Mississippi Wedding Laws
Mississippi is affectionately known as the Magnolia State and has a long, rich cultural history. Rooted in deep tradition, the state is one that is full of rules and regulations, especially when it comes to marriage. There are couples wanting to share forever together through marriage who need your help. You can best help them achieve that dream by getting familiar with the state’s unique laws. The Universal Life Church has created this easy-to-understand guide to help you as well as the celebrants make sure that the union is compliant with all state rules.
How to Become a Wedding Officiant in Mississippi
- Min. Age of Minister:
- Age 18
- Residency:
- Not Required
- Document(s) Required:
- Ordination Credential
- Online Ordination Recognized:
- Yes
- Relevant Office of Registration:
- Circuit Clerk
- Latest Document(s) Submission Date Allowed:
- Before the Ceremony
- Minister I.D. # Issued:
- No
As with other states, a marriage can be solemnized in Mississippi through civil- or religion-based marriage traditions, as per the preferences of the applicants.
The state recognizes the following persons as legally allowed to solemnize a union:
- Pastors, rabbis and other clergy who are found to be in good standing with their specific religious organizations
- Judges of all courts within the state, including the Supreme Court
- Universal Life Church ministers
The latter are viewed as ordained ‘religious actors.’ Anyone can be ordained online with the ULC, irrespective of gender or religion/creed. As a ULC minister, you may be expected to furnish credentials to a circuit clerk beforehand, depending on the specific county where the ceremony will take place.
Miss. Code Ann. § 93-1-17. By whom marriages may be solemnized.
Any minister of the gospel ordained according to the rules of his church or society, in good standing; any Rabbi or other spiritual leader of any other religious body authorized under the rules of such religious body to solemnize rites of matrimony and being in good standing; any judge of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, circuit court, chancery court or county court may solemnize the rites of matrimony between any persons anywhere within this state who shall produce a license granted as herein directed. Justice court judges and members of the boards of supervisors may likewise solemnize the rites of matrimony within their respective counties. Any marriages performed by a mayor of a municipality prior to March 14, 1994 are valid provided such marriages satisfy the requirements of Section 93-1-18.
Getting Married in Mississippi
- Marriage By Proxy Allowed:
- No
- Minister Required to be Present:
- Yes
- Number of Witnesses Required:
- None
- Min. Age of Witnesses:
- N/A
- Couple's Consent Required:
- Yes
- Pronouncement Required:
- Yes
In Mississippi, there are no specific rules with respect to the details of the ceremony, especially as they relate to religious or other cultural traditions. All wedding ceremonies must include a declaration of consent to marry from both members of the union in the presence of a legal officiant.
Miss. Code Ann. § 93-1-19. Marriage may be solemnized according to religious customs.
It shall be lawful for a pastor of any religious society in this state to join together in marriage such persons of the society to whom a marriage license has been issued, according to the rules and customs established by the society. The clerk or keeper of the minutes, proceedings, or other books of the religious society wherein such marriage shall be had and solemnized, shall make a true and faithful register of all marriages solemnized in the society, in a book kept by him for that purpose, and return a certificate of the same to the clerk of the circuit court of the county, to be by him recorded, under the penalty prescribed in Section 93-1-21.
How to Get a Mississippi Marriage License
- Who Picks Up License:
- The Couple
- Where License is Valid:
- Any County in Mississippi
- Marriage License Pick-Up:
- In Person Only
- Cost of License:
- $38.00
- Accepted I.D. Types:
- Valid Official ID Showing Age
- Proof of Divorce Required (If Applicable):
- Varies by County
- Blood Test Required:
- No
Applicants wanting to marry in Mississippi must present themselves in front of a circuit court clerk in any county. The application should include names, ages and addresses for both applicants. For minors, names and addresses for parents or guardians must also be provided. It is the clerk’s responsibility to confirm information, so applicants should provide proof with a birth certificate, driver’s license, military ID, record of baptism or school record. Some jurisdictions may also require proof of divorce if either of the applicants were married before.
Once the information has been furnished to the clerk’s satisfaction, he or she will provide a marriage license and file a record with the State Board of Health’s Office of Vital Records. It costs $38 to secure a marriage license in Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 41-57-48. Statistical record of marriage; completion; filing; recording fee.
(1) For each marriage performed in this state, a record entitled “Statistical Record of Marriage” shall be filed with the office of vital records registration of the State Board of Health by the circuit clerk who issued the marriage license and shall be registered if it has been completed and filed in accordance with this section.
(2) The circuit clerk who issues the marriage license shall complete the statistical record (except for the section relating to the ceremony) on a form prescribed and furnished by the State Board of Health and shall sign it. The record shall be prepared on the basis of information obtained from the parties to be married, and both the bride and the groom shall sign the record certifying that the information about themselves is correct.
(3) The person who performs the marriage ceremony shall complete and sign the section relating to the ceremony and shall return the record to the circuit clerk who issued the license within five (5) days after the ceremony.
Miss. Code Ann. § 93-1-5. Conditions precedent to issuance of license; penalty for noncompliance.
(1) ...
(a) Application for the license is to be made in writing to the clerk of the circuit court of any county in the State of Mississippi. The application shall be sworn to by both applicants and shall include:
(i) The names, ages and addresses of the parties applying;
(ii) The names and addresses of the parents of the applicants, and, for applicants under the age of twenty-one (21), if no parents, then names and addresses of the guardian or next of kin;
(iii) The signatures of witnesses; and
(iv) Any other data that may be required by law or the State Board of Health.
