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I called our town hall and asked them what to do.. for us they said we do not have to have it issued in the town we are getting married but I know that some towns / states you are required to obtain it from where the ceremony will be held.
Also, I am not sure if it is standard or not, but for us it is valid for 60 days from when its issued... we are getting married May 30 so we are planning on going down the first week of April to fill out the simple form and make the payment...
The best advice is to check your state's requirements very carefully, so that you get it at the right time. For instance in the state of Florida, you can get your marriage license up to 60 days before your wedding ceremony. However, other states have a smaller window. You should also check on the "waiting period" between when you get your license and when you can get married; my sister who got married in Wisconsin had to get hers at least five days before the ceremony. You should be able to call or do an internet search for your city or county clerk of courts to get the specific information.
Yeah, we're going to have a problem with this, because we won't be in California in the 2 months prior to the wedding, and we won't be home until 2 or 3 days before. I'm gonna go read the requirements right now!
UPDATE: California gives you 90 days to get married, and we'll be home within that time frame... so we'll be ok. Sheesh. I can't believe it costs $74 for the license!
We are having a problem because the office is only open during the week (obvs) and my fiance lives in Philadelphia! He can't be workout out of his office that many days.. it is starting to get ridiculous!!!
anyway, just found out that we have 90 days, so hopefully we will find a day by then!!! i really wanted to do it the first day we could since i am so excited.. wonder if i am the only one like that?
@doctorgirl: REALLY? what county in California are you getting married in? i got married in San Diego county and it only cost $50 for the license here. You might want to look into getting your license in a county that charges less because the license will still be valid anywhere in the state of California. But that's only if the cost is a big deal...
@rhodeygirl: I googled "marriage license rhode island" and came up with this form that tells you everything about obtaining a marriage license in your state: www.health.ri.gov/chic/vital/marriageRI.pdf (I tried to attach the form itself but I guess the file size is too big. Copy and paste the link into your browser and it will take you right to the form). Looks like you have a few rules to look over carefully. But It only costs $24! Nice! Hope that helps!
we in IL have 60 days to get married after we obtain the marriage license and we're planning to do it the first day my fiance comes out to Chicago (from CA) for the wedding, 5 days before. Our courthouse issues the license while you wait--but it will only be a few days before the wedding, for us!
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I'll have to look into other counties... the problem is that we'll be in Nevada County (where we are getting married) when we come down in May.
Most counties are in the $70 dollar range. Santa Clara County is $79... but I did find that Placer County is $56, and that is not too far away for us, so maybe we'll try to go there!
@doctorgirl: what you should be able to do is print out your application form ahead of time and have it all filled out so that by the time you get down here all you'll have to do is take your form (and necessary ID) to the county records office of whatever county you decide to apply at. you can even schedule an appointment with the records office so that you're not having to spend your whole day waiting as a walk in. That might give you a little more flexibility to apply in a different county and save yourselves a few $$$.
Update: Just googled placer county marriage license. HERE is their webpage that takes you to the marriage license application form. You should be able to print it out and fill it out ahead of time. Then just sched your appt. and you and your FI can apply in person in no time! Hope that helps!
Also be aware that there is not only an expiration date on the license, there is also a waiting period in many states - so it's also not good until a certain number of days after it is issued. Another important thing to note is that you are often required to pay cash - yes, actual cash. They won't take either a check or a debit or credit card. So finding out how much it will cost in advance is particularly important! If you call your county clerk's office, or look at their website, you should be able to figure out the requirements. Also be aware that not every county clerk's office issues marriage licenses - there are several offices in our county, but only two of them do marriage licenses. So you should check that as well. If you call the office they are often willing to let you know what their busy times are, so that you don't have to wait - although at ours, there was a separate desk for marriage licenses, so you didn't have to wait in line with all the people paying their tabs and changing their titles anyway.
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We just got ours today in Arlington, VA. The wedding is two months away. It only took a few minutes and I think it's good for several months. When marrying in Virginia, you can have the license from any county in the state.
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OMG. We're such IDIOTS! Arlington county actually only allows 60 days from the time of issuance of the certificate to the ceremony! Mr. P was supposed to check that! We're 68 days out! OYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
Poor Perfume :( My future sister in law and her FI were going to get theirs yesterday, (for their June 6 wedding) but called at the last minute and realized they have to wait a couple more weeks before they are within the 60 day window!
So does that mean you have to pay the fee and everything again? That stinks!
In MI, ours are valid for 30 days, and I think it's $50-60 for one.
We're getting it two weeks before the wedding.
Alright, we are also idiots... (not that you are Perfume!). The trip we booked to go home, take care of this and go to another wedding... well, we didn't give enough time to be able to get the license during business hours. This means the only other time we have to do this (where we'll both be in California) is the day or two before the wedding.
Is that completely ridiculous folly? Should I go home sooner just to cover our bases. Ridiculous, I tell you!
I say... come down to South Shore a couple days before your wedding! Seriously, the office here is always empty. I have never been in there when there was anyone else but me and the two ladies who work for the county. Weird.
If you can, I thinking making an appointment beforehand is a great idea. That way, if you HAD to put it off until you got down here right before the wedding you could get in and out in a reasonable time period. I don't think I would make a special trip just to get the marriage license, though. However, I would make another trip if there were other things I could check off my to-do list at the same time.
@doctorgirl -- I know in Mass that you have to have your marriage license 48 hours before the wedding ... so just make sure there aren't any rules that say you can't get it too close to your big day, otherwise go for it just a few days before.
Mrs Spring- I think we will have to figure out some alternative plan like that. We were thinking of maybe the Auburn office when they first open in the am. The CA license says that it is good immediately after purchase, and I hope that proves to be the case. What a waste of time when we need to be assembling deocorations etc!
(I would, however, like the whole affair to be legal ;)
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When are you planning on getting your marriage license?
Any tips on getting it done efficiently?