You’ve spent so long planning every detail of your ceremony and presentation but don’t forget the legal part! Do you have everything you need for your marriage license?

The lights, the guests and of course your dress: these have probably been on your mind for a year if not your entire life. You’ve planned down to every sprinkle on every cupcake but don’t forget to make your marriage legal! Marriage is a lot of different things to a lot of different people and if you are looking to make yours recognized by the state then you better have your marriage license in order. Do you have everything you need? Do you know what you need to do? While these requirements vary from state to state and country to country a lot of the basics remain the same. Here is a little introduction on what you can do to make sure you are prepared.

As soon as you begin planning your wedding you should start researching the legal requirements not only for the place that you live in but for the place in which you are getting married (if it’s different). In most places you need to fill out a marriage license application ahead of time. It’s a tricky procedure and the timing has to be perfect because in most places there are a lot of rules for when you can apply for a marriage license and for how long they are legal. Applying for your marriage license about a month before your actual ceremony is usually a good time. Once issued a marriage license is only viable for usually a month or two months after it has been issued and it will take a little while for your request to be processed so check with your local offices and plan accordingly.

In order to apply for your license you usually only need a valid photo ID like a driver’s license and your social security number but it’s good to remember how difficult bureaucracy can be and as always to educate yourself ahead of time.

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