Marriage License

sames52915

We are having one of our friends officiate the ceremony. My question is, does the marriage license have to be signed at the wedding? Or can it be done earlier? I'm wondering because if we go & pick it up prior to the wedding, is there any reason we can't sign everything in advance? I'm not sure if there are any legal issues with this, or if there are specific dates put on the marriage license when we first apply?

dcbride86

Usually you, your new husband, the officiant and a witness have to sign it after the ceremony.  You usually pick it up a couple weeks before the ceremony, and then return it after the ceremony once it's been signed.  But this is really something you should check with your State Marriage Bureau

southernbelle0915

sames52915 said:

We are having one of our friends officiate the ceremony. My question is, does the marriage license have to be signed at the wedding? Or can it be done earlier? I'm wondering because if we go & pick it up prior to the wedding, is there any reason we can't sign everything in advance? I'm not sure if there are any legal issues with this, or if there are specific dates put on the marriage license when we first apply?

When you sign the marriage license, you need someone of authority to sign it. So you'd either need to go to the courthouse and have someone there sign it (this would be your wedding) or hire someone who is ordained to sign it (people go with this option so they can have a ceremony outside the courthouse). Everyone signs at the same time - you, FH, person of authority, and witnesses. Witnesses are often the MOH/BM/close friend/family or a courthouse staff member if you don't have any witnesses of your own.

In a wedding outside the courthouse, you'll usually do this immediately following the ceremony.

Is your friend ordained? If not, they either need to get ordained (check into online options for your state), or you need to hire someone who is. If you do it ahead of time, there's really no point in having a ceremony at all since you're already married (this is a PPD).

redheadbride15

I found this website really helpful in explaining all of the legal issues around marriage licenses, which vary by state:

http://www.usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/

Ditto what southernbelle said about your friend needing to be ordained, etc.

daria24

This varies by state. In some states, the couple signs the license at the court house, when they file for it, and only the officiant has to sign it after the wedding. In others, the couple, witnesses, and officiant have to sign it after the wedding.

We self-united, so my husband, two witnesses, and I signed it during the ceremony. 

Other people I know signed it after the rehearsal, as that was what the celebrant requested. 

sames52915

Yes, our friend is already ordained. That's why I wasn't sure if we could just take care of everything with him & a witness a few days earlier. Honestly, I was more interested in being able to get it back and be able to start the name change process quicker. So it really isn't a big deal, just wondering!

Thanks for the info!

mlg78

I think you're almost bordering on having a PPD if you do this. The day you get married is the day you sign. Not before. If you sign before then that earlier date is now your wedding date. What's the rush with changing your name? I still haven't changed everything and I've been married 18 months.

southernbelle0915

sames52915 said:

Yes, our friend is already ordained. That's why I wasn't sure if we could just take care of everything with him & a witness a few days earlier. Honestly, I was more interested in being able to get it back and be able to start the name change process quicker. So it really isn't a big deal, just wondering!

Thanks for the info!

Gotcha. Check with the rules of your state to be sure, but you can likely sign immediately following the ceremony - you, FH, ordained friend, and witnesses - and file it later. 

climbingsingle

I'm not sure what state you're in (we're in NY), but we received ours back very quickly. My H dropped it off the Monday after the wedding, and the certificate was waiting for us in the mail when we returned from our honeymoon. 

Maggie0829

climbingwife said:

I'm not sure what state you're in (we're in NY), but we received ours back very quickly. My H dropped it off the Monday after the wedding, and the certificate was waiting for us in the mail when we returned from our honeymoon. 

In my state (MD) I didn't have to wait to receive anything back.  All our officiant had to do was mail back the yellow copy.  We kept the original and our officiant kept the pink copy for his records.  So in reality I would have been able to go to SS office the next day (if they were open) to start the name changing process.

So really this is a state by state thing in regards to who needs to sign what and when and how long it will take for you to get your license.

Cookie Pusher

Our officiant mailed our signed license in the Tuesday after our wedding, and we were allowed to pick up copies of the certificate as early the end of that week. You can usually ask how long it takes for everything to be processed when you apply for the license.

