New England Wedding Officiant

Wedding Laws

Wedding and Civil Union Laws vary from state to state and it is extremely important that you take the time to learn about them and understand them completely.

Did you know for instance that...

• In some states the wedding license is void if anything is crossed out or changed, and you are not legally married until it is corrected in person in the Clerks office.
• Some wedding licenses expire sooner than others depending upon the state.
• You may need to bring proof of an ex-spouse's death or a divorce decree if you were previously married.
• Some states require you to file a separate form in order to legally change your name.

While it is certainly possible to locate the Wedding Laws for your state on the World Wide Web, it isn't always easy to know whether or not you are looking at the "official" laws. Many well intentioned wedding sites post "Wedding Laws" as a convenience to their visitors. Unfortunately these are usually condensed versions of the laws that have often been copied and passed from website to website and may not include all the important points.

In Massachusetts for instance, at the time of this writing; Chapter 207 of the Mass General Laws contains fifty-eight sections concerning marriage.

Wedding Laws also change over the years and what someone published on their website just one year ago may no longer be applicable or may have been replaced by a newer law.

New Hampshire for instance will allow marriage between same-gender couples beginning in 2010. Many web sites have not updated that yet.

Maine, on the other hand, will stop allowing same-sex marriages in January of 2010.

Also in 2008, Gov. Deval Patrick of MA dropped that state's residency requirement for same-sex marriages. This also has not found it's way to most websites.

This is why I have chosen not to publish the laws on my website and why I personally recommend that you visit or call your City or Town Clerk or your County Courthouse to be certain you are getting correct and current information.

If you can not locate the correct office in your area, or if you have a specific question concerning a wedding law in your state, please drop me an email and I will gladly assist you personally.