
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 South Carolina. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in South 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 South Carolina.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
- Minister Registration Required: Sometimes
- Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 1 Day
- Marriage License Valid For: Never Expires
- Marriage License Return Within: 15 Days
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in South 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 South 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 Probate Court to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact

South Carolina's Top Wedding Spot
White Point Gardens provides views of Fort Sumter and Charleston Harbor
3 License to Marry in South Carolina
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 South Carolina to get an Ordination Package and to add a Letter of Good Standing to your order. While minister registration is not required in the state of South Carolina, it has been frequently reported to us by ULC ministers in the area that county clerks will ask for proof of your ordination before accepting any marriage you perform 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 South Carolina
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 South Carolina marriage license from the appropriate office. This license will never expires, and there is a mandatory 1-day waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license in South Carolina and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. Please be aware 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 South 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 South 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 South Carolina
Aristocratic South Carolina, with its collection of stately plantations, boisterous barn venues, and elegant beaches, has something for every wedding couple. Here’s what you should keep in mind as you approach your big day (as an officiant!). Unlike most states, South Carolina’s most popular wedding seasons are spring and summer. Springs are cooler and dryer; temperatures typically range from the mid-sixties to the mid-seventies. Summers are hot and humid. Temperatures often linger around ninety degrees Fahrenheit and refuse to drop until you are drenched in sweat. Dress appropriately! Climate aside, South Carolina is a wonderful state for a wedding. Beach weddings are very popular, and Saint Helena Island, Hilton Head Island, and Myrtle Beach all showcase the very best of South Carolina’s beaches. If your couple desires a more traditionally Southern wedding, you may find yourself at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, one of South Carolina’s most famous former plantations. So how much should you charge as an officiant? The amount you should charge depends on how much experience you have, the degree of difficulty or complexity of the ceremony, and whether you’ll be asked to travel.

South Carolina Marriage Code
Marriage in South Carolina is governed by Chapter 1 of Title 20 of South Carolina's Code of Laws. Below, you will find that we have reproduced the relevant excerpts of this code.SECTION 20-1-20. Persons who may perform marriage ceremony. Only ministers of the Gospel, Jewish rabbis, officers authorized to administer oaths in this State, and the chief or spiritual leader of a Native American Indian entity recognized by the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs pursuant to Section 1-31-40 are authorized to administer a marriage ceremony in this State. View the South Carolina Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for South Carolina state:
South Carolina Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
Abbeville County
903 W. Greenwood St., Suite 2300Abbeville, South Carolina
29620
Phone: (864) 366-5312 ext 62
Fax: (864) 366-4023
Abbeville County website »
Aiken County
109 Park Avenue SE, Room E126Aiken, South Carolina
29801
Phone: (803) 642-2009
Fax: (803) 642-2007
Aiken County website »
Allendale County
526 Memorial AvenueAllendale, South Carolina
29810
Phone: (803) 584-3157
Fax: (803) 584-7046
Allendale County website »
Anderson County
100 S. Main StreetAnderson, South Carolina
29624
Phone: (864) 260-4049
Fax: (864) 260-4715
Anderson County website »
Bamberg County
2959 Main Highway, Room 103Bamberg, South Carolina
29003
Phone: (803) 245-5191
Fax: (803) 245-3027
Bamberg County website »
Barnwell County
141 Main St, Room 108Barnwell, South Carolina
29812
Phone: (803) 541-1031
Fax: (803) 541-1012
Barnwell County website »
Beaufort County
102 Ribaut RoadBeaufort, South Carolina
29902
Phone: (843) 255-5850
Fax: (843) 255-9447
Beaufort County website »
Berkeley County
300-B California AvenueMoncks Corner, South Carolina
29461
Phone: (843) 719-4519
Fax: (843) 719-4527
Berkeley County website »
Calhoun County
902 F R Huff Dr,St Matthews, South Carolina