JennyColada

We signed our certificate before our ceremony (I think we signed it when we applied), but it's not "official" until it's signed by the officiant and the withess(es).

Actually, our officiant did ask if we'd like to sign it after the ceremony, but we figured we'd forget or otherwise rather spend our time elsewhere. Having a picture of us signing our official certificate wasn't really important to us.

sames52915

thanks for the advice everyone! @JennyColada I was thinking that too. I'd rather be out with all our family and friends  than in a room doing paperwork

southernbelle0915

sames52915 said:

thanks for the advice everyone! @JennyColada I was thinking that too. I'd rather be out with all our family and friends  than in a room doing paperwork

Just so you know, it takes literally 15 seconds to do this - 30 seconds if you want your photog to photograph it. There's an X on a line and you sign next to it. So however long it takes you to write out your signature is how long this "paperwork" takes.

JennyColada

southernbelle0915 said:

sames52915 said:

thanks for the advice everyone! @JennyColada I was thinking that too. I'd rather be out with all our family and friends  than in a room doing paperwork

Just so you know, it takes literally 15 seconds to do this - 30 seconds if you want your photog to photograph it. There's an X on a line and you sign next to it. So however long it takes you to write out your signature is how long this "paperwork" takes.

Yea, it was really quick.

We just wanted to do as few things as possible on our wedding day. It was just one more logistical thing that, when given the option to do it before or after, we opted for before. I mean, why not if given the choice? The marriage isn't any more or less official until the officiant signs it, so it made 0 difference in terms of our marriage.

Mainly, I think I was just worried that no one would have a pen (our moms, who were our witnesses, and the officiant walked across the street to the officiant's office to sign the paperwork).

mrscomposer

Does no one else sign it during the actual ceremony?  I have never heard of signing before or after until I came here.  In every wedding I've ever been to/heard of, you sign it during the ceremony, at the portion called 'signing of the register', which is often where there's special music played.

JennyColada

mrscomposer said:

Does no one else sign it during the actual ceremony?  I have never heard of signing before or after until I came here.  In every wedding I've ever been to/heard of, you sign it during the ceremony, at the portion called 'signing of the register', which is often where there's special music played.

I've only been to three other weddings in my life (one when I was 3) and in one of them I know that they signed it during the reception (when they opened up the buffet, so it was kind of just a hidden thing that they were signing it).

cupcait927

mrscomposer said:

Does no one else sign it during the actual ceremony?  I have never heard of signing before or after until I came here.  In every wedding I've ever been to/heard of, you sign it during the ceremony, at the portion called 'signing of the register', which is often where there's special music played.

We signed ours during the ceremony. Our officiant incorporates it in but we could've chosen to just do it afterwards if we wanted. Since we didn't have a bridal party, it was a nice touch because we got to honor our sisters during the ceremony as our witnesses and have them sign as well.

Maggie0829

mrscomposer said:

Does no one else sign it during the actual ceremony?  I have never heard of signing before or after until I came here.  In every wedding I've ever been to/heard of, you sign it during the ceremony, at the portion called 'signing of the register', which is often where there's special music played.

I have never been to a wedding where I witnessed the couple signing the marriage license.  And I have been to over 25 weddings.

ETA:  In my state the couple does not have to sign the license, so I should clarify to say that I have never witnessed the officiant sign the license during the ceremony.

flantastic

southernbelle0915 said:

sames52915 said:

thanks for the advice everyone! @JennyColada I was thinking that too. I'd rather be out with all our family and friends  than in a room doing paperwork

Just so you know, it takes literally 15 seconds to do this - 30 seconds if you want your photog to photograph it. There's an X on a line and you sign next to it. So however long it takes you to write out your signature is how long this "paperwork" takes.

We recessed out, walked around the side of church, and back in to the side room where we signed the license while people were practically still getting up from their seats. It was not that hard. We did not miss out on any time with our guests.

