Individuals Permitted to Officiate Weddings in NC
North Carolina permits a select group of individuals to officiate marriages. Clergy are authorized to solemnize and certify the marriage when it is performed in any county in North Carolina if they hold a minister’s license from some religious body, have been ordained or otherwise granted authority to perform the marriage in accordance with the practices of their denomination and the laws of the State . The most common types of clergy are:
· Ministers of the Christian and Jewish faith;
· Priests;
· Rabbis;
· Clergy who have been granted sole authority to officiate marriages for their particular denominations such as:
o "Commissioned Celebrants" for the Unity Church;
o "Celebrants" for the Unitarian Universalist Church;
o "Commissioned Pastors" and "Commissioned Lay Pastors" for the United Church of Christ;
· Other individuals authorized to officiate include the following:
o Any minister of the gospel of any religious denomination who has been licensed to perform marriages by the court and whose authority as a minister has not been revoked;
o Any priest of any religious denomination;
o Any magistrate;
o Any judge of a municipal, state or territorial court of the United States; and
o The Clerk of Superior Court in and for the term of his or her court.
It is important to know that in addition to the clerical requirements imposed by the state, all ministers, priests, officiants or other authorized persons must also be in good standing with their religious denomination, and adhere to all policies and procedures of their Church or Synod governing the performance of a wedding ceremony.
Requirements for Ordained Religious Officiants
Before you can legally officiate a marriage in North Carolina, you are required to make sure the license is valid, sign the right documents, and return the license to the right place.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the marriage license is exclusively the couple’s responsibility. The couple should apply for the marriage license, and they must present it to you before you officiate the ceremony. Assuming they don’t ask you to check on it in advance, you should never go looking for their license. They need to obtain their license at least 24 hours before the wedding in the county where the bride or groom is a resident. Once they have it, there is no waiting period to get married (so long as they’ve waited 24 hours after getting the license, when applicable). The couple must get their license in North Carolina, and it must be issued by the Register of Deeds. If the wedding is being held near the state border, another states may be an option, but check your local laws to make sure. Assuming the couple has the correct license, it’s time to check to make sure it’s valid. In North Carolina, a license cannot be valid unless both parties have signed it before the county Register of Deeds, and their signatures have been notarized. Additionally, the license is only valid for up to 60 days after the issuance. Next, you’ll want to make sure the register’s certificate on the marriage license is filled out properly. This certificate requires two things: the signature of both parties and your signature as the officiant. Additionally, you may want to sign a line on the bottom of the license that states that each party has signed before you in the presence of an officiant. When the wedding ceremony is over, you will have a few responsibilities as the officiant. First, it’s your job to make sure both parties have properly signed the official copy and the certificate. You are meant to be the responsible third party ensuring everything is in order. Many officiants assign that responsibility to a trusted family member or friend to handle so they aren’t fumbling with multiple pages they’ve already signed. Finally, you’ll need to return the license to the Register of Deeds office in the county where it was originally issued. It’s a good idea to make sure the couple knows beforehand that the license needs to be returned to the Register of Deeds as well, as they may not be familiar with the process and may forget. Again, the wedding couple is responsible for returning the marriage license once all the signatures are taken care of, but it may not seem as important to them as it does to you. Sanctions for failure to return the license can include: the license being listed as invalid due to clerical error, a late filing fee of $25 (per license), a misdemeanor charge (in-state), revocation of a Notary or officiant’s license, cancellation of their account on the Register of Deeds website, manager and supervisor sanctions, suspension of the license, and more.
Obtaining Ordained Minister Status
Perhaps the most difficult hurdle to jump to become a minister in order to get a NC marriage license, is to be "ordained." While it’s certainly not an absolute that a marriage must be officiated by someone who has the title of "minister," in practice that is the case. The good news is that there are many options available to become an ordained minister. The bad news is that you have to take some steps in order to make sure that you’re recognized as one in the practical sense for performing weddings in North Carolina and/or the county in which the wedding is taking place.
The first step is to make sure that whatever internet based ordination you obtain is done through an organization that is not only legitimate, but is also recognized by the North Carolina courts as a valid source of ordination. There’s one national list of those organizations that I’m aware of, but a couple of clicks online and you can find others.
Once you identify that source of ordination, you submit the request and specific documentation to that organization and then you wait for word back that you’ve been ordained. And thankfully that process can be done very quickly. From an administrative standpoint, it doesn’t hurt to have a copy of your ordination certificate, and potentially a letter of ordination, available on hand before the wedding day, so that there’s no scrambling last minute.
On the paperwork side, the following are websites that show a listing of recognized ordination organizations; note that just because you’re not on this list, doesn’t mean that you can’t still be a minister (especially for federal law purposes), but it does create some extra steps and hurdles to overcome if you want to also be recognized by the North Carolina courts.
Requirements for Civil and Religious Ceremonies
The primary difference between conducting a civil versus a religious wedding ceremony is that the state of North Carolina requires a licensed minister or priest to perform a religious ceremony. A magistrate or other properly appointed official may conduct a civil wedding. Ministers and priests are also permitted by law to solemnize civil ceremonies. Magistrates may also solemnize proper marriages if no qualified minister is readily available. While magistrates are typically public officials , they may also be contracted to perform civil ceremonies on their own time in recognition of the hardship on the parents of couples wishing to marry during the summer months when exam schedules and travel may interfere with obtaining a clergy appointment.
Officiating a Wedding Ceremony for the First Time?
If you’re officiating a wedding for the first time, we’ve got some helpful advice for you. You can learn from the mistakes of others and discover how to better prepare for this special occasion. For starters, make sure you know the legal requirements in North Carolina, and ensure that you meet them. A few months in advance, be certain you have all the documentation needed for the ceremony and the marriage license. Make sure you are legally authorized to officiate the marriage (a clergy member, magistrate, assistant register of deeds, or head of the Family Court in an Indian tribe recognized by North Carolina, for example) . To help ease your nerves as the wedding day approaches, read a few articles about officiating weddings, find tips online, and speak with a professional. Don’t hesitate to ask for help with writing your vows or ceremonial instructions — even most professional wedding officiants have colleagues they can call for inspiration, guidance and support. Arrive early on wedding day to ensure that you’re present and prepared. Run through your materials, such as printed vows, and make sure that everything is in order. Similarly, be certain that you’re completely clear on the responsibilities of the officiant during the event.