on what these terms mean, check out our page, .In Indiana, the marriage license waiting period, expiration, and return are as follows:
- REQUIRED WITNESSES: None
- EXPIRATION: 60 Days
- RETURN: 30 Days from the Wedding
There is no marriage license waiting period in Indiana. This means that the couple can receive and complete their marriage license on the same day that they file for their marriage license. In other words, they can get married on the same day that they file for their marriage license.Marriage licenses in Indiana do expire 60 daysafter being issued. This means that the wedding must take place within the window of time between when the marriage license is issued and when it expires. In other words, the wedding must take place within 60 daysof the couple filing for their marriage license.Your job as the wedding officiant is to confirm that it has not been more than 60 dayssince the marriage license was issued. Once satisfied with this, you can move on to the next step.If the marriage license is expired, then the couple will have to file for a new one. It’s not the end of the world, but it is inconvenient.
Can You Officiate Your Own Wedding
If you live in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Wisconsin or the District of Columbia, couples can marry sans officiant in front of witnesses, if they turn in the necessary legal paperwork. However, all other states require an officiant for a legal and recognized marriage. An officiant only needs to meet your state’s legal qualifications for performing your marriage ceremony.
Making Sense Of The Paperwork
The Wedding Licence
We have given an example link The City of Burlington, . All city/town halls have virtually the same guidelines for wedding licences and provide useful information and links. Check your city halls website or call them before you go there.
On the day of the wedding, you write/sign your names as they appear on the MARRIAGE LICENCE form. The person who marries you is required by law to mail your licence for registration to the Registrar General of the Province of Ontario.
The record of marriage
The certificate of marriage
The Certificate of Marriage is a LEGAL DOCUMENT. You can also apply on line at www.serviceontario.ca to order your certificate or call 1- 800-461-2156
The marriage register
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Meet With Potential Officiants
To help make sure this person is the right fit for your ceremony and shares a similar perspective on marriage, youll want to do more than just call and ask if these people are available. Set up a time to meet with them if you can or at the very least take the time for an in-depth phone conversation.
Is the officiant interested in getting to know you and your future spouse so that they can give more than canned remarks at the service? Do they have strict ideas of what should happen at the ceremony and if so, do those views align with yours? Are they open to personalization? How much?
How To Get Licensed To Officiate A Wedding
If you are completely committed to your friend or family member performing the wedding, then getting licensed is vital to a legal marriage. An officiant should be authorized to sign the marriage license. In essence, this individual will have to:
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Family Or Friends Officiants
As the world changes, and you get to choose how to get married, the wedding officiant is not left behind. You can actually choose a family member or a close friend you trust to be your wedding officiant. They only need to be ordained, which works very well for those looking for someone they can trust and know to perform the most important duties of a very special ceremony. This can be the groom or brides family members or parents, cousins or friends.
Don’t forget that to have family or friends get ordained to officiate a wedding you need to dig a little deeper. Know if your state or county allows or recognizes such a thing, particularly if the person is getting ordained online to be allowed to perform the vows on your wedding.
Who Should You Ask To Officiate
Your officiant should be someone you care about , and whom you trust to make your ceremony special. This person should be reliable and organized. They’ll need to go through the ordination process and be prepared on your wedding day. You’ll also want to ask someone who feels comfortable speaking in front of crowds, since, along with you and your future spouse, they will be the center of attention during your ceremony.
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The Officiant Enters As Part Of The Processional
This is the old-school, traditional, high-church way to start a wedding ceremony . The officiant marches in at the head of the retinue and the ceremony is pretty much underway when he/she gets to the front. To be honest, I dont know much about this one.
In all my years of officiating, Ive never kicked one off this way. So I dont usually present it to the couple as an option. If youre a high church clergyperson, this is what you likely do. But youre probably not reading this.
Thats why Im numbering this one as Option 0. Its ground zero, and was historically the option for how the officiant takes the front, and it dates back to a time when giving the couple options wasnt an option.
So here are the 4 actual options for the 21st century. These are the choices I give my couples in our wedding planning session.
Who Can Officiate A Wedding
Its not only official clergymen who can officiate weddings. Any friend or family member is chosen by the couple for this role can actually officiate the wedding. While you can pick just about anyone, you would want someone of legal age, well-rounded, and able to give a good speech. This person should know the bride and groom well to a level where he/she is comfortable talking about their relationship.
Consider the speech you want them to give, the location, their availability, and also how welcome they would be to the idea of officiating at the wedding. It might not seem like much of a responsibility, but when wondering, how to ask a friend to officiate your wedding, I think theres another question to ponder. So, who can officiate a wedding?
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Review The Registration Process
As soon as the date of the wedding is set, you’ll want to meet with the couple to discuss their ceremony expectations and review any registration requirements. “If you have to register with the local government before performing a marriage, youll need to make sure you have copies of your credentials and fill out any necessary applications to complete the registration process. Plan ahead so you have extra time to allow for processing the paperwork or any delays,” Anakotta says.
