Do You Have To Have A Wedding Ceremony To Be Married

So no you don t need a ceremony but you do need to have an officiant to sign off on your marriage.

Do you have to have a wedding ceremony to be married. The reality is that once you know what s required in your state the steps are simple leaving you more time to concentrate on the more enjoyable parts of getting married. A marriage license is what you get first and it s basically an application to be married. Those that do require the witness or witnesses need to be 16 years of age or over with proper identification to make a ceremony valid.

Although the marriage requirements vary by states all legal marriages performed in one state must be recognized by all other states. Yes you need some sort of ceremony for a lack of a better word. Yes you ll already be legally married by the time your wedding rolls around but that doesn t mean it can t be just as special especially since rules no longer apply.

You need two things to be legally married in the us at least 1 a marriage license obtainable from your state s register of deeds office and 2 an officiant to legally marry you no real ceremony needs to be included and to sign said license along with two ymmv witnessses. A few ideas we love. All you have to do is get a marriage license at home then go to city hall or hire an officiate who is allowed to perform legal ceremonies in your state city country.

There is no verse in the bible that says thou shalt not consider thyself married or engage in sexual relations until thou holdest a piece of paper from the state authorities in thy hand. On one level we would have to answer no. Even if a judge has you sign papers and says anything that s considered the legal union aka ceremony a marriage license is.

Many people think the legal marriage requirements are confusing and overwhelming. Once you have filled it out had your ceremony gotten it signed and your officiant has turned it back. A wedding is a ceremony typically held to publicly recognize a marriage.

If you do not obtain a marriage license you can still have a ceremony but it will not have any bearing on your legal status as a couple.