How to Perform a Wedding in Oregon

1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Oregon

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 Oregon

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 Oregon to get an Ordination Package. While minister registration is not required in the state of Oregon, you may be asked by the county clerk to present proof of ordination before the marriage will be accepted 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. In the process of filling out the Oregon marriage license, you may require the physical address of the Universal Life Church Headquarters. You can find this information below: 2720 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134

Please note that the State of Oregon requires that at least two witnesses over the age of 18 be present at the wedding ceremony, apart from the officiant.

4 How to get Married in Oregon

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 Oregon marriage license from the appropriate office. This license will expire 60 days after it is issued, and there is a mandatory 3-day waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license in Oregon and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. The signed license must be returned to the issuing office within 10 days of the ceremony.

At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Oregon, 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 Oregon 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 an Oregon Wedding

Whether your couple is drawn to the urban-hipster chic of Portland, the serenity of a mature grove of Douglas Firs, or the wide open expanse of the Oregon coast, Oregon has a little something for everyone in the way of wedding destinations. As the wedding officiant, your job is to ensure the bride and groom end up legally hitched. We’ve got you covered. Oregon features a variety of climates that make offseason weddings (winter and spring) unusually unpopular. Over 50% of Oregonians favor summer weddings, and of the remaining population, a staggering 30% favor autumn weddings. If you’re officiating a wedding for a family member or friend, your wedding will likely fall within this time frame. But if you’re an officiant looking to market yourself to the Oregon populace, take note that a whopping 85% of Oregon weddings take place within six months of the year. In other words, there's a definite "high" and "low" season for weddings. Now that you understand how to generally position yourself within the Oregon wedding officiant market, there’s just one more question left to answer. How much should I charge? The truth is there’s no easy answer. Start by asking other ministers how they assess what they should charge. Your pricing should consider your own experience, ceremony requirements, and wedding location.