Weddings at Pilgrim
Chapel require
a Missouri
marriage license valid for 30 days after it is issued by any Missouri
county
courthouse. For example:
The "paperwork" includes both
a License and
a Certificate. The
envelope from the court
containing them is best given to the minister at the rehearsal or
placed
on the altar-table as soon as you arrive. The
minister
will then invite the two adult witnesses you have designated to sign
the
documents and he will endorse them.
(Some counties also
ask for
the addresses of the witnesses; the forms vary from county to
county.) It is usually best to complete the
"paperwork"
before the wedding, so
you can enjoy your guests or take photos or leave for your reception
right
after the ceremony.
Following
the ceremony, I'll place the Licence and Certificate on the
altar-table
unless other arrangements are made. The
Certificate
is legal
evidence* of the marriage but the license must
be filed with the courthouse.
In your excitement
after the marriage, be sure to take the License and Certificate with
you!
The law requires the return of
the endorsed License within 15 days to
the County office which issued the License. You can do this by mail or
in person.
Some couples may wish
to obtain a certified
copy of the endorsed License. Application for a
copy can be
made when applying for the License or at a later time. The
Jackson County fee for a marriage license is $50; a
certified copy
is another $10. The
minister's own records also note each
marriage
as required by law.
#NameChange
For a name change, present a certified copy
of the marriage license to apporpriate offices, such as Social
Security, Drivers License Bureau, banks, and so forth. The
marriage
license office does not make name changes. You can make name changes at
any time.
Marriages
are
governed generally
by state law, but each state recognizes the marriages performed in
other
states even though they may have different requirements. And the
counties
in Missouri have different forms, but as long as you have a Missouri
license,
since the wedding is in Missouri, you'll be legal.
I once perfromed a wedding in Missouri without checking the license first. After
the
wedding, when I discovered the couple had a Kansas license, the couple,
their witnesses, and I had to go over the State Line to Kansas, find an
appropriate spot, and have another brief ceremony there. I'm glad the
weather
was good that day! Now I always get the legal requirements completed
before
the ceremony.
(I am legally recognized in both Kansas and Missouri.)
*2018
Missouri
Revised Statutes
Title
XXX -
Domestic Relations -- Chapter 451 - Marriage, Marriage Contracts, and
Rights
of Married Women
Section
451.110
Certificate of marriage to be given.
Universal
Citation:
MO Rev Stat § 451.110 (2018)
"451.110.
Certificate of
marriage
to be given. — Every person solemnizing marriages under this chapter
shall
issue and deliver to the parties to such marriage a certificate
thereof,
which shall be furnished in blank by the officer who issues such
license,
setting forth the names and residence of the parties and the date of
such
marriage, and the county from which the license was issued and the date
of same; and such certificates shall be prima facie evidence
of the
facts therein stated in all courts of this state."
"193.185(3).
Each
person who performs
a marriage shall certify the fact of marriage and return the license to
the official who issued the license within fifteen days after the
ceremony.
The
license shall be signed by the witnesses to the ceremony. A marriage
certificate
shall be given to the parties."
[The county
issuing the license provides an addressed envelope for the return of
the license.]
#solemnize
WHO CAN
SOLEMNIZE A MARRIAGE
LEGAL
DETAILS: Vern complies with the
Missouri
(and Kansas) requirements for a wedding officiant. Missouri law states:
Section
451.100.
"Marriages maybe
solemnized by any
clergyman,
either active or
retired,
who is in good standing
with
any church or synagogue in
this
state. Marriages may
also
be solemnized, without
compensation,
by any judge,
including
a municipal judge.
Marriages
may also be
solemnized
by a religious society,
religious institution, or
religious
organization of this
state,
according to the
regulations
and customs of the
society,
institution or
organization,
when either party to
the marriage to be
solemnized
is a member of such
society,
institution or
organization."
Section
451.115. Anyone "not authorized by law to
solemnize
marriages who shall
falsely
represent that he is authorized,
and who, by any pretended marriage
ceremony
which he may perform,
shall
deceive any
innocent
person
or persons into
the
belief that they have
been
legally married,
shall, on
conviction,
be adjudged
guilty
of a class C
misdemeanor."
#preside
WHO CAN
PRESIDE AT A WEDDING; Vern's assistance
If you have a
relative or friend you would like
to preside at your Missouri wedding who is not legally qualified (see above),
Vern can assist to whatever extent you wish in order to provide legal
compliance.
#Kansas
-------------------------------------------------------
KANSAS LICENSE OFFICE
in Johnson County
100 N Kansas Ave
Olathe, KS 66061
913 715-3428
Apply in person with ID
Waiting period: 3 days
License expires in 6 months
Witnesses required: two