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

West Virginia 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 West Virginia. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in West Virginia. 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 West Virginia.

Quick Facts
  • ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
  • Minister Registration Required: Yes
  • 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: By Expiration
Regional Information

For more specific information about performing a wedding in certain parts of West Virginia, 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 West Virginia

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 West Virginia

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 West Virginia Officiant Requirements

After you've contacted your marriage authority, you should visit our online store to purchase whatever documentation will be required. West Virginia county clerks have more specific policies in place than many other states in the country for wedding officiants. Additionally, you will want to add a Letter of Good Standing to your order. We've heard from other ULC ministers in the area that county clerks will typically ask for both documents before accepting any marriages that you perform as having been legally solemnized. 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.

You would be wise to add a Letter of Good Standing and might explore our entire catalog to see if there aren't any other neat ministerial items you'd like to add to your arsenal.

4 How to get Married in West Virginia

West Virginia's Top Wedding Spot

West Virginia's Top Wedding Spot

Opossum Creek Retreat, in Lansing with easy access to hiking, river rafting and state parks

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 West Virginia marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is valid for 30 days, and there is a 3-day waiting period between when the couple applies for the marriage license in West Virginia and when they may pick it up and legally solemnize the marriage. Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office before its expiry.

At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in West Virginia, 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia Wedding Need-To-Knows

The mountainous state of West Virginia has an ideal wedding venue for every couple, no matter what they're looking for. West Virginia is particularly perfect for couples envisioning a stylistically rustic wedding. More and more couples are opting for the favorable climate of a West Virginia spring for their wedding but summer and early fall are popular too. However, it is important to be cautious and aware of the summer thunderstorms as the weather can be temperamental during the warmer months. As the largest cities in West Virginia, Charleston and Huntington offer a variety of venue options with some very affordable options starting at $2,000 to more extravagant venues that'll cost around $13,000. The most popular time to get married is early fall, so be sure to book your venue well in advance if you are considering a wedding at that time. There are many factors to consider when deciding how much to charge as an officiant, such as how experienced the officiant is, how much preparation will be involved and if travel will be required. However, the typical cost for an experienced officiant is between $200-$500.


West Virginia Marriage Code

West Virginia Flag

West Virginia Marriage Code

Marriage in West Virginia is governed by West Virginia Code 48-2-201. Ministers who got ordained online with the Universal Life Church have successfully solemnized thousands of weddings in the state. Below, you will find that we have reproduced a relevant excerpt of this code.

§48-2-401. Persons authorized to perform marriages. A religious representative who has complied with the provisions of section 2-402, a family court judge, a circuit judge or a justice of the supreme court of appeals, is authorized to celebrate the rites of marriage in any county of this state. Celebration or solemnization of a marriage means the performance of the formal act or ceremony by which a man and woman contract marriage and assume the status of husband and wife. View the West Virginia Statutes on the official state site.

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Learn All About Marriage Law in West Virginia

See the Full Statutes

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Barbour County

26 North Main Street
Philippi, West Virginia
26416

Phone: (304) 457-2232
Fax: (304) 457-5983
Barbour County website »

Berkeley County

100 West King Street
Martinsburg, West Virginia
25401

Phone: (304) 264-1927
Fax: (304) 267-1794
Berkeley County website »

Boone County

200 State Street
Madison, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 369-7301
Boone County website »

Braxton County

300 Main Street or PO Box 486
Sutton, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 765-2833
Fax: (304) 765-2093
Braxton County website »

Brooke County

632 Main Street
Wellsburg, West Virginia
26070

Phone: (304) 737-3661
Brooke County website »

Cabell County

750 5th Avenue Suite 108
Huntington, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 526-8625
Fax: (304) 526-8632
Cabell County website »

Calhoun County

300 Main St.
Grantsville, West Virginia
26147

Phone: (304) 354-6725
Fax: (304) 354-6447
Calhoun County website »

Clay County

200 Main St.
Clay, West Virginia
25043

Phone: (304) 587-4256
Fax: (304) 587-4202
Clay County website »

Doddridge County

108 East Court Street, Suite 1
West Union, West Virginia
26456

Phone: (304) 873-2631
Fax: (304) 873-1840
Doddridge County website »

Fayette County

120 Court Street
Fayetteville, West Virginia
25840

Phone: (304) 574-4226
Fax: (304) 574-4335
Fayette County website »

Gilmer County

10 Howard Street
Glenville, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 461-7641
Fax: (304) 462-8855
Gilmer County website »

Grant County

5 Highland Avenue
Petersburg, West Virginia
26847

Phone: (304) 257-4550
Fax: (304) 257-4207
Grant County website »

Greenbrier County

912 Court Street N
Lewisburg, West Virginia
24901

Phone: (304) 647-6602
Fax: (304) 647-6694
Greenbrier County website »

Hampshire County

19 E. Main Street
Romney, West Virginia
26757

Phone: (304) 822-5112
Fax: (304) 822-4039
Hampshire County website »

Hancock County

106 N Court St
New Cumberland, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 564-3311
Fax: (304) 564-5941
Hancock County website »

Hardy County

204 Washington St. Rm 111
Moorefield, West Virginia
26836

Phone: (304) 530-0250
Fax: (304) 530-0251
Hardy County website »

Harrison County

301 W Main St
Clarksburg, West Virginia
26301

Phone: (304) 624-8675
Fax: (304) 624-8575
Harrison County website »

Jackson County

100 Court Street North
Ripley, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 373-2250
Fax: (304) 372-1107
Jackson County website »

