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 Tennessee. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Tennessee. 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 Tennessee.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Not Generally
- Minister Registration Required: Sometimes
- Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 0 Days
- Marriage License Valid For: 30 Days
- Marriage License Return Within: 3 Days
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Tennessee
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 Tennessee
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. As a result of a 2015 Attorney General's opinion requested by Republican State Senator Todd Gardenhire, many Tennessee counties will no longer accept Universal Life Church ordinations.
Select your County Clerk to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact
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3 License to Marry in Tennessee
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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee, 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. We've recently become aware of an attorney general's opinion that calls into question the validity of Universal Life Church ordinations. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of weddings in this state before the opinion was released. Again, this opinion was published at the request of Republican State Senator Todd Gardenhire, and beginning summer 2015 our ministers began to report that their ordinations were being actively rejected by Tennessee County Clerks. We are keeping eyes on the situation and investigating all of our options. We would appreciate you letting us know if you personally encounter any problems with a government official in your area.
We've recently become aware of an attorney general's opinion that seems to call into question the validity of Universal Life Church ordinations. Please know that ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of weddings in this state before the opinion was released, and have continued to successfully perform legal weddings after its release. We are keeping eyes on the situation, and would appreciate you letting us know if you personally encounter any problems with a government official in your area.
4 How to get Married in Tennessee
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 Tennessee marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is only valid for 30 days, but there is no mandatory waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license in Tennessee and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office within 3 days after the ceremony has been conducted.
At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Tennessee, 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee Wedding Need-To-Knows
For those looking to officiate a wedding in Tennessee, there are a few things you may want to keep in mind. Weddings are popular in June as well as the early autumn months, so keep the weather in mind if the couple is considering outdoor wedding venues in Tennessee. Summer months can be very hot and humid, and heavy rains have been known to occur year-round. If you want the feel of an outdoor wedding but don’t want to risk getting rained out, there are plenty of barn wedding venues in Tennessee (just be sure to wear some shoes that can handle getting a bit dirty, just in case!). An average of 15 tornadoes touch down in Tennessee each year; if that’s a concern then traditional wedding chapels in Tennessee may be a better option. Keep in mind that venue costs can vary drastically by type and location. While there is no set rate ministers should charge to officiate a ceremony, wedding costs in Tennessee average about $16,000, so you may want to keep this in mind when considering how much to charge.
Tennessee Marriage Code
Marriage laws in Tennessee are primarily directed by Chapter 3 of Title 36 of Tennessee's general code, which defines the persons authorized to perform a marriage in the State of Tennessee This includes ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church, among other individuals. We've reproduced a portion of this code below.36-3-301. Persons who may solemnize marriages. (a) (1) All regular ministers, preachers, pastors, priests, rabbis and other spiritual leaders of every religious belief, more than eighteen (18) years of age, having the care of souls [...] (2) In order to solemnize the rite of matrimony, any such minister, preacher, pastor, priest, rabbi or other spiritual leader must be ordained or otherwise designated in conformity with the customs of a church, temple or other religious group or organization; and such customs must provide for such ordination or designation by a considered, deliberate, and responsible act. View the Tennessee Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for Tennessee state:
Tennessee Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
