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Solemnize own marriage... anyone done it? Or had family marry you?

cjdanielsoncjdanielson
First Comment
in Colorado-Denver
Alright ladies another question here. We are going to have FI dad marry us. He is not ordained nor is he a judge or anything like that. He does not want to get ordained online as he is very religious and doesnt think this is really "okay" in God's eyes. SO... for Colorado you can solemnize your own marriage Im assuming this means we can sign our own marriage license on the day we get married. Has anyone done this? Or has anyone had a family/friend marry you and how did you go about it? Our other option is to get married in WI (where we live) and then have the ceremony and reception however this is causing some controversy with family and friends saying that the wedding is then just one big expensive party because we are already married (even though it is JUST on paper)... IDK Im torn.... HELP!
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Re: Solemnize own marriage... anyone done it? Or had family marry you?

  • LesPaulLesPaul member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Although you can self-solomnize in Colorado, if you do choose to have an officiant it cannot be just anyone.  The officiant must be recognized by the state as someone who can perform marriages and sign the marriage license.  And if you have an officiant, you are not self-solomnizing.  So FI's Dad can conduct your ceremony however you want him to, but he cannot sign the marriage license as the officiant.
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  • layla1704layla1704
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We self-solemnized and had DH's dad "officiate" the ceremony. It worked out wonderfully, I wouldnt have had it any other way.
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  • kraeburtonkraeburton
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We self solemnized our marriage and even though my brother "officiated" the wedding he doesn't actually have to sign the marriage license.  He did sign it as a witnes because we wanted him to but you can have anyone "officiate" but in the courts eyes, you are actually marrying yourselves.
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  • mandalay_415mandalay_415
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We actually were "married" at the courthouse in February and then had our wedding just 3 weeks ago. We could have taken the certificate out with us to dinner, signed it and brought it back to the courthouse. The rules are not very strict. And anyone CAN officiate your wedding if you choose to self solemnize. If you choose not to go this route, you will need an approved person (pastor, judge, etc) to sign/solemnize the certificate. This is straight from the Broomfield County website where we filed: Couples themselves may solemnize their own marriage according to Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S. 14-2-109). Others who can solemnize a marriage are judges, retired judges, magistrates, authorized public officials (whose powers include solemnization of marriages), Indian tribe officials and clergy. Not anyone can solemnize a marriage. Although the couple may solemnize their own marriage, that does not mean a friend or a relative can also solemnize their marriage. Clergy from out-of-state need not be registered in Colorado. DH's dad officiated the wedding for us and it was ideal for us. It meant more to us and even thought we've been legally married since February, it didn't make the wedding any less special or meaningful. If you're still confused, definitely give a county office a call. They were very helpful to me when I called to get clarification.
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  • cjdanielsoncjdanielson
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thank you guys SOOO much! Yes FI dad would "officiate" the wedding and be one of the witnesses but we would self-solemnize the license so that his dad could do the ceremony to make it more personal :) But Im definately going to call one of the county offices since we live OOT :) thanks again
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  • madgs5madgs5
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We just solemnized our marriage and plan to have a ceremony next summer, probably with a family member officiating. I was completely confused at first about what our options were, but this website makes it pretty easy to understand, I think. Good luck! http://car.elpasoco.com/Recording/Marriage_Licenses.htm
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