Marriage License

Zimsgirl

So random question thought you ladies might know since many are married....How soon do you get your marriage license or certificate (Sorry if these words aren't correct) before your wedding? How does all of that work?

Beachy730

It depends on the county, usually it has to be within 60 days of the wedding, but there is also a waiting period of like 48 hours or something from the time you get it and the time you get married.  Basically you can't walk in and get it and get married an hour later.  But check with your specific county or city clerk's office.  

KendallR10

I think it depends on state. Ours here in oregon is a 3 day waiting period and we have 60 days to use it

Zimsgirl

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_marriage-license?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:f4892241-143f-4a8a-905a-59ab6c9dcf08Post:3f59318b-3b25-4120-aba2-5e1eb78144b5">Re: Marriage License</a>:
[QUOTE]It depends on the county, usually it has to be within 60 days of the wedding, but there is also a waiting period of like 48 hours or something from the time you get it and the time you get married.  Basically you can't walk in and get it and get married an hour later.  But check with your specific county or city clerk's office.  
Posted by dnbeach12[/QUOTE]
What all do you have to bring? I know I'm asking this way in advance lol but we were in the county administration building the other day transferring the title of the car to my FI and that's where you do the marriage license stuff too

KendallR10

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_marriage-license?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:f4892241-143f-4a8a-905a-59ab6c9dcf08Post:b870a6bd-c046-48ac-88b0-f6f876ea4459">Re: Marriage License</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Marriage License : What all do you have to bring? I know I'm asking this way in advance lol but we were in the county administration building the other day transferring the title of the car to my FI and that's where you do the marriage license stuff too
Posted by Zimsgirl[/QUOTE]
Depends on state. I would bring passport(if you have one) Picture id, cash, Birth certificate, his Military ID

KendallR10

I'm assuming thats where you're getting married is iowa

http://marriage.about.com/cs/marriagelicenses/p/iowa.htm

Zimsgirl

Oh wow thanks. Yeah I'm getting married in Iowa. Why does it say an Iowa marriage license is only valid 6 months?

KendallR10

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_marriage-license?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:f4892241-143f-4a8a-905a-59ab6c9dcf08Post:5e284b35-9e50-4990-9068-4cbc412534f4">Re: Marriage License</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh wow thanks. Yeah I'm getting married in Iowa. Why does it say an Iowa marriage license is only valid 6 months?
Posted by Zimsgirl[/QUOTE]
I'm guessing thats how long you have to use it before you have to get another one and wait 3 more days

Zimsgirl

Weird lol

ggirl2001

Yes, most marriage licenses expire if they are not used within a certain time frame.

Zimsgirl

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_marriage-license?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:f4892241-143f-4a8a-905a-59ab6c9dcf08Post:ab8be4cd-3c87-4e9d-9ecf-3fcc32fe68d4">Re: Marriage License</a>:
[QUOTE]Yes, most marriage licenses expire if they are not used within a certain time frame.
Posted by ggirl2001[/QUOTE]
Ok may be a dumb question but what do you mean used? Do you have to go back after your ceremony or something? sorry for the dumb questions

calindi

Ask these questions on your local board.  This isn't something that people outside your geographic area can really answer.

A marriage license is allowing you to get married - once you're married, you fill out the license and submit it.  You only have (apparently in your case) 6 months from the day you get it to get married, fill it out, and return the form.

I'm sure the girls on your local board can walk you through all the details - the girls on my board were able to be a big help so far in figuring out the rules/regulations!

Zimsgirl

Ok my local board isn't super active and I knew girls here knew a lot thanks tho

sofiabrian

Depends on your state. Like Calindi said, ask your local board or even a wedding planner if you have one. My DOC had all that info!

Beachy730

We brought our IDs and our birth certificates, and I can;t remember if it was cash or check.  You are applying for a marriage license, which is basically getting permission to be able to get married.  You have a time limit that the approval is good for; ours was 60 days, it sounds like yours is 6 months.  After the ceremony usually your officiant will mail it in for you, and then you'll get your actual marriage license in the mail a few weeks later.

H and i needed our license ASAP after the wedding for our PCS, so we talked to them about expediting it.  We were able to walk into the office the Monday after our wedding with the signed license in hand and they processed it that day.  We told our priest that we would be taking it with us instead of him filing it, and he just made sure to hand it to us right after the ceremony.

LetsHikeToday

If it says you have 6 months to use it, it means that after you and FI apply for it, you have 6 months until it is no longer able to be used. If you have a 3 day waiting period, it means you can't use it for 3 days after you applied. This is how it worked in PA. We went the apply a month before the wedding and everything was fine. Look up your county in iowa's rules. Our county had us bring ID and birth certificates.

shan87

All the other girls nailed it. In Minnesota I got ours in Feb for a May wedding. (Upon issuance you have 6 months to get married) With my previous job I was at the courthouse all the time, mostly on my days off. H wasn't here and Minnesota requires both parties be present, so I had to send him an extra form that was certified through a notary.

I brought the marriage license application and the "non present spouse" (it had a more official name but I have forgotten it) and my DL. That was all I needed.

If you state gives a discount for Pre Cana bring the signed form from your priest/counselor with you as well. Plus the money for the fee.

iluvmytxrgr

You have to find out the rules in your county.  Our county is different than other counties around us.  We can walk in, get a license and get married an hour later.  We got our license on Thursday and were married Friday night.  Be sure to bring cash and exact change. 

SamiJoeB

Also, I'm not sure if you'll need it or not, but we had looked into just me applying for our license, since H was in Japan, we ended up not doing it, but the county licensing office walked me through it and it sounded pretty easy, all I had to show them was a copy of his orders, and a copy of his Military ID.  In the end, we had enough time to apply the tuesday before our wedding so that our license was then valid by our Saturday wedding. I'm not sure if your FI is scheduled for a deployment or anything, but ya know.. just in case.

kara811

The website Kendall give you gives good information, but like other girls said it varies by counties. I would look it up for you but I don't know what county your wedding will be in. You should google it though, I'm sure you'll find a site that will tell you everything you need to know. 

In my county, both couples have to be present at the time of signing the license. Also, we can pre-register online months before the wedding so you won't have to fall in a long line when you get to the bureau. We got our license just 2 days before our wedding. Licenses here are valid for up to a year.