I'm eloping in Monterey, and neither my fiance nor I wish to have a lot of people present. We would prefer to have our officiant, and each other.
We will be eloping on the beach, and would need a non-religious officiant who would travel and meet us there. What type of officiant would provide that? And would we need witnesses?
Re: How Many People Need To Be Present For My Elopement To Be Legal?
In CA you can have pretty much anyone marry you. You could get a justice of the peace or someother officiant and that will cost you in upwards of $300. Most of the "for hire" officiants I found got their certification from some sort of religious affiliation. CA has something called "Deputy Marriage Commissioner for a Day Without Compensation." Basically means that pretty much any one can marry you in CA. There is some paperwork to fill out and the fee varies by County and not every county offers it but you can get it from a different county if need be. For example. My FI and I are getting married in Mendocino County, we got our license in Calavaras County and did the "Deputy Marriage Commissioner for a Day Without Compensation." for my Uncle in Alameda County.
Do you perhaps have a couple close friends who could come with you? One could be your officiant and one could be your witness.
HTH
GL