Most of the details that surround planning a wedding are fun, fun, fun. Shopping for a wedding dress? Fun! Debating the merits of various wedding favors? Fun! Wedding cake tastings? OMG, fuuuun. There are, however, some wedding planning tasks that are less than fun, maybe even a little tedious. Standing in line at the county clerk’s office falls into this category, in TeamWED’s opinion. Paloma T. wants to minimize the stress of getting a marriage license, and she wrote to ask:
I’m going to be applying for a marriage license soon and I’m not entirely sure what I need to do to prepare. What it comes down to is that I’ve had some crappy experiences at the clerk’s office and don’t want to repeat them. What I can I do to prepare for applying for a marriage license so it doesn’t contribute to the wedding planning stress I’m already feeling?
First things first, Paloma! Getting a marriage license doesn’t have to be stressful, and you’re right to think that preparing ahead of time is the key to making applying for a marriage license an easy process. Before you go to the clerk’s office, you need to know your wedding date and the city in which you’ll be saying your vows. That will help you find the local clerk so you can call and ask about the requirements in your state and county. We can give you a rundown of the most common things brides and grooms need when applying for a marriage license, but it’s important that you know the local requirements, as these can vary.
Good questions to ask the clerk’s office include: Is there a waiting period after submitting the marriage license application? Can this be waived with pre-marital counseling, or will pre-marital counseling grant me a discount on the marriage license? How long is the marriage license valid for? When should you fill out a marriage license application based on your wedding date? Are there restrictions regarding where the license can be used?
You will definitely need to bring your spouse-to-be, your photo ID, your social security number (which you should have memorized), proof of divorce or the death of a previous spouse, the cost of the marriage license application fee, and your blood test results if you live in one of the few states that still require them. If needles freak you out, you should know that most states have repealed the laws that said couples had to get blood test to apply for a marriage license.
Other than that, there’s not much else to remember other than what your the clerk’s office tells you that you need to bring based on the requirements of your state and locality. Of course, for weddings taking place outside of the United States, the requirements might be much, much different. In that case, you need to find out who handles weddings in your chosen country and what they require. Getting a marriage license in some countries can take weeks or even months because of paperwork, and some countries (e.g. France) have a short residency requirement! The documents you’ll need to present may be vastly different from those you’d need in the U.S. — for example, some countries require notarized documents that affirm you can legally marry.
Good luck, Paloma, and congrats!
(Photo by Andrew Turner)
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