When to get a marriage license??

The wedding ceremony is what makes it legal. Even if you just go to the JP you sign afterwards.

ETA: you need the paperwork ready to be signed before the ceremony

You obtain the license before the wedding (timing depends on your state laws), and then sign it with the officiant after s/he performs the ceremony. Then the officiant submits it for you. The whole point of the ceremony is to legally wed. If you do it beforehand, what's the point?

Where I live, we sign the day we apply, but we would not be married until our witnesses sign, on our wedding day. Some places only have the bride and groom sign, after the wedding.

Since the wedding is, by definition, the point at which you become legally married, I don't understand how your logic makes any sense.

There is some dubious misinformation here. And it makes me crazy.

For starters, every single state is different; do not take information from anyone here as gospel, even me because every town in NJ has a different spin on things. Google Marriage license (my state) and ONLY go to the .gov site.

Unless you have a reason to get legally married before (visa, deployment, waiting period issues) you get your license, you obtain it, you bring it to the ceremony and it's signed then. I personally do mine before the ceremony with my witnesses because I don't want to be in the way afterwards; there is nothing 'cute' about it....the couple doesn't even sign it in NJ.

In NYC, the couple does sign it, but in NY state, they don't. In PA the only one who signs that day is the officiant. This is why it's important to go to your exact state.

But in every state that I know of, you bring your license, it is signed that day, returned by your officiant and then you follow up in whatever way you need; again, every state is different.

Our rabbi said get it a few days before (wedding in TN) and then we sign that and a ketubah right before the wedding.

Ooh. I understand now. Thank you for your help!

We will be married before our ceremony, only because we save money by doing it in the state where we live and took our counseling. Nobody has to know when it was made legal