State Marriage Laws and Information
Since 2010, Open Ministry has been ordaining and helping people all over the world perform weddings, ceremony and other sacerdotal duties. This page focuses on requirements and information for Alabama; Scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to other states.
How to get ordained and perform a wedding in Alabama
If you are planning to get ordained in Alabama or you have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony in Alabama, or simply need to to find an ordained minister in Alabama to perform your wedding ceremony.
This ordination information forAlabama is provided below in an easy five step layout which is designed help walk you through the most common steps on registering to become a minister for Alabama and how perform a wedding ceremony in Alabama.
Step 1 - Get Ordained Online for free with Open Ministry
Step 1: Get Ordained in Alabama with Open Ministry
Receive your clerical ordination in Alabama through Open Ministry-100% free and fully online, with your digital ordination confirmation delivered instantly and printed proofs offered at our bookstore.
When you get ordained in Alabama through Open Ministry, you’ll enjoy:
- Digital ordination - confirmed via email free of charge.
- Optional printed certificates - available in our store.
- Universal recognition - valid across Alabama.
- Unlimited officiant scope - weddings, elopements, vow renewals.
- Community vetted - join ministers since 2010.
How It Works
- Click Get Ordained in Alabama.
- Provide your details on our encrypted form.
- Check your inbox for your free digital ordination; then order printed certificates.
With Open Ministry’s ordination, you become an officially empowered minister in Alabama, able to officiate legal wedding ceremonies statewide.
Our process is free and fast-printed certificates available for a small reasonable fee.
Step 2 - Contact The County Clerk
How to Register to Officiate a Marriage in Alabama
Next, contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk in Alabama). Let them know that you are a ordained minister with Open Ministry in California, and ask them what information the will require of you, to officiate a marriage in Alabama. Most clerks and governing agencies may require that you present them with a physical copy of your ordination record.
When speaking with the county clerk; it can be helpful to use the following phrases.
- What agency or department issues marriage licenses in your county and how may I contact them?
- I am an ordained minister with a church in California and I would like to register as a wedding Officiant in your county to perform and solemnize weddings.
- I have my Letter of Good Standing and/or Ordination Credential as proof of my ministry and ordination.
- What additional documentation is required for me to register as a wedding Officiant in your county or state?
Step 3 - Get registered to perform a Marriage
License to perform a wedding in Alabama
After you've contacted your marriage authority, you will want to visit our bookstore to get physical copies official credentials for presentation and your records. (See Alabama State Statutes for More Specific Requirements )
When registering in Alabama you may be asked to display proof of your ordination to the county clerk's before they will accept the marriage license as having been legally solemnized. We typically advise ministers of Alabama to get a Complete Minister Package for Alabama which includes your Letter of Good Standing (the live signed and notarized physical copy of your standing with our ministry).
Having your physical copies credentials provides peace-of-mind to couples and others that you intend to marry. Additionally, we recommend at least 4 weeks between the date of the wedding ceremony and your order, to ensure that you receive all of your materials and are able to register in time. Please note that every state and county can impose different requirements. This may include other nominal fees and additional paperwork that may need to be completed before the ceremony can take place.
It is important to note that some county clerks in Alabama may require wedding officiants to attach a statement which asserts some of the elements in the marriage license upon submission, including the following:
- The time and location at which the wedding took place
- The names and places of residence of all official witnesses
- The religious organization in which the officiant is ordained
- The printed name and address of the officiant
Please note that, when filling out a marriage license, that Alabama State may request you use the title "Minister" or "Reverend". The County Clerks may also require you enter your denomination, you can use "Non-Denominational". Failing to state a denomination may result in rejection and could require a duplicate marriage license.
Step 4 - How to Perform the Wedding
How to perform a wedding in Alabama
Once you have completed of the above, you are ready to perform the wedding! Be sure that the couple has picked up their Alabama state issued marriage license from the appropriate office. Alabama marriage licenses valid for a set number of days, and there may be a waiting period between when the couple receives the marriage license in Alabama and when the ceremony may be legally performed in Alabama. This information should be written on the license and followed to ensure the ceremony is recorded properly.
Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office in Alabama before the time limit is reached. Check the marriage license for the exact dates. Once the the previous matters have been addressed, officiating a wedding in Alabama can be a great and wonderful experience.
If you have any comments or issues as a wedding officiant in Alabama, or after you have been ordained, or would like to just asking for guidance on how to perform a wedding ceremony in Alabama. We recommend that all new Alabama wedding ministers who have issues or concerns about the ceremony read over our helpful guides.
Alabama
30-1-7 Persons Authorized to Solemnize Marriages
(a) Generally. Marriages may be solemnized by any licensed minister of the gospel in regular communion with the Christian church or society of which the minister is a member; by an active or retired judge of the Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, Court of Civil Appeals, any circuit court, or any district court within this state; by a judge of any federal court; or by an active or retired judge of probate.
(b) Pastor of religious society; clerk of society to maintain register of marriages; register, etc., deemed presumptive evidence of fact. Marriage may also be solemnized by the pastor of any religious society according to the rules ordained or custom established by such society. The clerk or keeper of the minutes of each society shall keep a register and enter therein a particular account of all marriages solemnized by the society, which register, or a sworn copy thereof, is presumptive evidence of the fact.
(c) Quakers, Mennonites, or other religious societies. The people called Mennonites, Quakers, or any other Christian society having similar rules or regulations, may solemnize marriage according to their forms by consent of the parties, published and declared before the congregation assembled for public worship.
Title 30 Marital and Domestic Relations - Chapter 1: Marriage
(Code 1852, §1946-1948; Code 1867, §2335-2337; Code 1876, §2674-2676; Code 1886, §2311-2313; Code 1896, §2841-2843; Code 1907, §4881-4883; Code 1923, §8995-8997; Code 1940, T. 34, §6-8; Acts 1988, No. 88-551, p. 867; Act 2003-303, p. 721, §1; Act 2004-485, p. 903, §1.)