Created and reviewed for accuracy by researchers at the Universal Life Church Ministries

Oregon Outline

Congratulations! If you've found yourself at this page it is likely that you are either planning to be married or have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony in Oregon. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Oregon. The information provided below will walk you through the steps one must follow to become a minister and perform a valid wedding ceremony in the state of Oregon.

Quick Facts
  • ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
  • Minister Registration Required: No
  • Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
  • Minister's Minimum Age: 18
  •  
  • Marriage License Waiting Period: 3 Days
  • Marriage License Valid For: 60 Days
  • Marriage License Return Within: 5 Days
Regional Information

For more specific information about performing a wedding in certain parts of Oregon, choose a location below. If your area isn't listed, don't worry - just continue scrolling to review the helpful general information on this page.

1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Oregon

If you haven't already, you should get ordained online with the Universal Life Church. Ordination is free and can be completed in just a matter of minutes. Thousands of legally valid marriages are performed by ULC ministers around the world every year. Begin the process by clicking the big blue button below!

2 Officiating a Wedding in Oregon

Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk). Let them know that you are a minister of the Universal Life Church in Seattle, and ask what they will require of you to officiate a legal marriage.

Select your County Clerk to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.



Select a county contact

3 Oregon Officiant Requirements

After you've contacted your marriage authority, you should visit our online store to purchase whatever documentation will be required. We typically advise ministers in Oregon to get an Ordination Package. While minister registration is not required in the state of Oregon, you may be asked by the county clerk to present proof of ordination before the marriage will be accepted as having been legally solemnized. Additionally, please attempt to leave at least 3 weeks between the date of the wedding ceremony and your order, to ensure that you receive all of your materials in advance.

Please note that the State of Oregon requires that at least two witnesses over the age of 18 be present at the wedding ceremony, apart from the officiant.

4 How to get Married in Oregon

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Oregon's Top Wedding Spot

Portland's Lucier is the big news in party venues

Now that you've done all of the above, you are ready to perform the wedding! Be sure that the couple has picked up their Oregon marriage license from the appropriate office. This license will expire 60 days after it is issued, and there is a mandatory 3-day waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license in Oregon and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. The signed license must be returned to the issuing office within 10 days of the ceremony.

At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Oregon, after they've received their license to marry by getting ordained online, asking for guidance on how to perform a wedding ceremony. Once the legal matters have been taken care of, officiating a wedding (while a sometimes-daunting task) can be a great deal of fun. We would suggest that new Oregon wedding ministers concerned about the ceremony peruse one of our helpful wedding guides. The minister training section of our website should offer a helpful refresher for more experienced ministers.

5 Advice for Performing an Oregon Wedding

Whether your couple is drawn to the urban-hipster chic of Portland, the serenity of a mature grove of Douglas Firs, or the wide open expanse of the Oregon coast, Oregon has a little something for everyone in the way of wedding destinations. As the wedding officiant, your job is to ensure the bride and groom end up legally hitched. We’ve got you covered. Oregon features a variety of climates that make offseason weddings (winter and spring) unusually unpopular. Over 50% of Oregonians favor summer weddings, and of the remaining population, a staggering 30% favor autumn weddings. If you’re officiating a wedding for a family member or friend, your wedding will likely fall within this time frame. But if you’re an officiant looking to market yourself to the Oregon populace, take note that a whopping 85% of Oregon weddings take place within six months of the year. In other words, there's a definite "high" and "low" season for weddings. Now that you understand how to generally position yourself within the Oregon wedding officiant market, there’s just one more question left to answer. How much should I charge? The truth is there’s no easy answer. Start by asking other ministers how they assess what they should charge. Your pricing should consider your own experience, ceremony requirements, and wedding location.


Oregon Marriage Code

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Oregon Marriage Code

Marriage laws in Oregon are primarily directed by Chapter 106 of Title 11 of Oregon's revised statutes, which defines the persons authorized to perform a marriage in the State of Oregon. This includes ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church, among other individuals. We've reproduced a portion of this code below.

106.120 Who may solemnize marriage; fee; personal payment; records. (2) Marriages may be solemnized by: (a) A judicial officer; (b) A county clerk; (c) Religious congregations or organizations as indicated in ORS 106.150 (2); or (d) A clergyperson of any religious congregation or organization who is authorized by the congregation or organization to solemnize marriages. (3) A person authorized to solemnize marriages under subsection (2) of this section may solemnize a marriage anywhere in this state. View the Oregon Statutes on the official state site.

