Articles on Weddings | Topics: weddings, wedding
by Shaun Zamora
So the big day is finally rolling around the bend. The guest list is finalized and the flowers are on order. The venue is picked out, and the attire is finalized. With all that has been on your mind lately and seemingly no time to relax, it is very easy to forget something. This is not an uncommon occurrence, as many do let some of the small things slip out of mental exhaustion. You have now noticed you overlook a very big part of your wedding. You have forgotten the marriage license. This by far is the least of things that you can afford to overlook. Without this license, there is no big day, period. This license is the single most important piece of paper involved in the wedding process. The document is the legal acknowledgement of marital joining and substantiates the claim of matrimony in the eyes of the law. There are however, some rules and regulations that first must be reviewed and adhered to prior to the document being legal. Here is a list of the most prominent and common.
The person you plan on marrying may be still married, just never got around to the divorce. To obtain a marriage license in any state, you must first show proof of divorce by way of a certificate of dissolution, in order to have the new document drafted up. This is without exception and the clerk cannot change this under any circumstances. This may or not be the case in regards to a death and should be investigated, assuming this to be true, the clerk may ask for a certificate of death by the widow/widower prior to allowing the application of the new marriage to continue.
Under no circumstances, may relatives of any fashion be wed, this includes brothers and sister or anyone whom is in any fashion an offspring of illegitimacy or otherwise. This law applies to all of the United States and Canada. As far as other nations are concerned, it would be best to check with the government on their policies on marriage to be sure.
Age will also be a factor. It is illegal to marry in North America under the age of 18 without prior written consent by both sets of natural parents of the two planning the marriage. Many times the clerk will ask that both sets of parents be present for the signing of this document and have ready their identification for legal verification of whom they are. Otherwise, this application will be discarded and the couple must wait until legal age to marry. The couple intending to marry must also supply proof of age by way of legal identification such as a driver's license, passport, birth certificate, baptismal records, school records, immigration records, employment certificate, insurance policy, or naturalization or court records. With out any of these forms of identification the clerk is legally bound not to continue with said application for marriage.
No marriage can occur in the United States without the legal marriage license first issued. As many states and countries are different on certain policies, and can vary dramatically, it would be best if you contacted an official such as the counties town clerk's office, where you plan on having the wedding. Making sure you are complying with state marriage laws. It would be a good idea to ask a few questions to have all your bases covered. It is better to be safe, than unwed. Here are a few things to inquire about.
( Must both parties in person do the application?
( Where do we fill out the form for the license?
| Bit of History |
Have no fear that the wine [of my book] will fail, like happened at the wedding feast of Canna in Galilee. As much as I draw from the tap, I will replace in the bunghole. In this way the barrel will remain inexhaustible.
| —François Rabelais (1494–1553) |
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( Do we both have to sign the license?
( What are the requirements on residency?
( Is there a fee/ and how much?
( How many forms of identification do you require to see?
( Do we need a blood test/ HIV test?
What ever you do, always remember the small things as they can add up quite quickly, this one is definitely one to pay close attention to or the entire day will surely be a wash. It is the responsibility of the official that married you to send the signed license to the bureau of licensing. They will then send you a certified copy within a few weeks.
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