Q. What kind of wedding services to your perform?
A. Our wedding services are nondenominational, therefore we can conduct civil, interfaith or religious ceremonies. Your vows are written with your guidance and participation to design a personal service. The ceremony can include significant gestures like our recommended Unity Candle, special music or readings and participation by your friends if desired. As long as we fulfill the legal requirements, there are no rules.
Q. How far in advance should I book the wedding?
A. To assure availability, as soon as possible, even 6-12 months in advance. Though we perform many weddings on short notice, to guarantee availability, schedule as soon as you can. Holidays and the end of the year can be especially busy. (It is sometimes advantageous to marry prior to the end of a year for tax purposes, check with your accountant.)
Q. Are pictures allowed during the ceremony?
A. Not only are pictures allowed but we strongly urge our wedding couples to have a professional photographer/videographer take as many pictures as they wish. This is a wonderful day in your lives and the pictures will provide lasting memories.
Q. How do I get a Marriage License?
A. To be married in the State of California, a license you must obtain a marriage license from the clerk registrar’s office in any county in California. The marriage ceremony must take place within 90 days of your issue date and it may be used in any county in California.
Q. Do you require a Pre-Marriage Counseling session?
A. No. Marriage is a very important commitment to another person. If you love your partner and the partner loves you, if you trust each other and feel in your heart that this is the person you want to spend your life with, then enjoy your marriage. If you have doubts and need to speak with someone, please contact a licensed therapist.
Q. How do I get copies of the completed license?
A. “I Do” Weddings California supplies you with one official copy as a part of our services. Additional copies, if desired, are available from the County Clerk’s office and should be applied for at the time the original Marriage License is filed. The copies are $13 each. (You may need copies for name changes with Social Security, banks, etc.) Once the license is recorded, you will be sent the copies. Allow up to six weeks for the copies of the license to arrive.
Q. What is a Confidential Marriage License?
A. A confidential license is only available to couples over the age of 18 who have been living together for at least one year. Confidential Marriage Licenses create a private record of marriage that is only accessible by either party in the marriage or by court order. A public license is a matter of public record and can be viewed by anyone. This is the most popular. You can only get married in the county in which the license was issued.
Q. What do I do with the Marriage License packet when I receive it from the County Clerk?
A. Please bring the complete marriage license packet to us, as received by you from the County Clerks Office. DO NOT alter this document. Please give the marriage license package to your Officiant at the rehearsal or, if no rehearsal, then prior to the wedding ceremony.
Q. Who needs to sign the license?
A. Your Officiant and at least one but can be two witnesses for a public license. Only the Officiant’s signature is required for a confidential license
Q. Do we need blood tests?
A. No. They are not required in California
Q. Who sends the license in after it is signed?
A. Traditionally it is the Officiants job to return the license to the County.
Q. What if I was divorced or widowed in the past what do I need to bring?
A. If either party has been married before, you must present a copy of the divorce decree or death certificate if the dissolution occurred less than two years ago. If the previous marriage was dissolved more than that, you must know the date of dissolution.
Q. I live out of state or another country can I get married in California
A. Yes! You do not need to be a California resident or a US citizen to marry in California.
Q. Is there a waiting period to get your license
A. No, you will receive your license immediately.
Q. What is the minimum age a man or woman may marry?
A. You must be 18 years old or older to marry without parental consent. A birth certificate may be necessary to show proof of age.
Q. How Do I change My Name
A. See the information below. Remember first go to Social Security then the DMV
How to change your name after you get Married
“I Do” Weddings California will send you a certified copy of your marriage from the county.
Then FIRST go to the Social Security office THEN to the DMV.
Social Security
If you legally change your name because of marriage, divorce, court order or any other reason, tell Social Security so that you can get a corrected card. If you are working, also tell your employer. If you do not tell Social Security when your name changes, it may:
· Delay your tax refund; and
· Prevent your wages from being posted correctly to your Social Security record, which may lower the amount of your future Social Security benefits.
To change your name on your Social Security card:
· Show us proof of your:
· U.S. citizenship (if you have not previously established your citizenship with us) or immigration status;
· Legal name change; and
· Identity.
All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies of documents.
Documents for a name change: If you need to change your name on your Social Security card, you must show us a recently issued document as proof of your legal name change. Documents Social Security may accept to prove a legal name change include:
· Marriage document;
· Divorce decree;
· Certificate of Naturalization showing a new name; or
· Court order for a name change.
If the document you provide as evidence of a legal name change does not give us enough information to identify you in our records or if you legally changed your name more than two years ago, you must provide Social Security with additional documentation.
Marriage, divorce or annulment: In addition to showing us a legal document proving your marriage, divorce or annulment, you must provide an identity document. That document must show your old name, as well as other identifying information or a recent photograph. (We can accept an expired document as evidence of your old name.)
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