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 North Carolina. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in North Carolina. 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 North Carolina.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
- Minister Registration Required: Sometimes
- Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 0 Days
- Marriage License Valid For: 60 Days
- Marriage License Return Within: By Expiration
For more specific information about performing a wedding in certain parts of North Carolina, 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 North Carolina
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 North Carolina
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 Register of Deeds to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact
3 North Carolina Officiant Requirements
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 North Carolina to get an Ordination Package. Although minister registration is not required in North Carolina we have been informed by ULC ministers in the area that county clerks will frequently ask to see proof of ordination before they will accept a marriage as having been legally solemnized. 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 North Carolina
North Carolina's Top Wedding Spot
Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the century-old Corolla Chapel
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 North Carolina marriage license from the appropriate office. This license will expire 60 days after it is issued, and there is a 1-day waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license in North Carolina and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. 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 North Carolina, 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 North Carolina 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 Wedding Considerations in North Carolina
North Carolina wedding officiants should bear in mind a few things when preparing to perform a ceremony in the Tar Heel state. Firstly, the summer tends to be quite hot unless you are attending a mountain wedding in the Appalachians, and there can be quite a bit of humidity as well. As such, officiants should consider short-sleeve clergy shirts in order to remain comfortable but still look professional. Beach weddings are quite popular in the state due to the expansive Atlantic coastline, but be sure to bring a jacket as the wind can pick up, and keep in mind you may want to make ferry reservations if you are traveling to the Outer Banks. Farm weddings are also in vogue, and can either be intimate or larger affairs, but bring proper footwear to traverse the grounds. Most couples tie the knot in North Carolina during the fall due to the more reasonable temperatures. The amount a wedding officiant should charge in North Carolina depends on a few factors, such as the officiant's experience, level of involvement, familiarity with the couple, and wedding location. Expect to charge more if you are asked to travel or the ceremony will be held in an urban core where everything tends to cost more. A typical fee in the state is around $200-$300, but if you are performing it for friends or family whose wedding you would be at anyway, you may choose to forgo asking for any fee at all.
North Carolina Marriage Code
North Carolina Marriage Code
Marriage laws in North Carolina are primarily directed by Article 1 of Chapter 51 of North Carolina's general statutes, which defines the persons authorized to perform a marriage in the State of North Carolina. This includes ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church, among other individuals. We've reproduced a portion of this code below.51-1. Requisites of marriage; solemnization. A valid and sufficient marriage is created by the consent of a male and female person who may lawfully marry, presently to take each other as husband and wife, freely, seriously and plainly expressed by each in the presence of the other, either: (1) a. In the presence of an ordained minister of any religious denomination, a minister authorized by a church, or a magistrate; and b. With the consequent declaration by the minister or magistrate that the persons are husband and wife [...] View the North Carolina Statutes on the official state site.
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