If you’re eloping or getting married in Virginia and trying to select a wedding officiant, you probably have a lot of questions running through your mind, such as “Where do you perform weddings?” or “Can we personalize our ceremony?” or “How much do you charge?”. Although these questions are essential, there’s one, single question that’s often overlooked but far more important than all the rest: “Are you authorized to perform marriage ceremonies?”.
You may be thinking, “That doesn’t make any sense. If someone is an ordained minister or preacher, they must be authorized to perform weddings. Right?” Wrong! In the Commonwealth of Virginia, ministers, preachers and spiritual advisors are not automatically authorized to perform legal wedding ceremonies – especially those who were “ordained” through an online ministry by simply typing their names and addresses into a form. All legitimate wedding celebrants must receive authorization from a Virginia county or city circuit court to perform legal marriages. For example, I was appointed by the Circuit Court of the City of Winchester as a civil marriage commissioner (formerly justice of the peace) and have a notarized order signed by Winchester’s deputy clerk. Any legitimate Virginia wedding officiant should be able to verify their authorization. If a celebrant can’t, find one who can.
You may also be wondering, “Okay, but I’d really like to have my pastor (or relative or friend) perform my ceremony, even though they’re not authorized. What can I do?” No problem! Simply hire an authorized officiant to perform your legal vows either before, during or after your marriage ceremony with your unauthorized celebrant. This is much more common than you may realize. I’m often hired by couples in Virginia to witness and perform their legal vows privately and separately from their formal wedding ceremony. I’m also hired to perform just the legal vows during the ceremony, while a friend or relative presides over the rest. With either option, your marriage is 100% valid.
A great resource for finding a qualified wedding officiant is your local city or county government. They often provide lists of individuals authorized to perform marriage ceremonies. In Virginia, both the Frederick County and Winchester circuit court clerks provide lists of names, phone numbers and addresses of authorized officiants for you to contact. My information appears on both lists.
It might not be romantic to think about, but your marriage is not just an expression of love and commitment, it’s a legally binding contract. Without a legal marriage, you could run into unexpected problems with medical decisions and coverage, the I.R.S. and your tax return, and more. Don’t take a chance — find an authorized wedding officiant who can perform a valid ceremony for you. Otherwise, you may be shocked to discover months, or even years from now, that you’re not a married couple but two individuals with no marital rights whatsoever.