Getting married is one of the most important days of anyone’s life. And to make the experience perfect often means entrusting the wedding officiant duties to someone close to those involved. Be it a family member or best friend. Having someone at the altar that knows the couple on a person level can make the whole event feel more special. Especially since they will be in all of the photos. But how do you become a legal wedding officiant in Georgia? What credential do you need, is there a license needed to marry someone in the state?
Below we’ll be answering all of these questions. Providing Georgia’s state laws and everything you need to know to officiate a wedding in Georgia. So let’s get to it!
How to Become a Legal Wedding Officiant in Georgia
Do you have to be licensed to marry someone in Georgia?
According to Georgia’s official state law § 19-3-30(c), “The license shall be directed to the Governor or any former Governor of this state, any judge, including judges of state and federal courts of record in this state, city recorder, magistrate, minister, or other person of any religious society or sect authorized by the rules of such society to perform the marriage ceremony”.
Note: The person performing the wedding ceremony and signing the marriage certificate must be 18 years old or older.
Based on this, there is no official license needed to officiate a marriage in Georgia. That said the couple will still need to have an official marriage license from the state that allows them to get married. This is to ensure that both parties in the marriage are of the legal age and are not already married in Georgia or another state.
And while you do not need a license to be an efficient, you must be part of a “religious society or sect.” This is where things get easy and somewhat confusing based on what constitutes a religious society or sect. Since all you need to do to become “an official ordained minister” is to go online and fill out a form and typically pay a small fee. And as long as you and the couple getting married are OK with this. It will only take a few minutes to do. With instructions below.
What credentials do you need to marry someone in Georgia?
The only credential you will need to perform a marriage ceremony in Georgia is one declaring you an ordained minister for a church. And while this may sound like a big deal. The truth is that you can go online and certify yourself in a matter of minutes. Below are links on where and how to do this.
How to get Ordained online in the State of Georgia
Note: We do not receive anything from the link we are providing. We researched a few of the online options and found one that seems to be the most used, trusted, and affordable. Including a news report from 11alive that says they are completely legit and can be used in Georgia.
To become an official ordained minister in the state of Georgia you can go to https://www.ulc.org/. Their website will provide all the info you need on becoming ordained and the process you will follow at the wedding.
It should be noted that while becoming ordained is free. They charge for ordination credential, a letter of good standing, or signed statements of ministry.
If you have any questions about becoming an ordained minister in Georgia, please let us know in the comments below.