Questions about getting ordained online

[TR]

I know some people on here have performed weddings for friends. I know meganew was one. How hard is it to get ordained online? Is it good nationwide or is it state specific? Is it a lot of paperwork for the ceremony/filing afterward?

Thanks!

[sewf]

I am not sure about the first couple of questions, but we had my coworker marry us, and he literally just signed the marriage certificate and had us mail it out. So at least that part is super easy.

[miso]

Our friend was ordained via the Universal Life Church.

Just followed the directions, and that was that.

[sessy]

Some counties and states don't recognize internet ordinations you need to look at the specific rules in the county and state where the marriage is taking place.

[georgeglass]

Now I want to do it just to do it, but I also want to be a notary public just to do it, too, so maybe I'm a weirdo.

[TR]

Cool, thanks! sessy, good tip, I'll call the county and ask. We're thinking of having FI's niece perform our ceremony.

[rosiebear]

Oct 5, 2017 17:14:41 GMT -5 miso said:

Our friend was ordained via the Universal Life Church.

Just followed the directions, and that was that.

Same. Very easy and totally legit.

[Leeham Rimes]

Universal life church has a section where it tells you if they’re recognized in your state. I was going to officiate a friend’s but she changed her mind but the ordination thing was super easy.

[TrickyBob]

If you are from say...PA and want to get married in say SC
Does the person need to be ordained in PA or SC? Does the marriage license need to come from PA or SC?

Sorry! Dont mean to take over but I always wondered and now seems as good a time as ever!

[meganew]

Oct 5, 2017 17:14:41 GMT -5 miso said:

Our friend was ordained via the Universal Life Church.

Just followed the directions, and that was that.

This is exactly what I did. What you do after the wedding paperwork-wise is totally dependent on what state you’re in. It was a little confusing in terms of who to submit everything to (thanks Jersey) but it really wasn’t too bad. A quick phone call to the local government office who hands out the licenses usually clears everything up!

[MixedBerryJam]

If you're asking about getting a specific person to marry you, at least in MA you don't need to be ordained; it's just a certificate provided by the Governor's office. I assume most states are similar. My friend married my H and me. It took a few weeks, maybe, but we decided to get married on 1/1 and were married on 3/15, so it couldn't have taken that long.

[MixedBerryJam]

Oct 5, 2017 17:49:58 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

If you are from say...PA and want to get married in say SC
Does the person need to be ordained in PA or SC? Does the marriage license need to come from PA or SC?

Sorry! Dont mean to take over but I always wondered and now seems as good a time as ever!

I'm pretty sure the person needs to be ordained (or just plain certified) in the state where the wedding is to take place. Again, speaking only about MA, and from 20+ years ago at that, the certification worked for the exact date, city and couple for whom you get certified. Any change to that invalidated it. So when Cambridge City Hall said we couldn't get married there at 2 in the afternoon, we scrambled a few secs before my groom's ex girlfriend said, "Let's go back to my house and do it there." 

[sunnysally]

My brother was ordained through the Universal Life Church. I had to submit his certificate of ordination, fill out a county specific form and have it notarized, and pay a small fee. I think I registered him in a different county then I live in because the fee was much less. It didn't matter which county he was registered in, it just had to be the same state.

[yaga]

Oct 5, 2017 17:49:58 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

If you are from say...PA and want to get married in say SC
Does the person need to be ordained in PA or SC? Does the marriage license need to come from PA or SC?

Sorry! Dont mean to take over but I always wondered and now seems as good a time as ever!

You get a license in the state you are married in. H and I are NY residents with a PA marriage license.

My superficial research during my engagement showed that an online ordination may not result in a valid marriage. Most people who do that in PA actually get a self uniting license, which requires no officiant, and the person performing the ceremony doesn't accrual gave the authority to marry them. Not all counties offer that, either.

[kris356]

Can you do a self-uniting or Quaker wedding? In PA, if you do a Quaker wedding, you do not need a minister to sign your certificate for it to be valid.

[Deleted]

I was ordained years ago. So long that I scarcely remember the process. It was super easy. I've never used it, just applied on a lark.

ETA: The Universal Life Church online was the site I used.

[breebug]

Oct 5, 2017 17:37:29 GMT -5 Catlawdy said:

Oct 5, 2017 17:27:14 GMT -5 rosiebear said:

Same. Very easy and totally legit.

There are some questions about validity of marriages in NC when a ULC ordained person did the ceremony:

sogpubs.unc.edu/electronicversions/pg/pgwin06/article3.pdf

It'll vary from state to state.

This. My state just passed a law that pretty much renders marriages void if they are performed by someone who was ordained online. I would strongly suggest a quick consultation with an attorney to make sure it's legit in your state.

[fivechickens]

Oct 5, 2017 17:14:41 GMT -5 miso said:

Our friend was ordained via the Universal Life Church.

Just followed the directions, and that was that.

This is what my friend did so he could marry us. He has since married a few other couples.

[Deleted]

In the state of WA your marriage is still valid if someone LEADS you to believe they are ordained and they aren't, your marriage is still valid. My aunt got ordained online, I checked with the county clerk that we were getting married in if they required any verifiable proof that someone is ordained and they don't it was really simple for us.

[shananagins]

H was ordained through the Universal Life Church so he could officiate his cousin's wedding. The wedding was in New Orleans, so H had to register with the state before the wedding. He actually had to go do it in person, you couldn't register online or over the phone.

[TR]

So I called the county in MT where we're getting married and they basically said they don't care who marries you, lol. I think we're going to do the American Marriage Ministries. Their website is really easy to follow.