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 Wisconsin. Ordained ministers of the Universal Life Church have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Wisconsin. 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 Wisconsin.
- ULC Ordination Accepted: Yes
- Minister Registration Required: Sometimes
- Minister's Residency: Irrelevant
- Minister's Minimum Age: 18
- Marriage License Waiting Period: 6 Days
- Marriage License Valid For: 30 Days
- Marriage License Return Within: 3 Days
1 How to Become an Ordained Minister in Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin
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 Register to quickly generate the contact information for your local marriage authority.
Select a county contact
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3 License to Marry in Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin to get an Ordination Package and add on a Letter of Good Standing. Although minister registration is not required in Wisconsin we have been informed by ULC ministers in the area that county clerks will frequently ask to see proof of ordination before they will accept a marriage 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.
Performing a wedding in Wisconsin used to be quite complex. However, recent changes to the law have broken down a lot of the institutional barriers that were in place and now make it much, much easier for a Universal Life Church minister to operate and legally perform wedding ceremonies in the state.
4 How to get Married in Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin marriage license from the appropriate office. This license is valid for 30 days, and there is a 6 -day waiting period between when the couple applies for the marriage license in Wisconsin and when they may pick it up and legally solemnize the marriage. Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office within three days of the wedding ceremony.
At the Universal Life Church we receive several calls from wedding officiants in Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin 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 Advice for Performing a Wisconsin Wedding
In Wisconsin, there are countless ways to plan a wedding you'll remember the rest of your life. Wisconsin provides just about any type of wedding you could want, from rustic barns in rural Wisconsin to beach venues on Lake Michigan, there is a perfect wedding venue for every style. The most popular time for couples to get married is during the summer between July and August. July is perfect for an outdoor wedding, as it is usually the hottest month of the year in Wisconsin with an average of 21 days with 9+ hours of daily sunshine. If the wedding ceremony does take place outdoors during the summer, it is important for guests and the wedding party to dress accordingly as it can be humid. There is a growing trend in Wisconsin of having an intimate backyard wedding, which can be a beautiful and unique location for the couple looking to save on venue costs. Wedding officiant fees in Wisconsin can vary substantially depending on the officiant’s level of experience, whether travel is involved, and how complex the ceremony will be. Weddings in Wisconsin are in the middle in terms of the national average, with wedding officiant fees typically staying within a reasonable price range.
Wisconsin Marriage Code
Marriage in Wisconsin is governed by Chapter 765 of the Wisconsin Statutes. Ministers who got ordained online with 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.765.16" Marriage contract, how made; officiating person. (1m)",Marriage may be validly solemnized and contracted in this state only after a marriage license has been issued therefor, and only by the mutual declarations of the 2 parties to be joined in marriage that they take each other as husband and wife, made before an authorized officiating person and in the presence of at least 2 competent adult witnesses other than the officiating person. The following are authorized to be officiating persons: View the Wisconsin Statutes on the official state site.
To view the in-depth wedding laws for Wisconsin state:
Wisconsin Marriage Laws⇓ Show the rest
