How quickly can you get married in North Carolina?
North Carolina has no required waiting period between the issuance of the marriage license and the wedding. A marriage license expires after 60 days if the wedding has not taken place, and applicants must apply again if the wedding does not occur within 60 days.
Once a marriage license is obtained, you may be married immediately. No waiting period is required. You must marry within 60 days of the license being issued or the license expires.
You'll both need to appear at the clerk's office, fill out an application, sign it, and pay a license fee, usually $60. You can get your marriage license immediately (there isn't a waiting period).
Express Marriage Services
An express marriage ceremony is the fastest way to get married at the County. Walk in, apply for a marriage license, and get married at the service window. The Clerk-Recorder's Office provides a witness to your marriage as part of this quick marriage service.
While some couples choose to wait many months before getting married, some couples want to get married, like, yesterday. Planning a wedding in 3 months is entirely possible (4 percent of couples do it!) —if you're able to stay organized and be flexible in your decision-making.
The Easiest States to Get Married In #1: Colorado
Colorado law does not require a blood test, witnesses, or a waiting period in order to get married. Furthermore, a couple can self solemnize their own marriage.
The Marriage License is valid for 60 days from the date issued by our office to be used for a wedding ceremony in any county within the state of North Carolina. It may not be used in another state or country. The Marriage License fee is $60.
State Requirements for Eloping in North Carolina
Per the North Carolina Judicial Branch, you can legally elope in NC with a marriage license, an officiant, and two witnesses. While I am not ordained, I typically serve as one of the witnesses.
In order to have a legal North Carolina wedding ceremony, you must have an ordained officiant and two legal witnesses present. Your two witnesses must be 18 years of age or older and will need to sign the marriage license as well.
Well good news: you can 100% have both. And again, there are no hard-and-fast rules, so you can elope as soon as you're ready, then have your reception down the road — whether that be a month or a year (or more!). Here are just a handful of the reasons you may want to elope now and have a wedding reception later.
How can I get married in 90 days?
California marriage licenses are only valid for 90 days, so you must obtain your marriage license within the 90 days immediately prior to your wedding date. No blood test is required. There is no waiting period. The clerk will give you your license immediately.
Want to plan a wedding in six months? It's a challenge, but it can be done. Most traditional wedding planning timelines are designed for a couple with a year (or more) to get the details ironed out, sometimes that's just not realistic—especially if you get engaged over the holidays and are dreaming of a summer wedding.

Background. Today the term "elopement" is colloquially used for any marriage performed in haste, with a limited public engagement period or without a public engagement period. Some couples elope because they wish to avoid parental or religious objections.
If you opt for a civil partnership, vows are not required, and you will just be asked to sign the paperwork. Please note that these are legal stipulations. The cost for a register office marriage or civil partnership is £57 which consists of £46 for the registration and £11 for one certificate.
Handfastings are commonly used in Wiccan and Pagan ceremonies but anyone can take part in the tradition. It's become popular in modern-day ceremonies due to the "tying the knot" symbolism (and because it was shown on Game of Thrones).
The Bahamas: The legalities are straight-forward. You must be in the Bahamas at least one day before applying for a marriage licence, which can be issued on the same day.
Minnesota is one of only two states that mandates the waiting period. The other, Wisconsin, ties Minnesota for the longest wait in the nation.
For most marriages or civil partnerships you must give at least 29 full days' notice. If either you or your partner is not a British or Irish national and doesn't have Indefinite Leave to Remain, pre settled or settled status, or a marriage or civil partnership visa this may be extended to 71 days.
“Each couple is different depending on age and circumstances, but a reasonable amount of time to be engaged is one to three years,” she says. Each couple is different depending on age and circumstances, but a reasonable amount of time to be engaged is one to three years.
- Limit your guest list. Less is sometimes more! ...
- Host the ceremony or reception at home or outside. ...
- Ask friends and family to exchange skills for presents. ...
- Do-it-yourself whenever possible. ...
- Use a dummy wedding cake. ...
- Time your wedding wisely. ...
- Scout out vendors.
How can I get married in 4 months?
- Create a wedding registry.
- Book a wedding venue.
- Order a wedding dress & suit.
- Order and send invitations.
- Choose formal wear for the wedding party.
- Book a beauty vendor & schedule trials (if necessary)
- Buy wedding rings.
The current processing time for mailed-in certificate orders is 6 months to 1 year.
Minimum Age | License Cost | Waiting period to marry |
---|---|---|
18 yrs | $60 | none |
Understand State Laws on Marriage Ceremonies
Notaries can perform a wedding ceremony if you live in the states of Florida, Maine, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Montana. If you're not in these six states, notaries cannot legally marry you without taking extra steps.
Weddings in North Carolina “must be conducted by a recognized officiant” in order to be legally binding, according to the state's Judicial Branch. Under state law, “any minister who is ordained in a religious denomination or authorized by a church” can serve as a “recognized officiant.”
For example, in Charlotte, NC, they are currently doing courthouse weddings as well as applying for the marriage license itself by appointment only. And you must create your appointment at the courthouse before starting the marriage license application online.
