Dumb Marriage License Questions

SAHM711

So I gave my priest the envelope with our marriage license in it.  He gave me back the big envelope, which has the "orignial copy" of the license inside.  Now, I believe there were originally more pages (or a longer page) to the document and a white envelope inside.  I'm assuming he mailed that part back and we're supposed to keep the part we hav?.  I just want to be sure so that my marriage is official!  I also want to be able to change my name, and they told me I had to wait for three weeks after my ceremony.  Is that so they have time to process the license?  Do I need their triple-seal copy to change my name, or will my copy suffice?  TIA!

king26

Yes the priest has to mail in the other part to the main office in the area.  Yes you need to triple-seal copy to change your name.  I sent in my money 2 weeks ago and am still waiting on my copy so that I can change my name before the school year starts.  The copy the priest gave you is the original, but it's to prove that he married you, it's not the "official copy" that the triple-seal is.

jrsygrl10

agree with pp. you have to wait 10 days before requesting the triple seal. you'll need to send a $10 money order to the recorder and they will send the triple seal copy back to you. i forget how long i waited for mine.

i suggest going to a lesser known SS office on a random weekday during the day, if you can. i had heard the horror stories about how long people had to wait at the SS office. i went to the one out in east liberty and waited no more than 5 minutes. i was in & out in under 10 minutes.

changing my license was more of a pain and it didn't seem to work out like others had. i had to wait until my license was up for renewal, which was only a couple of months away anyways.

reannalynne

I changed my name at the Belle Vernon, PA social security office with the license that the preacher gave us, I never got the triple seal version.  I also took my new SS card and the preacher version of the marriage license to the DMV in washington and got my new license. My name is changed everywhere and I haven't gotten a triple seal version of the ML at all, so I think it depends on where you go/who waits on you.