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Learn All About Marriage Law in Oregon

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Baker County

1995 Third Street, Suite 150
Baker City, Oregon
97814

Phone: (541) 523-8207
Fax: (541) 523-8240
Baker County website »

Benton County

120 NW 4th Street, Room 4
Corvallis, Oregon

Phone: (541) 766-6831
Fax: (541) 766-6675
Benton County website »

Clackamas County

1710 Red Soils Ct. Suite 110
Oregon City, Oregon
97045

Phone: (503) 655-8551
Fax: (503) 650-5688
Clackamas County website »

Clatsop County

820 Exchange St., Suite 220
Astoria, Oregon
97103

Phone: (503) 325-8511
Fax: (503) 325-9307
Clatsop County website »

Columbia County

230 Strand Street
St. Helens, Oregon

Phone: (503) 397-3796
Fax: (888) 397-7210
Columbia County website »

Coos County

250 N. Baxter
Coquille, Oregon

Phone: (541) 396-7600
Coos County website »

Crook County

300 NE 3rd Street, Room 23
Prineville, Oregon
97754

Phone: (541) 447-6553
Fax: (541) 416-3891
Crook County website »

Curry County

29821 Ellensburg Ave
Gold Beach, Oregon
97444

Phone: (541) 247-3295
Curry County website »

Deschutes County

1300 NW Wall Street, Suite 202
Bend, Oregon

Phone: (541) 388-6549
Fax: (541) 383-4424
Deschutes County website »

Douglas County

1036 SE Douglas Ave. Room 124
Roseburg, Oregon
97470

Phone: (541) 440-6113
Fax: (541) 440-4408
Douglas County website »

Gilliam County

221 S. Oregon St, Room 200
Condon, Oregon
97823

Phone: (541) 384-2311
Fax: (541) 384-2166
Gilliam County website »

Grant County

201 S. Humbolt, Suite 290
Canyon City, Oregon
97820

Phone: (541) 575-1675
Fax: (541) 575-2248
Grant County website »

Harney County

450 N Buena Vista
Burns, Oregon

Phone: (541) 573-6641
Fax: (541) 573-8370
Harney County website »

Hood River County

601 State Street
Hood River, Oregon

Phone: (541) 386-1442
Fax: (541) 387-6864
Hood River County website »

Jackson County

10 South Oakdale, Room 114
Medford, Oregon

Phone: (541) 774-6152
Fax: (541) 774-6714
Jackson County website »

Jefferson County

66 S.E. D Street, Suite C
Madras, Oregon
97741

Phone: (541) 475-4451
Fax: (541) 325-5018
Jefferson County website »

Josephine County

500 NW Sixth Street, Room 170
Grant's Pass, Oregon
97526

Phone: (541) 474-5240
Fax: (541) 474-5246
Josephine County website »

Klamath County

305 Main Street
Klamath Falls, Oregon
97601

Phone: (541) 883-5134
Fax: (541) 885-6757
Klamath County website »

Lake County

513 Center Street
Lakeview, Oregon

Phone: (541) 947-6006
Fax: (541) 947-0905
Lake County website »

Lane County

125 E. 8th Ave
Eugene, Oregon
97401

Phone: (541) 682-3653
Lane County website »

Lincoln County

225 West Olive Street, Room 201
Newport, Oregon
97365

Phone: (541) 265-4131
Fax: (541) 265-4950
Lincoln County website »

Linn County

300 SW 4th Ave, Room 205
Albany, Oregon
97321

Phone: (541) 967-3831
Fax: (541) 926-5109
Linn County website »

Malheur County

Malheur County Courthouse<br>251 "B" Street West, Room 101
Vale, Oregon
97918

Phone: (541) 473-5151
Fax: (541) 473-5523
Malheur County website »

Marion County

555 Court Street NE
Salem, Oregon
97301

Phone: (503) 588-5225
Marion County website »

Morrow County

100 S Court St, Suite 102
Heppner, Oregon
97836

Phone: (541) 676-5604
Fax: (541) 676-9876
Morrow County website »

Multnomah County

501 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 175
Portland, Oregon
97214

Phone: (503) 988-3326 #4
Multnomah County website »

Polk County

850 Main Street
Dallas, Oregon
97338

Phone: (503) 623-9217
Fax: (503) 623-0717
Polk County website »

Sherman County

500 Court St
Moro, Oregon

Phone: (541) 565-3606
Fax: (541) 565-3771
Sherman County website »

Tillamook County

201 Laurel Avenue
Tillamook, Oregon
97141

Phone: (503) 842-3402
Fax: (503) 842-1599
Tillamook County website »

Umatilla County

216 SE 4th Street, Room 106
Pendleton, Oregon
97801

Phone: (541) 278-6236
Fax: (541) 278-6345
Umatilla County website »

Union County

1001 Fourth Street
La Grande, Oregon

Phone: (541) 963-1006
Fax: (541) 963-1013
Union County website »

Wallowa County

101 S. River Street Rm 100
Enterprise, Oregon
97828

Phone: (541) 426-4543
Fax: (541) 426-5901
Wallowa County website »

Wasco County

511 Washington Street, Suite 201
The Dalles, Oregon
97058

Phone: (541) 506-2530
Fax: (541) 506-2531
Wasco County website »

Washington County

155 N First Ave, Room 130 MS9
Hillsboro, Oregon
97124

Phone: (503) 846-8752
Fax: (503) 846-3909
Washington County website »

Wheeler County

701 Adams St., Ste. 204
Fossil, Oregon
97830

Phone: (541) 763-2374
Fax: (541) 763-2026
Wheeler County website »

Yamhill County

414 NE Evans Street
McMinnville, Oregon

Phone: (503) 434-7518
Fax: (503) 434-7520
Yamhill County website »