I am an ordained Connecticut Wedding Officiant and help newlywed couples sign their marriage license and obtain a marriage certificate.
The ceremony part of your wedding is all about celebration and memories. But what about the legal part? A marriage license and certificate legally bind a newlywed couple. Signing a marriage license and finally obtaining the certificate make your union legal. They also play an important role if either of you wants to change your names after marriage. There are multiple stages in the process of obtaining a marriage certificate. However, for each state in USA, the rules governing marriage can vary.
If you are planning your wedding ceremony to be held in Connecticut, you have to obtain a marriage license from the vital records office of the town where the marriage has to take place.
Connecticut Wedding Officiant Helps Sign Marriage License
What is a marriage license?
For each state, a marriage license is a legal document that a couple must obtain prior to marriage. It is signed by the registered wedding officiant along with witnesses during or after the ceremony. It is then returned to the vital records office by the officiant for further issuing of a marriage certificate.
What is a marriage certificate?
A marriage certificate is a document that is obtained from the vital records office after submitting your marriage license. It is a certified copy that a married couple receives post-wedding that proves they are officially married.
Know the difference between a marriage license and a marriage certificate
A marriage license is basically an application to get married. This is what you get first after getting signed by a Connecticut Wedding Officiant. Whereas a marriage certificate is a legal document certifying that you and your partner are now legally married.
Eligibility Requirement for marriage in Connecticut
Any two individual can get married in Connecticut if the couple getting married meets Connecticut’s eligibility requirements as follow:
A person in Connecticut is eligible to marry if such a person is “not a party to another marriage, or a legal relationship that provides substantially the same rights, benefits and responsibilities as a marriage.”
A person in Connecticut is eligible to marry if such a person is at least 18 years old except for an exception when “the person is a minor that is at least 16 years old and has received authorization to marry from the probate court judge of the district where the minor resides.”
A person in Connecticut is eligible to marry if such a person is “not under the supervision or control of a conservator” except for an exception when “the person is under the supervision or control of a conservator and such person has received written consent to marry from their conservator.”
A person in Connecticut is eligible to marry if such a person is “not prohibited from marrying pursuant to section C.G.S. § 46b-21. C.G.S. § 46-21 prohibits persons from marrying their parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, parent’s sibling, sibling’s child, stepparent, or stepchild.”
How to apply for a marriage license
You and your spouse-to-be must appear in person at the local vital records office of the town where your marriage has been scheduled.
At the local vital records office, you need to complete the marriage license application and furnish identification. You have to make a sworn statement that the furnished information is true.
Requirements at the time of application
A proof of identity: Driver’s license or passport, but you may also need a birth certificate
Parents’ information: Parents’ full birth names, birthdates, birth states, and dates of passing, if applicable
In case of remarrying: Certificate of divorce or the death certificate of the deceased spouse
Things to do after the wedding ceremony
After the wedding ceremony is over, the Connecticut Wedding Officiant will submit “the license to the registrar of vital records of the town.” The marriage license has to be filed in the Connecticut official marriage records.
Once registered, the marriage license becomes a vital record and is referred to as a marriage certificate.
Know who can request a certified copy of a marriage certificate
One can purchase a certified copy of a marriage certificate for a fee if the person is at least 18 years old. A person can obtain “all information on the marriage certificate, except the social security numbers of the spouses.”
To obtain the copies of marriage certificates with the spouse’s social security numbers you need to furnish your identity proof that you are the parties to the marriage.