How To Perform A Wedding Ceremony - Become Ordained with the Universal Life Church

Are you interested in learning how to perform a wedding ceremony? The Universal Life Church Monastery’s online ordination allows anyone from anywhere in the world to legally perform a wedding ceremony. Simply complete the following two steps after you become ordained online and the county clerk for the county in which your friend or family member’s wedding will be located will allow you to file for a marriage license.

First, contact the county clerk of the county where the wedding will be performed and tell them you are a newly ordained minister, and you need advice on performing a wedding ceremony in that area. There may be a registration process whereby you will be required to show certain documentation. This may include an ordination credential, letter of good standing, or other documentation that is available from our website. In some cases, no documentation or registration is required.

Once you have the required documentation in hand, Move onto the second step.


Second, inquire about what forms of credentials and ministerial documentation you will be required to present to the clerk in order to successfully file for a marriage license. It is possible that you will not be required to present anything to the clerk; for example, a minister who performs a wedding in our home state of Washington doesn’t need anything other than their word that they have been ordained to file for a marriage license. Most states do require Universal Life Church ministers to bring at least an ordination credential, and occasionally some other forms of documentation, to prove that they are in fact wedding officiants. If the county you hope to perform a wedding ceremony in has such a requirement in place, know that you can find all the requisite documentation and credentials in the Ministry Products section of this site.

Completing the above two steps will give you all that you need to be recognized as a wedding officiant for your friend or family member’s wedding. If you have additional questions about the wedding itself, from deciding what to wear or how to plan the ceremony, please visit the Perform A Wedding section of this site.