Jefferson County

100 East Washington Street
Charles Town, West Virginia
25414

Phone: (304) 728-3215
Jefferson County website »

Kanawha County

409 Virginia Street East
Charleston, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 357-0130
Fax: (304) 357-0585
Kanawha County website »

Lewis County

110 Center Avenue
Weston, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 269-8215
Fax: (304) 269-8202
Lewis County website »

Lincoln County

8000 Court Ave
Hamlin, West Virginia
25523

Phone: (304) 824-7990 Ext 233
Fax: (304) 824-2444
Lincoln County website »

Logan County

300 Stratton Street
Logan, West Virginia
25601

Phone: (304) 792-8600
Fax: (304) 792-8621
Logan County website »

Marion County

219 Adams Street or PO Box 1267
Fairmont, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 367-5440
Fax: (304) 367-5448
Marion County website »

Marshall County

600 7th St, Room 106
Moundsville, West Virginia
26041

Phone: (304) 845-1220
Fax: (304) 845-5891
Marshall County website »

Mason County

200 Sixth Street Suite 7
Point Pleasant, West Virginia
25550

Phone: (304) 675-1997
Fax: (304) 675-2521
Mason County website »

McDowell County

90 Wyoming Street, Suite 109
Welch, West Virginia
24801

Phone: (304) 436-8544
Fax: (304) 436-8576
McDowell County website »

Mercer County

1501 West Main Street, Suite 121
Princeton, West Virginia
24740

Phone: (304) 487-8455
Fax: (304) 487-9842
Mercer County website »

Mineral County

150 Armstrong St # 103
Keyser, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 788-3924
Mineral County website »

Mingo County

75 E 2nd Ave
Williamson, West Virginia
25661

Phone: (304) 235-0330
Fax: (304) 235-0565
Mingo County website »

Monongalia County

243 High St., Courthouse Room 123
Morgantown, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 291-7230
Fax: (304) 291-7233
Monongalia County website »

Monroe County

350 Main Street
Union, West Virginia
24983

Phone: (304) 772-3096
Monroe County website »

Morgan County

77 Fairfax Street, Room 102
Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 258-8547
Fax: (304) 258-8545
Morgan County website »

Nicholas County

700 Main, First Floor
Summersville, West Virginia
26651

Phone: (304) 872-7820
Nicholas County website »

Ohio County

1500 Chapline Street
Wheeling, West Virginia
26003

Phone: (304) 234-3656
Fax: (304) 234-3829
Ohio County website »

Pendleton County

100 South Main Street
Franklin, West Virginia
26807

Phone: (304) 358-2505
Fax: (304) 358-2473
Pendleton County website »

Pleasants County

301 Court Ln, Room 101
St Marys, West Virginia
26170

Phone: (304) 684-3542
Pleasants County website »

Pocahontas County

900C 10th Avenue
Marlinton, West Virginia
24954

Phone: (304) 799-4549
Fax: (304) 799-6947
Pocahontas County website »

Preston County

106 West Main St, Suite 103
Kingwood, West Virginia
26537

Phone: (304) 329-0070
Fax: (304) 329-3192
Preston County website »

Putnam County

12093 Winfield Road, Suite 3
Winfield, West Virginia
25213

Phone: (304) 586-0202
Putnam County website »

Raleigh County

215 Main St
Beckley, West Virginia
25801

Phone: (304) 255-9123
Raleigh County website »

Randolph County

2 Randolph Avenue
Elkins, West Virginia
26241

Phone: (304) 636-0543
Fax: (304) 636-0544
Randolph County website »

Ritchie County

115 East Main Street, Room 201
Harrisville, West Virginia
26326

Phone: (304) 643-2164 ext 221
Fax: (304) 643-2906
Ritchie County website »

Roane County

200 Main Street
Spencer, West Virginia
25276

Phone: (304) 927-2860
Fax: (304) 927-2489
Roane County website »

Summers County

120 Ballengee Street, Suite 106
Hinton, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 466-7104
Fax: (304) 466-7146
Summers County website »

Taylor County

214 West Main Street, Room 101
Grafton, West Virginia
26354

Phone: (304) 265-1401
Fax: (304) 265-5450
Taylor County website »

Tucker County

211 First Street, Suite 205
Parsons, West Virginia
26287

Phone: (304) 478-2414 ext 201
Fax: (304) 478-2217
Tucker County website »

Tyler County

121 Main Street
Middlebourne, West Virginia
26149

Phone: (304) 758-2102 ext 3
Fax: (304) 758-2126
Tyler County website »

Upshur County

40 West Main Street, Room 101
Buckhannon, West Virginia

Phone: (304) 472-1068
Fax: (304) 472-1029
Upshur County website »

Wayne County

700 Hendricks Street
Wayne, West Virginia
25570

Phone: (304) 272-6362
Wayne County website »

Webster County

2 Court Square, Room G1
Webster Springs, West Virginia
26288

Phone: (304) 847-2508
Fax: (304) 847-5780
Webster County website »

Wetzel County

200 Main St.
New Martinsville, West Virginia
26155

Phone: (304) 455-8224
Fax: (304) 455-5256
Wetzel County website »

Wirt County

50 Court St
Elizabeth, West Virginia
26143

Phone: (304) 275-4271
Fax: (304) 275-3418
Wirt County website »

Wood County

1 Court Square
Parkersburg, West Virginia
26101

Phone: (304) 424-1850
Wood County website »

Wyoming County

506A River Road
Pineville, West Virginia
24874

Phone: (304) 732-8000
Fax: (304) 732-9659
Wyoming County website »