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 Montana. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Montana. 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 Montana.
- 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: 6 Months
- Marriage License Return Within: 30 Days
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Montana
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 Montana
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 Clerk of Courts to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact
Montana's Top Wedding Spot
Open-air Apgar Amphitheater, inside Glacier National Park, overlooks Lake McDonald
3 License to Marry in Montana
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 Montana to get an Ordination Package. 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.
An interesting fact for Montana wedding officiants: Montana is one of the few states in the United States that permits marriage by proxy per the Montana code annotated. If one of the persons to be wed is unable to be at the ceremony, the couple may authorize in writing a third person to act as proxy in the wedding. If the minister is satisfied that the absent person is unable to be present and has the consented to the marriage, the person may continue with the marriage by proxy.
4 How to get Married in Montana
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 Montana marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is valid for 6 months, and there is no waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. Please note that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office within 30 days of the ceremony.
At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Montana, 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 Montana 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 Important Montana Wedding Tips
Forests, meadows, mountains, and more wildflowers than you can imagine wait to set the backdrop for your Montana wedding. The summer season sees over 60% of weddings in the state, and with so much natural beauty, it's not hard to understand why. Summer months are warm and balmy, with slight breezes being very common. Planning ahead is, as ever, always important. If you are officiating a wedding outdoors in the Summer, you may need to plan a number of outfits in advance, depending on the weather conditions. Winter weddings, which are not as common, will be easier to plan, with many indoor venues available to provide shelter from the rainy and snowy Montana winters. Wedding officiant fees in Montana can vary substantially depending the officiant’s level of experience, whether travel is involved, and how complex the ceremony will be. With so much natural beauty surrounding you, Montana is the perfect destination for a memorable wedding that will be remembered for years to come.
Montana Marriage Code
Marriage laws in Montana are primarily directed by Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Montana code annotated, which defines the persons authorized to perform a marriage in the State of Montana. This includes ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church, among other individuals. We've reproduced this item in the state code below.40-1-301. Solemnization and registration. (1) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court of record, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, by a mayor, city judge, or justice of the peace, by a tribal judge, or in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any religious denomination, Indian nation or tribe, or native group. Either the person solemnizing the marriage or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, a party to the marriage shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the clerk of the district court. View the Montana Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for Montana state:
Montana Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
