Have our friend ordained to marry us?

cmdavito

Has anyone in the Chicago area done this?If so, how is this done? Through a website?First Nation Ministry?http://www.ordainedministers.org/Universal Life Church?http://www.ulc.net/We would like our friend to marry us. He is not a judge, etc. He is a teacher. It would be more personal for us if we could figure out a way for him to marry us legally.Any suggestions or advice?I've read it is a good idea to verify this idea with the county clerks office in the county that we will be married in.Thanks in advance for your help!

penniesfromheaven

sounds like a cool idea. i would think someone who is doing this has to be ordained by the state of IL not online. but i could be wrong.

jess&lane52804

We're planning to do this too! Ordination doesn't come from the state, it can be done online.I have heard of Universal Life church and it was even used in an episode of Whose Wedding is it Anyway! I haven't heard of first nation ministry. Check out this site: http://www.americanmarriageministries.org/catalog/illinois-minister-package-p-420.htmlI read that the officiant may have to register with the city or county, so looks like it might be best to check with the county clerk.

chicagochocolate

We're having FI's dad marry us. . . he  used the Secular Humanist church, or something like that. I think it was the first thing that popped up when he googled it. He check with the state and it's legit.

cmdavito

Hey all,I found out that a co-worker of mine had a friend of theirs become ordained for their wedding.I just emailed their friend/officiant to find out where/how/how much/etc.They received copies from the county of their marriage certificate, so it's all legit according to the state. I'll share with you once I find out more information!

evaluna68

I was married on Sept. 5 by my SIL, who is a Universal Life minister and has oerformed other weddings. I also have other friends who were married in Illinois by a mutual friend who is a ULC minister. The State of Illinois is pretty hands-off in these matters. The ULC website has links to state laws on the subject: http://www.themonastery.org/?destination=ulcLibraryMarriageLaws For Illinois: "(750 ILCS 5/209) (from Ch. 40, par. 209) Sec. 209. Solemnization and Registration.) (a) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court of record, by a retired judge of a court of record, unless the retired judge was removed from office by the Judicial Inquiry Board, except that a retired judge shall not receive any compensation from the State, a county or any unit of local government in return for the solemnization of a marriage and there shall be no effect upon any pension benefits conferred by the Judges Retirement System of Illinois, by a judge of the Court of Claims, by a county clerk in counties having 2,000,000 or more inhabitants, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, or in accordance with the prescriptions of any religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group, provided that when such prescriptions require an officiant, the officiant be in good standing with his religious denomination, Indian Nation or Tribe or Native Group. Either the person solemnizing the marriage, or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, both parties to the marriage, shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the county clerk within 10 days after such marriage is solemnized. " Illinois doesn't get into the business of deciding which religious denominations are or are not "legitimate," and my marriage license application doesn't even ask for the officiant's denomination. I got my marriage certificate issued by the Lake County Clerk the day after they received the completed license, so they obviously didn't have an issue with it.