officiant related question

ansanna

So a while back I asked if it was legal for my cousin to office our wedding and was informed by you guys that if he got accredited online that it wasn't legal. He claims he looked into everything and said that he is legal, that he has a congregation through an online church.. I'm still very worried about this and I've been having my mother talk to him about it because I'm afraid of hurting his feelings.. Especially since he paid to get accredited and it was supposed to be our wedding gift.. and I called my local register of wills where we'd get our license through and asked who he could speak with regarding his legality and all they said was that we would have to speak with legal counsel.. So then I was just looking through some other boards on here and people are using celebrants as their officiants and from what I can tell, it looks like they are legal to officiate a wedding in PA.. So what is a celebrant and what makes them different than my cousin? Also, I inquired about getting a quaker license and they told me that I must be a quaker to get one... And I'm not, we just don't belong to a church... Thanks gals

cgyvhu

Here is my understanding:  PA requires than an officiant be registered at a PA church.  So you cannot have someone ordained online, who is accredited through an online church with no affiliation/"home church" in PA, be your officiant.  When a priest/minister registered in PA with a PA home church does the ceremony, it is legal.  Based on my understanding, your cousin will not be a legal officiant in PA.

The self-uniting license (not really called a "quaker" license) is supposed to be available to everyone.  If your county is being strange about it, call all your neighboring counties and tell them you want a self-uniting license-see which one will work with you.  You are allowed to get your marriage license from any county in PA if the wedding is in PA (I got mine in east PA and got married in Pittsburgh), so I am sure you can find a county that will let you and your FI get a self-uniting license, then have your cousin perform the ceremony. Problem solved.

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-pittsburgh_officiant-related-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:116Discussion:cfdebe97-abf9-425e-9704-c4fc384dcb56Post:fb8d977a-d91d-4096-9046-b610b7712426">officiant related question</a>:
[QUOTE]So a while back I asked if it was legal for my cousin to office our wedding and was informed by you guys that if he got accredited online that it wasn't legal. He claims he looked into everything and said that he is legal,<strong> that he has a congregation through an online church.. </strong>I'm still very worried about this and I've been having my mother talk to him about it because I'm afraid of hurting his feelings.. Especially since he paid to get accredited and it was supposed to be our wedding gift.. and I called my local register of wills where we'd get our license through and asked who he could speak with regarding his legality and all they said was that we would have to speak with legal counsel.. So then I was just looking through some other boards on here and people are using celebrants as their officiants and from what I can tell, it looks like they are legal to officiate a wedding in PA.. So what is a celebrant and what makes them different than my cousin? Also, I inquired about getting a quaker license and they told me that I must be a quaker to get one... And I'm not, we just don't belong to a church... Thanks gals
Posted by Wynter010Beauty[/QUOTE]

ansanna

Thank you! I hope I do not hurt his feelings! I really appreciate your help!

HeathenSwan

PA does not require a PA church registration. It varies by county, but there is nothing on the books that specifically prohibits an online ordained officiant from legally performing a ceremony. PA law does require a congregation, which churches like the ULC do legally have. The dodgy thing with PA stems from a case involving a couple who was married by a friend who was ULC ordained. They then decided to get a divorce. In order to make it easier for themselves, they submitted a case in York county to have the marriage nullified on the grounds that the officiant did not have legal ability in the state of PA to marry them. They won the 2007 court case and their marriage was ruled invalid.

A couple in Bucks county sued to have their marriage deemed legal (they were married by a ULC minister as well). They won their case. The ACLU has filed other cases, because it appears the York county judge overstepped his authority and made a ruling that was against state law. http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20662/universal-life-church-wedding

and http://www.totaldivorce.com/news/articles/society/internet-ordained-ministers-legal.aspx

The most recent cases uphold the ULC ordination as valid. Because the York county ruling is still on the books in York county, I wouldn't do it there. But other counties have upheld it, and the ACLU has fought for this. The state law in PA allows for online ordained ministers to officiate weddings.

There is also a self-officiating license. You, your husband, and two witnesses sign. An officiant is not needed for that license. Allegheny county was taken to court by the ACLU a few years back because they tried to restrict it to Quakers only, but the ACLU won on the grounds that it was discriminatory to restrict it to one faith. Every county needs to give you that license if you request it. You can get a license in any county of the state, though. That is an option if you're worried. The state law isn't as specifically written as many would like it to be, but it does allow for ULC (or other online ordained) ministers.

I'm ULC ordained and I've done a lot of research on this.