How to Perform a Wedding in South Dakota

1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in South Dakota

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 South Dakota

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 Dakota 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 Dakota, 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.

South Dakota is a relatively easy state in which to perform a wedding as a minister who was ordained online. Thousands of ULC Ministers perform legal weddings and sign valid South Dakota marriage licenses every year.

4 How to get Married in South Dakota

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 Dakota marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is only valid for 20 days, but there is no mandatory waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license in South Dakota and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. Please be aware that 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 South Dakota, 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 Dakota 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 How to Hold a Wedding in South Dakota

Lucky enough to be officiating a wedding in South Dakota? Here are a few helpful tips as you prepare for the ceremony. The most popular time to get married in South Dakota is the summer. Summer temperatures average between eighty and ninety, but nights cool off significantly—nighttime temperatures average between fifty and sixty. What does this mean for you? Dress for warm weather during the day, but be prepared to layer up if the ceremony stretches into the evening. The most popular locales for South Dakota weddings are South Dakota’s Badlands National Park area and Rapid City. Badlands National Park is just under 250,000 acres, and it houses breathtaking buttes and canyons wonderful for wedding photos. Rapid City is South Dakota’s second-most populous city. Its popularity as a wedding destination stems from its proximity to the Badlands, Custer State Park, and its own Canyon Lake Resort. Fees for wedding officiants in South Dakota are dependent on a number of factors, such as how much professional experience the officiant has, whether they’ll be required to travel to the ceremony destination, and how much preparation is required.