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 South Dakota. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in South Dakota. 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 Dakota.
- 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: 20 Days
- Marriage License Return Within: By Expiration
For more specific information about performing a wedding in certain parts of South Dakota, 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 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!
2 Officiating a Wedding in South Dakota
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 South Dakota 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 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
South Dakota's Top Wedding Spot
Sylvan Lake is one of the most picturesque ceremony spots in the Black Hills' Custer 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 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.
South Dakota Marriage Code
South Dakota Marriage Code
Marriage laws in South Dakota are primarily directed by Chapter 1 of Title 25 of South Dakota codified laws, which defines the persons authorized to perform a marriage in the State of South Dakota. This includes ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church, among other individuals. We've reproduced a portion of this code below.25-1-30. Persons authorized to solemnize marriages. Marriage may be solemnized by a justice of the Supreme Court, a judge of the circuit court, a magistrate, a mayor, either within or without the corporate limits of the municipality from which the mayor was elected, or any person authorized by a church to solemnize marriages. View the South Dakota Statutes on the official state site.
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