Wedding Ceremonies From Around The World
Commonly, wedding ceremonies around the world share rituals that are influenced by various cultural traditions. Among the many rituals practiced during wedding ceremonies, the most essential and constant element is the symbolic expression of the unification between the man and woman. The union can be signified by exchanging rings, joining of hands, tying together the garments owned by the bride and groom, or other gestures that could be a representation of the union between the couple. Likewise, many rituals that are incorporated within the ceremony are done in order to emphasize the wedding as a passage for the foundation of the family. For example, in Hindu wedding ceremonies, the couple circles a sacred fire in order to promote the fertility of their union .
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What Does The Officiant Say At Your Wedding
That is entirely up to you, as the couple getting married, and your ceremony officiant. We’re all familiar with the traditional vows, but you can choose to incorporate anything you want into the ceremony. Get creative and use any text that speaks to you as a couple, or incorporate stories from your time together. Need tips on writing your own vows? Find some inspiration here.
If you want a personalized ceremony, it’s important to spend time getting to know your officiant. Most pros will ask you to fill out a questionnaire so they have a general idea about your relationship. However, if you want to go the extra mile, schedule a meeting or two so your officiant can fully understand the bond you two share.
To the VillaRamos sisters, getting to know the couples is their favorite part of the job. “Who they are individually and together, how they interact with each other, the details of their lives that seem inconsequential but are, in fact, incredibly meaningful,” they say. “Many times, we can relate to our couples and the challenges they’ve faced, the dreams they share, the future they’re working towards, the values they’ve built their lives around. It’s a profound experience and one we’re super grateful for.”
Is Universal Life Church Legit
The Universal Life Church website describes itself as a multi-denominational religious organization that makes it quick and easy to become ordained and perform functions any other minister can perform, such as marriages. The Universal Life Church isnt alone in offering online ordination, but its among the largest.
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Perform A Wedding Ceremony
If you have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony, don’t feel intimidated or confused. Many ministers have become ordained through the Universal Life Church for this very reason. To help you prepare to perform a wedding ceremony, we have compiled this three-step set of instructions to ensure that it is legally binding.
What Is A Marriage Commissioner
In BC, marriage commissioners are government officials who perform non-religious wedding ceremonies in their area. Marriage commissioners must be retired or semi-retired, mature and known/active in their community. Because of the retirement condition, many marriage commissioners are older. They can only apply to become commissioners if there is a vacancy in their area and theres a maximum number of commissioners per city. Candidates are then short listed, interviewed and appointed. Commissioners can only hold their position for a maximum of 10 years.
Before we jump into the differences, let us just begin by saying that the below is true of most marriage commissioners and most officiants. We cannot speak for absolutely everyone. Generally speaking, these are the differences. Of course, every person is unique and may perform their duties slightly differently.
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How To Officiate A Wedding
Now that your friend is actually ordained to officiate your wedding, what do they actually have to do? You’ll want to take a look at your local laws again to brush up on the requirements. In most cases, your officiant simply needs to include the declaration of intent, or the “Do you take…” and “I do” vows portion of the ceremony.
Step 3fill Out The Indiana Marriage License
Completing and signing the marriage license is your legal duty as the wedding officiant. Though this is a serious responsibiltiy, it is an easy task to fulfill.Completing the marriage license simply involves filling out your portion of the license and signing it with the couple. In Indiana,no witnesses arerequired to sign the marriage license. If you have not filled out a marriage license before, you may be unsure how to fill out certain fields. We understand that you want to do everything correctly. Our covers all the fields that may appear on the marriage license you will be completing.Below we cover the four most common questions we get from our ministers regarding completing a marriage license. Keep in mind that marriage licenses in Indiana may be formatted differently depending on which office issued the license. The license you will be completing may have any combination of these fields, or none at all.
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For ceremony type, enter “Religious”. This is important. Even if you will be conducting a completely non-religious ceremony you still need to enter “Religious”. The reason for this is that the designation “Religious” and “Civil” mean something different to the Indiana Government. Civil is a designation for government officials. Everything else is considered religious, even if you include no religious references in the wedding.
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Treat Them Like Any Other Vendor
This means asking for recommendations, reviews and referrals. Have your friends and family been to weddings with an officiant they loved? When you meet with the officiants you are considering, dont be afraid to ask them for testimonials from previous people theyve married. Some may even have video you can watch of them performing a ceremony so you can make sure their style and tone is the right fit.
Others might suggest you attend a ceremony they are performing so you can make sure you like what you see. Bottom line here: Do your research. Would you book a caterer without tasting their food or asking about previous experience? The officiant is just as important.
Before The Wedding Day
Make sure that the wedding couple has filed for a marriage license with the state or county before the marriage ceremony. Simply put, a wedding will not be legit without a marriage license. This can be filed 30 to 60 days before the wedding date, depending on the state , where the couple is getting married. Remind the couple not to get the license too far in advance so that the certificate doesnt expire by the time the wedding day comes along.
Meet with the wedding couple to discuss how the marriage ceremony will flow. Its important to know the couples vision for their wedding, as well as the tone they want for their wedding day. Ceremonies can be spiritual, non-denominational, or religious. Are there traditions that need to be incorporated? What type of readings does the couple prefer? Do they want the ceremony to be funny or heartfelt? Do they need help in starting to write their wedding vows? The wedding officiant is in charge of creating a program that is all about the couple and what they want, to ensure a smooth flow of the ceremony.
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