How to Register and Perform a Wedding By State
If you are either planning to be married or have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony in Colorado, you've come to the right page. Ordained ministers with Open Ministry have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Colorado and around the world!
The information provided below is designed to walk you through the most common steps to become a minister and perform a wedding ceremony in Colorado.
Step 1 - How to Become Ordained
How to become an Ordained Minister in Colorado
Ordination is completely free and can be completed in less than a few hours. Thousands of ministers have registered to perform marriages in Colorado and other states each year!
If you haven't already, you should get ordained online with Open Ministry.
Get started today by clicking on the link below!
Step 2 - Contact The County Clerk
How to Register to Officiate a Marriage in Colorado
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk) in Colorado. 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 Colorado.
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 Colorado
After you've contacted your marriage authority, you should visit our bookstore to purchase your official credentials and any required documentation (See Colorado State Statutes for More Specific Requirements )
When registering in Colorado 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 Colorado to get a Complete Minister Package for Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado 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.
Colorado
14-2-109 Solemnization and registration
(1) A marriage may be solemnized by a judge of a court, by a court magistrate, by a retired judge of a court, by a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages, by the parties to the marriage, or in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any religious denomination or Indian nation or tribe. Either the person solemnizing the marriage or, if no individual acting alone solemnized the marriage, a party to the marriage shall complete the marriage certificate form and forward it to the county clerk and recorder within sixty days after the solemnization. Any person who fails to forward the marriage certificate to the county clerk and recorder as required by this section shall be required to pay a late fee in an amount of not less than twenty dollars. An additional five-dollar late fee may be assessed for each additional day of failure to comply with the forwarding requirements of this subsection (1) up to a maximum of fifty dollars. For purposes of determining whether a late fee shall be assessed pursuant to this subsection (1), the date of forwarding shall be deemed to be the date of postmark.
(2) If a party to a marriage is unable to be present at the solemnization, such party may authorize in writing a third person to act as such party's proxy. If the person solemnizing the marriage is satisfied that the absent party is unable to be present and has consented to the marriage, such person may solemnize the marriage by proxy. If such person is not satisfied, the parties may petition the district court for an order permitting the marriage to be solemnized by proxy.
(3) Upon receipt of the marriage certificate, the county clerk and recorder shall register the marriage.
Title 14: Domestic Matters - Article 2: Marriage and Rights of Married Women - Part 1: Uniform Marriage Act
Source: L. 73: R&RE, p. 1019, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 90-1-9. L. 79: (1) amended, p. 637, § 1, effective May 25. L. 89: (1) amended, p. 781, § 1, effective April 4. L. 91: (1) amended, p. 359, § 19, effective April 9. L. 93: Entire section amended, p. 438, § 3, effective July 1.