Created and reviewed for accuracy by researchers at the Universal Life Church Ministries
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 Arizona. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Arizona. 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 Arizona.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
- Minister Registration Required: No
- Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 0 Days
- Marriage License Valid For: 1 Year
- Marriage License Return Within: 20 Days
For more specific information about performing a wedding in certain parts of Arizona, 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 Arizona
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 Arizona
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 Court Clerk to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact
3 License to Marry in Arizona
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 Arizona to get an Ordination Package. Although minister registration is not required in Arizona you may be asked to display proof of your ordination to the county clerks before they will accept the marriage as having been legally solemnized. Having this proof of your ordination can also provide a great deal of peace-of-mind to any couple that you intend to marry. 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.
4 How to get Married in Arizona
Arizona's Top Wedding Spot
Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona
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 Arizona marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is valid for 1 year, and there is no mandatory waiting period between when the couple receives the marriage license in Arizona and when the ceremony may be legally performed. Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office within 20 days.
At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Arizona, 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 Arizona 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 Tips for Officiating Weddings in Arizona
Have you been asked to perform an Arizona wedding? Being able to count on sunny skies and low humidity helps with planning what to wear and really opens up options for wedding venues in Arizona. With desert in the south and mountains in the north, there is always an outdoor wedding in Arizona with great weather. Sedona, Arizona wedding venues are always popular locations from January to March, for example. Remember that Arizona does not observe daylight savings, so out of state ministers should double check their clocks when officiating in spring or fall! When deciding what an appropriate charge for ministerial services are, you will need to factor in the location of the wedding, the distance required to travel, and the amount of experience you have. In large cities the prices will likely be higher than in less populated areas of the state. Also be sure to figure in the amount of involvement that you will have. Are you running the rehearsal and acting as a wedding planner and M.C. of the event, or just showing up to officiate on the date of? The level of responsibility you take on will help dictate what a fair price is for your services.
Arizona Marriage Code
Arizona Marriage Code
Marriage in Arizona is governed by Title 25 of Arizona's Statutes. 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.25-125. Marriage ceremony; official; witnesses; marriage license; covenant marriages A. A valid marriage is contracted by a male person and a female person with a proper marriage license who participate in a ceremony conducted by and in the presence of a person who is authorized to solemnize marriages and at which at least two witnesses who are at least eighteen years of age participate. View the Arizona Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for Arizona state:
Arizona Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
