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 Washington. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Washington. 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 Washington.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
- Minister Registration Required: No
- Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 3 Days
- Marriage License Valid For: 60 Days
- Marriage License Return Within: By Expiration
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Washington
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 Washington
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 County Clerk Recorder to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact
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Columbia Valley region boasts gorgeous wineries, like Cave B Estate, overlooking the Columbia Gorge
3 License to Marry in Washington
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 Washington to get an Ordination Package. While minister registration is not required in the state of Washington, you may be asked to present proof of your ordination before your county clerk will accept any marriage you perform as having been legally solemnized; additionally, having that proof of ordination can provide a great deal of peace-of-mind for the couple you plan to marry. 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.
Side note: Seattle, Washington is the home for the nationwide headquarters of the Universal Life Church. We're so exciting to learn that you are planning to perform a wedding or get married in our backyard. We would invite you to submit photos of any event that you attend or participate in to our online wedding gallery.
4 How to get Married in Washington
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 Washington marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is valid for 60 days, but there is a mandatory 3-day waiting period between when the couple picks up the marriage license in Washington and when the ceremony may legally be conducted. Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office by its date of expiry.
At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Washington, 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 Washington 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 Have a Wedding in Washington
The Evergreen State is an ideal wedding location for a variety of reasons. The Pacific Northwest climate is mild and the state has a plethora of scenic venue options, from enchanted woodland venues to barns well-suited for rustic weddings to 6,872 feet above sea level with Mt. Rainier as your witness. The abundant outdoor and indoor venue options in Washington State will provide a memorable experience both for the couple and for the guests attending the ceremony. It is to no surprise that those getting married in Washington are split down the middle between preference for indoor or outdoor weddings, where it is important to take into account climate, as it is sunny with perfect wedding temperatures around three or four months out of the year. The average cost of a wedding in Washington State can vary. In 2019, the average cost for a wedding in Washington State was around $33,000, which is similar to the national average. The amount a wedding officiant should charge in Washington State varies based on how much experience the officiant has, the degree of difficulty or complexity of the ceremony, and whether they’ll be asked to travel. Costs can vary drastically depending on where in the state the wedding is taking place. A Seattle-based officiant, for example, might charge more than elsewhere in the state.
Washington Marriage Code
Marriage in Washington is governed by Chapter 4 of Title 26 of the Revised Code of Washington. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully solemnized thousands of weddings in the state. Below, you will find that we have reproduced a relevant excerpt of this code.The following named officers and persons, active or retired, are hereby authorized to solemnize marriages, to wit: Justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of appeals, judges of the superior courts, supreme court commissioners, court of appeals commissioners, superior court commissioners, any regularly licensed or ordained minister or any priest, imam, rabbi, or similar official of any religious organization, and judges of courts of limited jurisdiction as defined in RCW 3.02.010. View the Washington Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for Washington state:
Washington Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
