Search Forums

Wedding Forums > Vendors Helping Brides ™ > Is a wedding officiant legal in NY???
Is a wedding officiant legal in NY???
chmo Posted: Jul 24, 2014 11:39 AM+
chmo MEMBER SINCE: 7/14 TOTAL POSTS : 4 WEDDING DATE: Sep 21, 2014
Posted: Jul 24, 2014 11:39 AM bride-minus.png

Is a wedding officiant legal in NY???

Hello Everyone,
I would love to have my friend officiate my wedding. He's looking into getting a license through the Universal Life Monastery which is one of those online deals. However, I've read that NY State has a murky law regarding the legality of these ceremonies. Meaning that they can be easily annulled or deemed invalid for pension, inheritance or insurance purposes.

I see a lot of other brides have chosen officiants and I was wondering if anyone has a definitive answer on whether it's legal and where their officiants got their license.

Thanks so much! This is the last thing that isn't nailed down and the wedding is in September! AHHH! :)
Reply   |   Quote    |   Subscribe   |   Report
Church of Ancient Ways Posted: Jul 25, 2014 03:55 PM+
Church of Ancient Ways MEMBER SINCE: 10/03 TOTAL POSTS : 422 WEDDING DATE: Dec 31, 1969
Posted: Jul 25, 2014 03:55 PM bride-minus.png

Re: Is a wedding officiant legal in NY???

Hi and congratulations!

It's funny that you should be posting this now. I had a conversation last weekend with a photographer who was suggesting that I network with his secretary who was ordained online. I personally do not send out any officiant who I have not ordained myself, even if it is a second ordination. But I actually called all the town halls on my list of Nassau and Suffolk to ask about this just this past Monday.

What they all said consistently was not yes or no, but that whether the couple was legally married would be a matter for the courts to decide if they ever wanted to split.

Two did say that online officiants do not meet the 'congregational requirement'. This requirement was how I wrote my criteria for ordination into my by-laws so that my requirements would match the State of New York's laws.

Ravenal vs Ravenal was the precedent setting case where the couple was declared never legally married because Internet officiant did not meet the requirements.

http://www.ulccaselaw.com/caselawHTML/RavenalVRavenal.html

Now I am not saying don't have a friend or family member perform the public ceremony. But I strongly suggest getting married legally before the big day and then just let the person of your choosing do the public ceremony.

If having the date of the wedding on the Certificate of Marriage is important, having a professional officiant come and perform the contractual aspect of marriage some time during the day may be another option for you.

With all that said, the sad truth of the matter is that in Nassau and Suffolk, nobody ever checks credentials. You could get a license, take it home, fill in fictitious names for the officiant and witnesses then mail it back yourself and you would still get a Certificate of Marriage from the state.

Crazy isn't it? If you do go through with the friend marrying you, and you become uncomfortable with it later, you can always go back to town hall, get another license and remarry. Babylon marries residents for free on the last Thursday of the month and many people get married twice on paper these days, for many reasons.

Please feel free to call me any time if you have any questions or just want to chat a bit.

Wishing you both all the happiness that two people can stand in one lifetime, with many healthy years to enjoy it all.

L&L, Pastor April
516-785-4191
http://www.churchofancientways.org
http://www.facebook.com/pastorapril.gismondi

Reply   |   Quote    |   Subscribe   |   Report
chmo Posted: Jul 31, 2014 02:30 PM+
chmo MEMBER SINCE: 7/14 TOTAL POSTS : 4 WEDDING DATE: Sep 21, 2014
Posted: Jul 31, 2014 02:30 PM bride-minus.png

Is a wedding officiant legal in NY???

Thanks so much Pastor April!
Reply   |   Quote    |   Subscribe   |   Report
Joannaj79 Posted: May 12, 2015 12:09 PM+
Joannaj79 MEMBER SINCE: 11/14 TOTAL POSTS : 114 WEDDING DATE: Sep 26, 2015
Posted: May 12, 2015 12:09 PM bride-minus.png

Re: Is a wedding officiant legal in NY???


Posted by Church of Ancient Ways

Hi and congratulations!

It's funny that you should be posting this now. I had a conversation last weekend with a photographer who was suggesting that I network with his secretary who was ordained online. I personally do not send out any officiant who I have not ordained myself, even if it is a second ordination. But I actually called all the town halls on my list of Nassau and Suffolk to ask about this just this past Monday.

What they all said consistently was not yes or no, but that whether the couple was legally married would be a matter for the courts to decide if they ever wanted to split.

Two did say that online officiants do not meet the 'congregational requirement'. This requirement was how I wrote my criteria for ordination into my by-laws so that my requirements would match the State of New York's laws.

Ravenal vs Ravenal was the precedent setting case where the couple was declared never legally married because Internet officiant did not meet the requirements.

http://www.ulccaselaw.com/caselawHTML/RavenalVRavenal.html

Now I am not saying don't have a friend or family member perform the public ceremony. But I strongly suggest getting married legally before the big day and then just let the person of your choosing do the public ceremony.

If having the date of the wedding on the Certificate of Marriage is important, having a professional officiant come and perform the contractual aspect of marriage some time during the day may be another option for you.

With all that said, the sad truth of the matter is that in Nassau and Suffolk, nobody ever checks credentials. You could get a license, take it home, fill in fictitious names for the officiant and witnesses then mail it back yourself and you would still get a Certificate of Marriage from the state.

Crazy isn't it? If you do go through with the friend marrying you, and you become uncomfortable with it later, you can always go back to town hall, get another license and remarry. Babylon marries residents for free on the last Thursday of the month and many people get married twice on paper these days, for many reasons.

Please feel free to call me any time if you have any questions or just want to chat a bit.

Wishing you both all the happiness that two people can stand in one lifetime, with many healthy years to enjoy it all.

L&L, Pastor April
516-785-4191
http://www.churchofancientways.org
http://www.facebook.com/pastorapril.gismondi




I realize this info is old but thank you for the information Pastor April! I have been searching tirelessly for information since we really want one of our best friends to marry us. This is very helpful and I think I will follow your advice to be sure that it is all legal.
Reply   |   Quote    |   Subscribe   |   Report
No Posts Found With Your Match.
  • Chat With Local Long Island Brides
  • Lessings Waterfront Mansions
  • Larkfield
  • Dynasty Limousine-Dynasty Limousine
  • Sperry Federal Credit Union-Sperry Federal Credit Union
  • Yachts-
 
Welcome New Vendors
X
X
X
X
Email to Friend
X
Submit a Report