In short – YES, eloping is legal. But, it's also not always that easy. An elopement is totally recognized as legal as long as you're abiding by the rules and regulations of the state or country you're choosing to get married in.
After you obtain a marriage license, you can schedule a civil ceremony with the magistrate's office. The solemnization fee is roughly $20.
Click the 'APPLY FOR A MARRIAGE LICENSE' button below and complete the online application. Both parties must be present to obtain the marriage license.
Online application takes less than 20 minutes, including paying online using your credit card, PayMaya, or GCash. If you are from Metro Manila, you will receive your ordered documents in 3 working days.
Can you plan an elopement in 3 months?
It actually does not take very long to plan an elopement. Planning your elopement can take at least 3 months to organize your inspiration, budget, and vendors. We advise doing all of your paperwork 2 months away from your elopement day.
Rings. The exchanging of wedding rings during the ceremony is optional, yet very symbolic. But you don't need to spend beaucoup bucks to incorporate this age-old tradition into your elopement.
Increasing Elopement Risks
Residents who have eloped may be exposed to extreme heat or cold. They may suffer a fall when walking over uneven or unfamiliar territory. Additionally, they may suffer injuries or death as a result of wandering into traffic or bodies of water, or as a result of exposure to inclement weather.
- Agree on a financial vision for the wedding.
- Set a realistic budget.
- Give the guest list another look.
- Thinking differently can be a smart financial choice.
- Attention to detail can equal huge savings.
- Some things are worth spending money on.
You must get married with in 90 days - there is no way around it. If the K-1 visa holder and their fiancé(e) do not get married before the 90 days, the visa holder must leave the United States as soon as possible or they could face a bar from entering the United States in the future.
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Your letter of intent will show that:
- You are engaged to be married.
- You intend to marry within 90 days of the foreign fiancé's arrival in the U.S.
- You have the legal ability to get married.
“It's best to wait until at least 3-6 months to see if the feelings you have are for real or just a fading spark of lust. You need to have emotional and rational feelings towards one another.” However, award-winning relationship expert Sarah Louise Ryan said that it's never too soon.
In other words, staying more than 90 days on one stay, then leaving the country and returning, resets the “90-day clock.” To avoid breaking the 90-day rule, an applicant must wait 90 days since their most recent entry to the United States before marrying or seeking to adjust their status..
There is no designated time period before getting married. You can get married the minute after you meet someone if you want to. But consider that 50% of all marriages end in divorce.
The 3x3 Rule! Basically, you and your partner get 3 hours a week of uninterrupted alone time. You can take those 3 hours all at once OR break it up into a half hour here, an hour there, etc. You also get 3 hours of uninterrupted TOGETHER time.
How do you get married without giving notice?
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1.
- The doctor is in medical attendance of the person concerned.
- The person is seriously ill and not expected to recover.
- The person cannot be moved to a place registered for marriages.
- He / she understands the nature and purport of the marriage ceremony.
Many states require a waiting period after applying for a marriage license to ensure that couples have time to really think things out and be certain that they're making the right decision.
An individual will be charged with marriage fraud if they entered into a marriage for the purpose of evading U.S. immigration law. This felony offense carries a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to $250,000, and applies to both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens who perpetrate this crime.
Common-law marriage, also known as non-ceremonial marriage, sui iuris marriage, informal marriage, or marriage by habit and repute, is a legal framework where a couple may be considered married without having formally registered their relation as a civil or religious marriage.
The spouse of a U.S. citizen residing in the United States must have been living in marital union with his or her citizen spouse for at least 3 years immediately preceding the time of filing the naturalization application.
The most common form of group marriage appears to be a triad of two women and one man, or less often two men and one woman. There are also polyfidelitous families formed by two heterosexual couples who become a foursome and live together as a family.
Susceptibility To Peer-Pressure
Those who get married early may be more likely to be those who are influenced by peer-pressure, or feel the need to follow the same life paths as their friends. "My experience is that many people get married too quickly because their friends are doing it," Bennett says.
Mariage blanc, a marriage without consummation. Josephite marriage, a marriage sexless out of religious motivation. Marriage of convenience, a marriage for reasons other than love and commitment. Lavender marriage, a marriage concealing discriminated sexual orientation.
The current processing time for mailed-in certificate orders is 6 months to 1 year.
In order to have a legal North Carolina wedding ceremony, you must have an ordained officiant and two legal witnesses present. Your two witnesses must be 18 years of age or older and will need to sign the marriage license as well.
Do you need a witness to get married at the courthouse?
When you get married or form a civil partnership, you must have two witnesses to sign the marriage/civil partnership schedule. Anyone can be witnesses, as long as they understand what they're witnessing.
South Carolina statute requires a twenty-four (24) hour waiting period after applying before the marriage license may be issued. The license cannot and will not be issued less than twenty-four (24) hours from the time of application (NO EXCEPTIONS).
State of North Carolina marriage license fee is $60. Legal marriage age is 18, minimum age is 16 w/consent. No blood test or waiting period requirements.
VitalChek charges a processing fee, and all major credit cards are accepted, including American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA. VitalChek also accepts personal checks. $15 for the preparation of the new certificate + $24 for the first copy of the requested certificate + $15 for each additional copy.