(b) Proof of age shall be presented to the circuit court clerk in the form of either a birth certificate, baptismal record, armed service discharge, armed service identification card, life insurance policy, insurance certificate, school record, driver’s license, or other official document evidencing age. The document substantiating age and date of birth shall be examined by the circuit court clerk before whom application is made, and the circuit court clerk shall retain in his file with the application the document or a certified or photostatic copy of the document.
Applying For a Marriage License in Mississippi
- ULC-Officiated Ceremony Type:
- Religious
- Mandatory Waiting Period:
- None
- License Valid For:
- No Expiration
- License Must Be Submitted:
- Within 5 Days of Ceremony
Unlike many other states, there is no maximum time limit between issuance of the marriage license and the wedding ceremony. This is an advantage for couples who need more time to prepare for their wedding. On the other hand, the Magnolia State requires a copy of the marriage record to be returned within five days of the wedding. This record should be signed by both the officiant and the newlyweds.
Miss. Code Ann. § 41-57-48. Statistical record of marriage; completion; filing; recording fee.
(3) The person who performs the marriage ceremony shall complete and sign the section relating to the ceremony and shall return the record to the circuit clerk who issued the license within five (5) days after the ceremony.
Mississippi Marriage Requirements
- Min. Age of Couple:
- Age 21 or Age 17 with Guardian Consent
- Residency:
- Not Required
- Min. Distance of Kin Allowed:
- Second Cousins
- Marriage Equality:
- Yes
Not one for conformity, Mississippi is the one state in which one must be at least 21 years old to consent to marriage. Exceptions to this rule vary based on the gender of the applicants. For men who are at least 17 and women who are at least 15, approval from parents or legal guardians must be provided to the circuit clerk.
LGBTQ+ couples are now permitted to marry given the US Supreme Court’s ruling in 2015; however, these gender-based provisions for minors must be adhered to.
The Magnolia State prohibits marriage between the following family relationships:
- Siblings
- First cousins
- Sons, parents, grandparents, stepparents and aunts/uncles
- Daughters and parents or grandparents
Interestingly enough, fathers are also forbidden from marrying the widows of their son. Marriages between a man and the children or grandchildren of his wife or any of his nephews and nieces is banned as well. The same rules are true for a woman and the same relationships.
Miss. Code Ann. § 93-1-1. Certain marriages declared incestuous and void.
(1) The son shall not marry his grandmother, his mother, or his stepmother; the brother his sister; the father his daughter, or his legally adopted daughter, or his grand-daughter; the son shall not marry the daughter of his father begotten of his stepmother, or his aunt, being his father’s or mother’s sister, nor shall the children of brother or sister, or brothers and sisters intermarry being first cousins by blood. The father shall not marry his son’s widow; a man shall not marry his wife’s daughter, or his wife’s daughter’s daughter, or his wife’s son’s daughter, or the daughter of his brother or sister; and the like prohibition shall extend to females in the same degrees. All marriages prohibited by this subsection are incestuous and void.
Miss. Code Ann. § 93-1-5. Conditions precedent to issuance of license; penalty for noncompliance.
(1) Every male who is at least seventeen (17) years old and every female who is at least fifteen (15) years old shall be capable in law of contracting marriage. However, males and females under the age twenty-one (21) years must furnish the circuit clerk satisfactory evidence of consent to the marriage by the parents or guardians of the parties. It shall be unlawful for the circuit court clerk to issue a marriage license until the following conditions precedent have been complied with:
(a) Application for the license is to be made in writing to the clerk of the circuit court of any county in the State of Mississippi. The application shall be sworn to by both applicants and shall include:
(i) The names, ages and addresses of the parties applying;
(ii) The names and addresses of the parents of the applicants, and, for applicants under the age of twenty-one (21), if no parents, then names and addresses of the guardian or next of kin;
(iii) The signatures of witnesses; and
(iv) Any other data that may be required by law or the State Board of Health.
(b) Proof of age shall be presented to the circuit court clerk in the form of either a birth certificate, baptismal record, armed service discharge, armed service identification card, life insurance policy, insurance certificate, school record, driver’s license, or other official document evidencing age. The document substantiating age and date of birth shall be examined by the circuit court clerk before whom application is made, and the circuit court clerk shall retain in his file with the application the document or a certified or photostatic copy of the document.
(c) Applicants under the age of twenty-one (21) must submit affidavits showing the age of both applying parties made by either the father, mother, guardian or next of kin of each of the contracting parties and filed with the clerk of the circuit court along with the application.
(d) If the male applicant is under seventeen (17) years of age or the female is under fifteen (15) years of age, and satisfactory proof is furnished to the judge of any circuit, chancery or county court that sufficient reasons exist and that the parties desire to be married to each other and that the parents or other person in loco parentis of the person or persons so under age consent to the marriage, then the judge of any such court in the county where either of the parties resides may waive the minimum age requirement and by written instrument authorize the clerk of the court to issue the marriage license to the parties if they are otherwise qualified by law. Authorization shall be a part of the confidential files of the clerk of the court, subject to inspection only by written permission of the judge.
Finalizing the Union
- Officiant's Title on Marriage License:
- Minister
- Church/Ordaining Body:
- Universal Life Church Ministries
- Address of Church:
- Minister's Home Address
After an officiant has formally pronounced the couple as married spouses, he or she is responsible for making sure that the marriage certificate lists the date of the ceremony, pertinent info about the couple, the officiant’s title, the religious organization of ordainment (in your case, the Universal Life Church) and addresses of residence. Remember that it is your responsibility to make sure that the document is properly endorsed. You must remit the marriage license and certificate to the applicable clerk of issuance no later than five days after the ceremony.