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 Nevada. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Nevada. 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 Nevada.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
- Minister Registration Required: Yes
- Minister's Residency: Relevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 0 Days
- Marriage License Valid For: 1 Year
- Marriage License Return Within: By Expiration
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Nevada
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 Nevada
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 Recorder to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact
3 License to Marry in Nevada
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 Nevada to get our Nevada Wedding Officiant Package. Nevada's county clerks have very specific rules and documents you will need to pay mind to in order to legally perform a wedding in the state. Please attempt to leave at least 1 month between the date of the wedding ceremony and your order, to ensure that you receive all of your materials in advance. This is very important: Nevada county clerks require at least 30 days to process your minister application.
Please note (and you will be reminded of this when you purchase your Nevada Wedding Officiant Package), that the State of Nevada subdivides ordained ministers into two categories: those who will be performing just a handful of marriages (less than 5 with a year) and those who will be performing a larger number of marriages (more than 5 within a year). It is very important that you select and submit paperwork for the option that is the most accurate description of your planned activities to the county clerk.
Additionally, and this paperwork is also included in the Nevada Wedding Officiant Package, ministers coming from out-of-state will be required to file some paperwork in addition to that described above to the local marriage authority.
Ministers hoping to perform a wedding at the annual Burning Man festival should seek out our Playa Package built specifically for this purpose.
Performing a wedding in Nevada may sound difficult, but so long as you are mindful and carefully read through all of the documentation that the Universal Life Church provides to you, it should go swimmingly.
For those who plan on performing a wedding in Clark County, please be aware that you could be asked to complete a short online class with the County prior to being authorized to officiate a wedding in the area. If you select Clark County when you order your Nevada Wedding Package, you will find more information about completing this process among the rest of the paperwork included.
4 How to get Married in Nevada
Nevada's Top Wedding Spot
Valley of Fire State Park
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 Nevada marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is valid for 1 year, and there is no waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. The signed license must be returned to the issuing office by its date of expiry.
At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Nevada, 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 Nevada 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 Advice for Performing a Nevada Wedding
If you are planning to officiate a wedding in Nevada there are a number of things you will want to consider. The most popular season for weddings in Nevada is autumn, with around a third of all weddings held between September and November, followed in popularity by spring and summer. With Nevada’s desert climate, Summers are often incredibly hot, while winter time is much cooler -- making indoor wedding chapels in Las Vegas and Reno popular venues during these seasons. Spring and fall are great times to hold a ceremony outdoors. Both Reno and Las Vegas are very popular locations for wedding ceremonies in the U.S., and Nevada is consistently one of the top 5 states in terms of total ceremonies performed. With so many ceremonies held here, you will want to make sure the wedding venue is reserved well in advance and that you bring the proper attire depending on when and where the ceremony will be; indoor ceremonies usually call for formal wear while outdoor ceremonies may require you to bring specific footwear and climate-dependant attire for the season. The amount a wedding officiant should charge in Nevada varies based on things such as how much experience the officiant has, the degree of difficulty or complexity of the ceremony, and whether they’ll be asked to travel. While the average cost of a wedding ceremony in Nevada is around $17,000, this price can fluctuate drastically with Vegas hotel venues being much more expensive for the couple than something off the beaten path. Having an idea of what the couple has already invested into the wedding might help you decide on a reasonable price for everyone involved.
Nevada Marriage Code
Nevada Marriage Code
Performing a marriage in Nevada may seem daunting, but so long as you are wary of the requirements and deadlines pertinent to your situation you should find success. Universal Life Church ministers perform valid legal marriages in Nevada every month. In Nevada, marriage is governed by Chapter 122 of Title 11 of the state's code - we've excerpted a portion of this below for your convenience.NRS 122.062 Licensed or ordained ministers and chaplains of Armed Forces to obtain certificates from county clerk; temporary replacements; solemnization by minister licensed or ordained in another state. 1. Any licensed or ordained minister in good standing within his denomination, whose denomination, governing body and church, or any of them, are incorporated or organized or established in this state, may join together as husband and wife persons who present a marriage license obtained from any county clerk of the State, if the minister first obtains a certificate of permission to perform marriages as provided in this section and NRS 122.064 to 122.073, inclusive. The fact that a minister is retired does not disqualify him from obtaining a certificate of permission to perform marriages if, before his retirement, he had active charge of a congregation within this state for a period of at least 3 years. View the Nevada Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for Nevada state:
Nevada Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