[Deleted User]

I paid $14 to get ordained online.  My sister and her (now) husband had a scanned copy of my certificate to take with them to the courthouse on the island where they married (USVI).  I performed the wedding, declared them husband and wife, and we proceeded to get drunk.  The next day, post hangover, at the evening party hosted by the groom's dad, I walked in and declared to my sister and new brother-in-law, "so, do you guys want to officially get married now?"  Groom had the paperwork in his pocket, I signed, a couple witnesses signed, and we continued with the party and more drinking.

ahyatt87

mrscomposer said:

Does no one else sign it during the actual ceremony?  I have never heard of signing before or after until I came here.  In every wedding I've ever been to/heard of, you sign it during the ceremony, at the portion called 'signing of the register', which is often where there's special music played.

I think this is a Canadian thing. I'm from Ontario, it is also always part of the ceremony. I've never attended a wedding where I have not witnessed the couple signing the license. Maybe it's part of Canada's legal requirements, or at least the legal requirements for Ontario/Manitoba.

mrscomposer

ahyatt87 said:

mrscomposer said:

Does no one else sign it during the actual ceremony?  I have never heard of signing before or after until I came here.  In every wedding I've ever been to/heard of, you sign it during the ceremony, at the portion called 'signing of the register', which is often where there's special music played.

I think this is a Canadian thing. I'm from Ontario, it is also always part of the ceremony. I've never attended a wedding where I have not witnessed the couple signing the license. Maybe it's part of Canada's legal requirements, or at least the legal requirements for Ontario/Manitoba.

Ontario/Manitoba/Alberta/Saskatchewan/British Columbia

Maybe it is a Canadian thing, then.

manillabar

mrscomposer said:

ahyatt87 said:

mrscomposer said:

Does no one else sign it during the actual ceremony?  I have never heard of signing before or after until I came here.  In every wedding I've ever been to/heard of, you sign it during the ceremony, at the portion called 'signing of the register', which is often where there's special music played.

I think this is a Canadian thing. I'm from Ontario, it is also always part of the ceremony. I've never attended a wedding where I have not witnessed the couple signing the license. Maybe it's part of Canada's legal requirements, or at least the legal requirements for Ontario/Manitoba.

Ontario/Manitoba/Alberta/Saskatchewan/British Columbia

Maybe it is a Canadian thing, then.

Not just a Canadian thing!  Haha actually I was starting to think it was a Haitian thing since most of the weddings I've been to have had the signing of the license as part of the ceremony and it isn't until relatively recently that I realized not everyone does it that way.  We will be signing ours during our ceremony (which is also new to FI, who is Italian-American).

melbenso

We signed ours at the reception.  It only takes a minute to do.  Just make sure you put it in a safe place afterwards (or if your officiant is going to file it, that it is given back to him/her to do so).  We filed ours ourselves.  I just gave it to my parents to hang on to until the next morning.

AussieCat42

mrscomposer said:

ahyatt87 said:

mrscomposer said:

Does no one else sign it during the actual ceremony?  I have never heard of signing before or after until I came here.  In every wedding I've ever been to/heard of, you sign it during the ceremony, at the portion called 'signing of the register', which is often where there's special music played.

I think this is a Canadian thing. I'm from Ontario, it is also always part of the ceremony. I've never attended a wedding where I have not witnessed the couple signing the license. Maybe it's part of Canada's legal requirements, or at least the legal requirements for Ontario/Manitoba.

Ontario/Manitoba/Alberta/Saskatchewan/British Columbia

Maybe it is a Canadian thing, then.

Definitely a Canadian thing - our laws actually state it must be signed at the same time the legal vows are said out loud. So it makes no sense to have both the vows and the signing take place after the ceremony.

lachattefatale

AussieCat42 said:

Definitely a Canadian thing - our laws actually state it must be signed at the same time the legal vows are said out loud. So it makes no sense to have both the vows and the signing take place after the ceremony.

I'm pretty sure the law just means the same day, not literally at the same time. None of the BC weddings I've been to (including my own first wedding) included signing the license *during* the ceremony.