How to Get Ordained, Register and Perform Weddings By State
Get Ordained, Register and Perform a wedding or ceremony in Alaska.
If you are planning to get ordained in Alaska, need to find a minister in Alaska or have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony in Alaska, you've come to the right place.
As an ordained minister with Open Ministry, our ministers have successfully performed thousands of marriages in Alaska and around the world!
The Ordination and Officiant information is provided below in five steps, is designed help walk you through the most common steps in registering to become a minister for Alaska and perform a wedding ceremony in Alaska.
Step 1 - How to Become Ordained
How to Register to Officiate a Marriage in Alaska
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk) in Alaska. Let them know that you are a minister of Open Ministry in California, and ask what they will require of you to officiate a legal marriage in Alaska.
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?
Step 2 - Contact The County Clerk
How to Register to Officiate a Marriage in Alaska
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk) in Alaska. Let them know that you are a minister of Open Ministry in California, and ask what they will require of you to officiate a legal marriage in Alaska.
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?
Step 3 - Getting Licensed to Perform the Marriage
License to perform a wedding in Alaska
After you've contacted your marriage authority, you should visit our bookstore to purchase your official credentials and any required documentation (See Alaska State Statutes for More Specific Requirements )
When registering in Alaska 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 Alaska to get a Complete Minister Package for Alaska which includes your Letter of Good Standing.
Having your ordination credentials will also provide peace-of-mind to any couple that you intend to marry. Additionally, we recommend that you have at least 4 weeks between the date of the wedding ceremony and your order, to ensure that you receive all of your materials in time to register.
It is important to note that some county clerks in Alaska may require wedding officiants to attach a statement avowing 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 Alaska 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.
Alaska
25.05.261 Who may solemnize
(a) Marriages may be solemnized
(1) by a minister, priest, or rabbi of any church or congregation in the state, or by a commissioned officer of the Salvation Army, or by the principal officer or elder of recognized churches or congregations that traditionally do not have regular ministers, priests, or rabbis, anywhere within the state;
(2) by a marriage commissioner or judicial officer of the state anywhere within the jurisdiction of the commissioner or officer; or
(3) before or in any religious organization or congregation according to the established ritual or form commonly practiced in the organization or congregation.
(b) This section may not be construed to waive the requirements for obtaining a marriage license.
Title 25: Marital and Domestic Relations - Chapter 5: Alaska Marriage Code - Article 5: Solemnization