I've been told that you have to go to court to a hearing for a judge's approval to get married. But if I get married by a ship's captain or officiant, am I still required to go to court first? Would I need to bring a written judge's approval to the ceremony for the captain or officant to sign? Any other geographically appropriate pieces of information or links are appreciated. Thanks for your help!
2007-07-04 07:56:27 · 4 answers · asked by obviously_uninformed 1 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
http://usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/california/index.shtml
I think I post this site every day, LOL.
Phone number to the courthouse can be found at this site. Call them and ask them.
2007-07-04 08:00:41 · answer #1 · answered by Suz123 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need to go to the courthouse & get a marriage license; usually from the Probate Court Judge. They will either give it to you then or send it to you (however they do it) and you will take that to the presiding officiant/minister.
Usually the only time you have to appear before a judge is when you are under the age of 18.
Ship captains CAN NOT marry you by virtue of the fact they are ship captains; unless they have the proper credentials.
Here in Ohio an officiant/minister must be ordained and licensed by the State.
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_329.html
http://www.sonoma-county.org/Clerk/HTML_Documents/Marriages/Marriages.htm
2007-07-04 09:20:31 · answer #2 · answered by weddrev 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In California, you don't need to go in front of a judge for your marriage to be legal. You'll need to visit the County Clerk at your local courthouse. They'll have a document for the bride, and a separate one for the groom, that you'll have to submit in order to get your wedding license. After the ceremony, the ship's captain or officiant signs the license, which shows that he/she was legal to marry couples, and did so with you. Either you or the officiant will need to file the license with the County Clerk afterward.
In my county, the license paperwork is valid for 90 days after it's issued, which means you should get it about two months before, and have about a month after to get it filed.
2007-07-05 09:41:33 · answer #3 · answered by abfabmom1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You still have to apply for the license about $50 at courthouse
2007-07-04 08:38:42 · answer #4 · answered by jenn p 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