How to Perform a Wedding in Colorado

1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Colorado

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!

3 License to Marry in Colorado

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 Colorado to get an Ordination Package. While Minister registration is not technically required in Colorado 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 will also provide 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.

The state of Colorado is one of the few places in the United States that allows people to solemnize their own marriage. Colorado Revised Statute 14-02-0109 allows couples to perform their own wedding ceremony with or without religious authorization. The couple must, of course, meet the age and status requirements for marriage before performing a ceremony. It is important to note that, in the case of self-married couples, both the bride and groom must list themselves as the officiants on their marriage certificate and only the bride and groom may list themselves as officiants.

4 How to get Married in Colorado

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 Colorado marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is valid for 30 days, and there is no mandatory waiting period between when the couple receives the marriage license in Colorado and when the ceremony may be legally performed. Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office before its date of expiry.

At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Colorado, 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 Colorado 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 Colorado Wedding Considerations

Planning to perform a wedding in Colorado is an exciting ordeal! There are a few factors unique to the state that you will want to consider when making your arrangements. First of all, adventurers from all over are drawn to the outdoor wedding venues in Colorado for the vast mountainous beauty. This can mean you may be planning for chilly weather or maybe even snow! Pack warm layers and book four-wheel-drive transportation if you are officiating off-road or at high elevation. People often wonder how much a wedding minister should charge in Colorado, but the truth is there’s no cut and dry answer – fees might vary widely based on the minister’s experience level, amount of involvement, and other responsibilities the couple might need covered. For example, are they just going to be running the ceremony or are they also hosting the rehearsal and acting as a master of ceremonies for the resort of the evening? The distance that the minister is going to be traveling must also be figured into the price for time and travel expenses. If the couple is planning to hold their ceremony in a large city or expensive destination, they should be expecting that the minister will have a higher fee as well.