Grandhouse Wedding Photography & Videography<br> Sydney, Australia
Wedding ceremonies and the celebration of unity are the memorable parts of a marriage. Of course, tying the knot with your better half is an exciting thing. But for that marriage to be held legally, there are a few legal proceedings.
The marriage certificate is the ultimatum of a wedding. Many people tend to think that it is a complicated set of tasks. But truth be told, if you are aware of all the requirements, the steps for acquiring the legal documents for your marriage are pretty simple.
Many would have been confused about what a marriage licence is. What is the difference between a marriage licence and a marriage certificate? Well, let's clear that out before we get into it.
Let's begin with the marriage licence. It is a legal document that the bride and groom should acquire before the wedding ceremony.
Only after the marriage licence has been issued can you conduct the other wedding traditions. So, in a literal way, it is a way of asking the government for permission to get married to your partner.
Now let's talk about the marriage certificate. You can obtain the certificate only by having a marriage licence. After getting it signed and the officiant turning it back to the county office, you will receive the marriage certificate.
So, in simple words, the wedding licence is a mandatory pre-wedding document, and the wedding certificate is a post-wedding document you can avail of by submitting your signed marriage licence. Both papers are fundamental and are used at different points in the marriage legality process.
Before you apply for a wedding licence, there are a few things you need to decide upon. As a first step, you need to decide the location of the wedding ceremony and the date.
This information is supposed to be filled in the application for the wedding licence.
And also, the location holds value because you should apply for the licence in the county in the same area.
Like any other document, a wedding licence also has an expiration date. It can differ from place to place, but the standard validity period of a wedding licence is 90 days.
Some people might start planning their wedding almost a year prior. And just so that it does not miss out on their to-do list, they apply for a wedding licence much earlier than they should.
The problem with this is that by the time of your wedding, your licence might have expired, and you will have to go through the process again, which can end up even changing your wedding date.
This will potentially affect all other arrangements, and thus, you don't want to be too late to apply for a wedding license.
Applying for a wedding licence at least two weeks before your wedding is the safest time difference you can afford.
It is also said that there should be a four-day gap from the date of the wedding licence issued to the wedding day.
So avoid that hiccup by educating yourself on the validity period of your wedding licence at the decided location.
After deciding the time and location for your wedding ceremonies, you must submit your wedding licence application to the respected authorities.
To save your time and make this a more straightforward process, you can do it at the clerk's office in the nearest county to your wedding spot.
With all the needed documents in place, it won't take more than an hour to finish the application process.
Respecting your and the authorities' time, booking an appointment beforehand is recommended so you will not have to wait longer.
Now let's go through the essential checklist of what you should bring to the county clerk's office to file for the wedding licence.
After submitting all the required documents and information, it is time to decide on another critical factor—your name change.
If you plan to add your partner's surname to yours, the best place and time to do that is while applying for the wedding licence.
Now, this is a tricky decision to make. While some might prefer to keep their maiden name throughout, some might be interested in taking their partner's name as their surname.
Both couples should have an idea of what they should do in the case of the name so that there is no confusion at the marriage licence office.
This is, of course, a completely optional choice. If you are not sure, you can make this change later in the future too.
But this will cost you a significant amount of money and a lot of other legal procedures. So, when applying for a wedding license, it's a good idea to have an idea of how to have your names changed after marriage. It will save a lot of your time and much of your money.
Once you have prepared all the documents and made all the changes to your name, turn in the paperwork to the clerk for further proceedings.
In most places, the wedding licence will be granted immediately, but there are places where you will receive the document later in the mail after a few days.
After all of the pre-wedding paperwork has been completed, it is time for the legal formalities following the wedding ceremony.
The wedding certificate for your future needs is inevitable. You must first sign the marriage licence as husband and wife.
This should be done right after the wedding ceremony, as there is a chance this process might get missed in the rush of wedding receptions or cocktail hours. So make sure you make it a priority after exchanging your wedding vows.
While you are planning your wedding, set aside a specific time for this so that it fits into your schedule.
The next signature you need to have on the document is the officiant's signature. An officiant is someone who mediates your wedding ceremony.
This can be a judge, a priest from your religion, or even better, a friend who was ordained to marry you for the day. Yes, it is possible.
Won't that be a great moment for your best friend to be a part of your wedding while officiating your relationship as husband and wife?
In a few states, they allow self-officiating weddings too. In this case, you would not need an officiant's signature on your wedding licence because you don't need to ordain one for the wedding.
The witness signatures are the third and last set of signatures you need on the licence paper. Usually, there will be two witnesses at a wedding, and they must sign the wedding licence paper for further proceedings.
It could be anyone from your family or friends' group. This could be your parents or, even better, your bridesmaids or groomsmen.
They should be witnesses to your wedding ceremony. In some parts of the country, the witnesses must be over 18, but it is not necessary for every state. Some places would allow you to have one witness instead of two.
After all of the signature sessions, it is the officiant's responsibility to submit the completed wedding licence to the county office.
You can do this through the mail, or you can turn in the paperwork in person too. Now you are all set to obtain your wedding certificate.
Depending on the location, it will either come by mail or you might have to go to the office personally and collect it from there.
Now let us enlighten you if you don't know the need to get your wedding certificate legalized. You might have to submit your legal wedding certificate in the event of getting insurance.
Let it be your vehicle, house, or health insurance. There are many benefits if you submit your marriage documents to the authorities.
It will also come in handy if you need to add your partner to the benefits you avail yourself of from work or bank-related updates.
And, at the end of the day, the legal paperwork is the best way to seal your marriage; you are now in a romantic and legally certified commitment with your spouse!
