Wyoming Wedding Laws
Wyoming is known for its stark, untamed, natural beauty. It boasts several features and venues that can make for a magnificent wedding ceremony, including Devils Tower, the Rocky Mountains, and Yellowstone National Park. However, for your Wyoming wedding to be legally binding, you must meet the requirements outlined in the legal code. The following is an overview of the most important steps you must take when planning and carrying out your Wyoming wedding.
Getting Married in Wyoming
- Marriage By Proxy Allowed:
- No
- Minister Required to be Present:
- Yes
- Number of Witnesses Required:
- 2
- Min. Age of Witnesses:
- 18 Years
- Couple's Consent Required:
- Yes
- Pronouncement Required:
- Yes
A legally binding marriage in Wyoming requires both member of the couple to express consent and then sign the marriage certificate in the presence of an officiant and at least two other adult witnesses. The officiant then makes a public pronouncement solemnizing the marriage. All parties must be physically present at the venue for the ceremony to be valid. As long as these requirements are met, the rest of the ceremony can be customized according to personal taste.
Wyoming Marriage Requirements
- Min. Age of Couple:
- Age 18 or Age 16 with Guardian Consent
- Residency:
- Not Required
- Min. Distance of Kin Allowed:
- Second Cousins
- Marriage Equality:
- Yes
Wyoming recognizes the legal validity of same-sex marriages as of 2015, meaning that LGBT+ couples can marry here. There are no residency requirements for marriage, which means that you can hold your ceremony here even if you live out of state or out of the country.
However, Wyoming does impose age restrictions, meaning that both you and your intended spouse must be at least 18 years old. There is an exception for minors who have the written consent of a recognized legal guardian, such as a parent, or the approval of a state judge.
20-1-102. Minimum marriageable age; exception; parental consent. (a) At the time of marriage the parties shall be at least sixteen (16) years of age except as otherwise provided. (b) All marriages involving a person under sixteen (16) years of age are prohibited and voidable, unless before contracting the marriage a judge of a court of record in Wyoming approves the marriage and authorizes the county clerk to issue a license therefor. (c) When either party is a minor, no license shall be granted without the verbal consent, if present, and written consent, if absent, of the father, mother, guardian or person having the care and control of the minor. Written consent shall be proved by the testimony of at least one (1) competent witness.
How to Become a Wedding Officiant in Wyoming
- Min. Age of Minister:
- Age 18
- Residency:
- Not Required
- Document(s) Required:
- Varies by County
- Online Ordination Recognized:
- Yes
- Relevant Office of Registration:
- County Clerk
- Latest Document(s) Submission Date Allowed:
- Varies by County
- Minister I.D. # Issued:
- No
While the couple can obtain their marriage license from any county in Wyoming, it may be more convenient for the minister performing the ceremony if they obtain the license in the county where the wedding is to take place. This is because the officiant has to contact the same office to find out about the requirements for physical ministerial documentation and other documents needed for registration. These requirements vary by county.
Otherwise, the personal belief system, identifying gender, or residence of the minister makes no difference to his or her qualification to perform a wedding ceremony. Officiants must be 18 years old and duly authorized or ordained by an organization such as the Universal Life Church.
Applying For a Marriage License in Wyoming
- ULC-Officiated Ceremony Type:
- Religious
- Mandatory Waiting Period:
- None
- License Valid For:
- 1 Year
- License Must Be Submitted:
- Within 10 Days of Ceremony
Once you obtain your Wyoming marriage license, it is valid for up to one year from the date of issuance. This means that you can obtain the license fairly early in the planning process. Wyoming does not hurry you into the wedding process, but neither does it impose any waiting period. This means that, if desired, the ceremony can take place on the same day that you receive your license.
Wyoming law regards an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church as a religious actor. However, this only affects his or her legal standing. It does not affect the requirements for your wedding. The law of Wyoming does not require you to have a religious wedding ceremony.
20-1-106. Who may solemnize marriage; form of ceremony. (a) Every district or circuit court judge, district court commissioner, supreme court justice, magistrate and every licensed or ordained minister of the gospel, bishop, priest or rabbi, or other qualified person acting in accordance with the traditions or rites for the solemnization of marriage of any religion, denomination or religious society, may perform the ceremony of marriage in this state
How to Get a Wyoming Marriage License
- Who Picks Up License:
- The Couple
- Where License is Valid:
- Any County in Wyoming
- Marriage License Pick-Up:
- In Person Only
- Cost of License:
- $30.00
- Accepted I.D. Types:
- Photo ID
- Proof of Divorce Required (If Applicable):
- No
- Blood Test Required:
- No
You and your spouse-to-be must apply for your Wyoming marriage license in person at the office of a county clerk. You must each present an official form of government-issued photo identification and pay a fee of $30. Before issuing and dating your marriage license, the clerk will verify the relevant information. You must pick up the license in person upon issuance.
It is important to note that Wyoming does NOT require that you obtain your marriage license in the county where the wedding will take place. You can apply for your license from any county clerk in the state. You are not required to have a blood test or to submit proof of prior divorce.
20-1-103. License; required. (a) Before solemnization of any marriage in this state, a marriage license shall be obtained from a Wyoming county clerk. (b) Application for a marriage license shall be made by one (1) of the parties to the marriage before the license is issued. Upon receipt of an application, the county clerk shall ascertain by the testimony of a competent witness and the applicant, the names, the social security numbers of the parties who have valid social security numbers, residences and ages of the parties and whether there is any legal impediment to the parties entering into the marriage contract according to the laws of the state of their residence. The clerk shall enter the facts ascertained in a book kept by him for that purpose, except for the social security numbers which shall be provided to the state office of vital records and not made a part of the county public record. He may issue a license to marry and shall date the license on the date of issuance except as otherwise provided.
Finalizing the Union
- Officiant's Title on Marriage License:
- Minister
- Church/Ordaining Body:
- Universal Life Church Ministries
- Address of Church:
- Minister's Home Address
At this point, the responsibility rests on the officiant to fill out the rest of the marriage license correctly and resubmit it within 10 days of the ceremony to the county clerk's office that issued it in the first place. There can be serious consequences in failing to live up to this responsibility. The minister may have to spend up to a year in jail and pay a $500 fine.
Ministers ordained by ULC may be confused about the correct way to fill out their portion of the Wyoming marriage license. "Universal Life Church Ministries" can be entered as the relevant church, "minister" is sufficient for their title, and if the license asks for a church address, the officiant can just provide his or her home address.
20-1-108. Offenses relating to marriage generally.If the county clerk neglects to record a marriage certificate, or if any person performs a marriage ceremony knowing that he is not legally authorized to do so or knowing of any legal impediment to the proposed marriage , he is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or imprisonment for not exceeding one (1) year. 20-1-109. When marriage solemnized by unauthorized person valid. No marriage solemnized in any manner authorized by W.S. 20-1-106, shall be deemed or adjudged to be void, nor is the validity of the marriage in any way affected because of a lack of jurisdiction or authority of the person performing the ceremony of marriage if the marriage is consummated with a full belief on the part of the persons so married, or either of them, that the person performing the ceremony was lawfully authorized to do so.
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