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 Kansas. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Kansas. 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 Kansas.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
- Minister Registration Required: Sometimes
- Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 3 Days
- Marriage License Valid For: 6 Months
- Marriage License Return Within: 10 Days
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Kansas
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 Kansas
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
Kansas's Top Wedding Spot
Lone Summit Ranch, just outside of Kansas City
3 License to Marry in Kansas
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 Kansas to get an Ordination Package and add a Letter of Good Standing to her or his order. While Minister registration is not technically required in Kansas it has been reported to us that ministers ordained online with the Universal Life Church are often required to present proof of ordination to the county clerk before the marriages performed will be accepted as having been legally solemnized. As an added bonus, 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.
Marriage may be validly performed and joined in this state, after a license has been issued for the marriage. You will need to have mutual declarations of the couple to be joined in marriage, made before you, the ordained minister, and in the presence of at least 2 competent witnesses.
4 How to get Married in Kansas
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 Kansas marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is valid for 6 months, and there is a mandatory 3-day waiting period between when the couple receives the marriage license in Kansas and when the ceremony may be legally performed. Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office within 10 days of the completion of the wedding ceremony.
At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Kansas, 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 Kansas 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 How to Hold a Wedding in Kansas
Have you been asked to officiate a marriage in Kansas? If so, there are a few things that are good to keep in mind. Summer weddings are popular in Kansas, but primarily among those hearty enough to brave the heat. If your couple belongs to that contingent, make sure you have a warm-weather officiant outfit handy so you don’t suffer in the sun.
If the wedding will be held outside (or semi-outside, such as in a barn wedding venue), don’t forget to look at the forecast and dress for the elements. Springtime, especially, can be unpredictable and deliver unexpected weather conditions.
Finally, you might be curious how much a wedding minister should charge in Kansas. There isn’t a simple answer, as fees can vary widely based on experience level, amount of involvement, and other responsibilities the couple might ask to be covered. Costs are also determined by geography; more urban areas that have higher costs of living will tend to present higher typical officiant fees that you might find in rural locales.
Kansas Marriage Code
Marriage in Kansas is governed by Chapter 23 of the Kansas Codified 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.23-2504."Solemnizing marriage; persons authorized to officiate. (a) Marriage may be validly solemnized and contracted in this state, after a license has been issued for the marriage, in the following manner: By the mutual declarations of the two parties to be joined in marriage, made before an authorized officiating person and in the presence of at least two competent witnesses over 18 years of age, other than the officiating person, that they take each other as husband and wife. (b)"The following are authorized to be officiating persons: (1)"Any currently ordained clergyman or religious authority of any religious denomination or society; (2)"any licentiate of a denominational body or an appointee of any bishop serving as the regular clergyman of any church of the denomination to which the licentiate or appointee belongs, if not restrained from so doing by the discipline of that church or denomination; View the Kansas Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for Kansas state:
Kansas Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
