1. How to Become a Minister in Bergen County

The first thing you'll need to do is get ordained as a minister of the Universal Life Church. If you're already ordained you can skip to the next section, but if not, you'll want to go ahead and click the button below to sign up as a minister. Get Ordainedâ„¢ provides free ordination through ULC, has no specific faith requirements, and can be completed in moments. Congrats, you're on your first step towards officiating completely legal wedding ceremonies!

Important Info for Ministers in Bergen County

ULC Ordination Accepted:
Yes
Minister Registration Required:
Sometimes
Documents Required:
N/A
Minister's Residency:
Irrelevant
Minister's Minimum Age:
18

2. Learn Bergen County Marriage Requirements

After ordination, the next step is contacting the specific office that issues marriage licenses in Bergen County. Inform them that you're an ordained minister officiating a wedding, and ask them if they need to see any specific credentials or documents from you in order to perform a wedding. The contact information for that office in Bergen County is listed below.

Office Address:
One Bergen County Plaza
Hackensack, NJ 7601
Office Phone Number:
(201) 336-7000

3. Who Can Officiate a Wedding in Bergen County?

Well, you can, for starters! More and more, couples are asking a close friend or family member to help them tie the knot, cutting costs by foregoing costly professionals and making their wedding more personal all in one go.

Not everyone knows that they can get an officiant ordained online, however! If you're close with a couple who've recently announced their engagement, you may consider informing them that anyone can perform their wedding by getting ordained online. You might even consider offering yourself as a prospective officiant!

Average Cost of a Wedding in Bergen County:
$62,000

4. What You'll Need to Officiate in Bergen County

Once you've contacted the office issuing the marriage license in Bergen County, you should have an understanding of what exactly you'll want to order from our online store. A popular option in Bergen County is the Classic Wedding Kit, which will cover all your bases and more.

Now that you've done your homework and ordered your package, it's time for the fun part: Officiating the actual wedding! If this is your first time helping a couple tie the knot (or you just need a quick refresher), we'd encourage you to take a look at our wedding training center, which has all the resources you'll need to pull off an incredible ceremony.

5. How Bergen County Marriage Licenses Work

Once you've officiated the wedding, all that's left to do is sign and return the marriage license. We get it, this is the unexciting legal part, but this is a crucial step to ensuring the wedding you just performed is valid in the eyes of the law. Once the marriage license has been picked up, there is a mandatory 3-day waiting period. A Marriage license in Bergen County is valid for 30 days, and it must be return within the time limit given after all parties sign it.

We highly encourage you to double and triple-check that the marriage license is filled out properly before it is returned to the appropriate office. After all, this is a legal document. If you have questions about how to fill it out properly, please take a look at our marriage license training page for detailed instruction.

Marriage License Waiting Period:
3 Days
Marriage License Valid For:
30 Days
Return Within:
By Expiration

6. Performing a Wedding in Bergen County

Bergen County is one of the two counties which is situated along the five boroughs of NYC. This county is the most populated county in New Jersey and what makes it quite unique is people can take the George Washington bridge to cross state lines into New York City. With a part of this county on the Hudson River, folks are sure to find a wedding venue that will fit all of their needs.

7. What You Should Do Now for a Wedding in Bergen County

Summer months in Bergen County are considered muggy and humidity can be especially annoying in the month of July.

If you've come this far, you're practically an expert on performing weddings in Bergen County! If you haven't already, remember to get ordained online with the ULC by clicking the button below, and start officiating!

Already ordained? Then you're already well on your way to officiating beautiful wedding ceremonies in Bergen County!