29135
Phone: (803) 874-3514
Calhoun County website »
Charleston County
100 Broad Street, Suite 469Charleston, South Carolina
Phone: (843) 958-5183
Fax: (843) 958-5191
Charleston County website »
Cherokee County
110 Railroad AvenueGaffney, South Carolina
Phone: (864) 487-2583
Cherokee County website »
Chester County
1476 J.A. Cochran BypassChester, South Carolina
29706
Phone: (803) 385-2604
Fax: (855) 932-9283
Chester County website »
Chesterfield County
Courthouse, 200 West Main StreetChesterfield, South Carolina
Phone: (843) 623-2376
Fax: (843) 623-9886
Chesterfield County website »
Clarendon County
411 Sunset Dr, Suite 1304Manning, South Carolina
29102
Phone: (803) 435-8774
Fax: (803) 435-8698
Clarendon County website »
Colleton County
239 N. Jefferies Blvd.Walterboro, South Carolina
29488
Phone: (843) 549-7216
Fax: (843) 549-5571
Colleton County website »
Darlington County
1 Public Square, 2nd Floor, Room 208Darlington, South Carolina
29532
Phone: (843) 398-4310
Fax: (843) 398-4076
Darlington County website »
Dillon County
401 W Main St Room 303Dillon, South Carolina
29536
Phone: (843) 774-1423
Fax: (843) 841-3732
Dillon County website »
Dorchester County
5200 East Jim Bilton BoulevardSt. George, South Carolina
29477
Phone: (843) 851-5785
Dorchester County website »
Edgefield County
124 Courthouse SquareEdgefield, South Carolina
29824
Phone: (803) 637-4080
Edgefield County website »
Fairfield County
101 S. Congress St.Winnsboro, South Carolina
29180
Phone: (803) 712-6519
Fax: (803) 712-6939
Fairfield County website »
Florence County
180 N Irby St # Msc-LFlorence, South Carolina
Phone: (843) 665-3085
Fax: (843) 665-3068
Florence County website »
Georgetown County
401 Cleland Street, Room 140Georgetown, South Carolina
29440
Phone: (843) 545-3274
Fax: (843) 545-3512
Georgetown County website »
Greenville County
Greenville County Square, Suite 5600Greenville, South Carolina
Phone: (864) 467-7571
Greenville County website »
Greenwood County
528 Monument Street, Room 205Greenwood, South Carolina
29646
Phone: (864) 942-8625
Fax: (864) 942-8620
Greenwood County website »
Hampton County
1 Courthouse SquareHampton, South Carolina
Phone: (803) 914-2172
Fax: (803) 914-2183
Hampton County website »
Horry County
1301 Second AvenueConway, South Carolina
29526
Phone: (843) 915-5370
Fax: (843) 915-6370
Horry County website »
Jasper County
265 Russell St.Ridegland, South Carolina
29936
Phone: (843) 726-7718
Fax: (843) 726-5173
Jasper County website »
Kershaw County
1121 Broad Street, Room 225Camden, South Carolina
29020
Phone: (803) 425-1503
Kershaw County website »
Lancaster County
104 North Main StreetLancaster, South Carolina
29720
Phone: (803) 283-3379
Fax: (803) 283-3370
Lancaster County website »
Laurens County
100 Hillcrest Square, Suite ALaurens, South Carolina
29360
Phone: (864) 984-3538
Fax: (864) 984-7023
Laurens County website »
Lee County
123 South Main StreetBishopville, South Carolina
Phone: (803) 484-5341
Fax: (803) 484-1632
Lee County website »
Lexington County
205 East Main Street, Suite 134Lexington, South Carolina
29072
Phone: (803) 785-8324
Lexington County website »
Marion County
2523 East Highway 76Marion, South Carolina
29571
Phone: (843) 423-8244
Fax: (843) 423-8242
Marion County website »
Marlboro County
105 Main StreetBennettsville, South Carolina
29512
Phone: (843) 479-5613
Fax: (843) 479-5653
Marlboro County website »
McCormick County
133 S. Mine Street, Room 101McCormick, South Carolina
Phone: (864) 852-2195
Fax: (864) 852-0071
McCormick County website »
Newberry County
1226 College StreetNewberry, South Carolina
29108
Phone: (803) 321-2118
Fax: (803) 321-2119
Newberry County website »
Oconee County
415 S. Pine St.Walhalla, South Carolina
29691
Phone: (864) 638-4275
Oconee County website »
Orangeburg County
Probate Court Office<br>190 Gibson StreetOrangeburg, South Carolina
29115
Phone: (803) 533-6284
Orangeburg County website »
Pickens County
222 McDaniel Avenue, B-16Pickens, South Carolina
29671
Phone: (864) 898-5903
Fax: (864) 898-5863
Pickens County website »
Richland County
1701 Main Street, Room 205Columbia, South Carolina
29202
Phone: (803) 576-1950
Fax: (803) 576-1785
Richland County website »
Saluda County
100 East Church Street, Suite 4Saluda, South Carolina
29138
Phone: (864) 445-4500
Fax: (864) 445-9726
Saluda County website »
Spartanburg County
180 Magnolia Street 1st Floor, Suite 302Spartanburg, South Carolina
29306
Phone: (864) 596-2556
Spartanburg County website »
Sumter County
215 N. Harvin StSumter, South Carolina
29150
Phone: (803) 436-2166
Fax: (803) 436-2407
Sumter County website »
Union County
210 W. Main StreetUnion, South Carolina
29379
Phone: (864) 429-1625
Fax: (864) 427-1198
Union County website »
Williamsburg County
201 West Main StreetKingstree, South Carolina
29556
Phone: (843) 355-9321
Williamsburg County website »
York County
2 S. Congress StreetYork, South Carolina
29745
Phone: (803) 684-8513
Fax: (803) 684-8536
York County website »