You have found that special person and you are all set to get married and walk down the aisle but as that day closes in you realize that you need a marriage license. No one ever mentioned this little information to you and now you are hoping and praying that you have met the marriage license requirements so that you don’t have to delay your wonderful day.
Information About Marriage License 101
In almost every state you are required to have a marriage license. The marriage license means that you have undergone certain criteria to determine that you are eligible to get married. In other words the marriage license shows your right to get married. Some of the requirements vary from state to state. Some of the states don’t even require a blood test for a marriage license and others do. Usually a marriage license can be obtained at the same place you can receive your birth certificate or any other vital document. The cost is usually not that much and can be obtained fairly quickly. It is best to check with your state to make sure that you have what you need to obtain the marriage license as soon as possible. The only time, in my experience, where you don’t need a marriage license is when you reside in a state where they acknowledge common law marriages. This is when two people live together for a period of time and they perform the duties of a married couple but don’t have a marriage license nor have they undergone any formal ceremony. In this case, if the state acknowledges their marriage it will be after quite a few years which could be about 10 or 15. Some people take this route instead of obtaining a marriage license due to finances or some other reasoning that might make common law marriages seem more viable. At a point in time homosexual couples did this often due to the fact that states didn’t recognize their marriage therefore making it impossible to obtain a marriage license.
In order to find what you need to obtain your marriage license it is best to conduct a search on the internet for your state requirements. Look for the agency that can issue a license which might actually be a church in some states. After you find the proper agency that issues a marriage license then you can begin the process to complete the marriage with the final step being walking down the aisle and saying ‘I do’.
