How to Get Ordained, Register and Perform Weddings By State
Get Ordained, Register and Perform a wedding or ceremony in Louisiana.
If you are planning to get ordained in Louisiana, need to find a minister in Louisiana or have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony in Louisiana, you've come to the right place.
As an ordained minister with Open Ministry, our ministers have successfully performed thousands of marriages in Louisiana 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 Louisiana and perform a wedding ceremony in Louisiana.
Step 1 - How to Become Ordained
How to get and become Ordained in Louisiana to Officiate or perform marriages in Louisiana
Our Ordinations for Louisiana are completely free and can be completed in less than a day. Thousands of people have registered and become licensed ministers in Louisiana and are able perform marriages through Open Ministry in Louisiana!
Get Ordained Today and start your journey as an ordained minister in Louisiana 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 Louisiana
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk) in Louisiana. 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 Louisiana.
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 Louisiana
After you've contacted your marriage authority, you should visit our bookstore to purchase your official credentials and any required documentation (See Louisiana State Statutes for More Specific Requirements )
When registering in Louisiana 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 Louisiana to get a Complete Minister Package for Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana
Once you have completed of the above, you are ready to perform the wedding! Be sure that the couple has picked up their Louisiana marriage license from the appropriate office. 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 Louisiana and when the ceremony may be legally performed in Louisiana.
Please be aware that the signed license must be returned to the issuing office in Louisiana before the time limit is reached. Check the marriage license for the exact dates. Once the legal matters have been addressed, officiating a wedding in Louisiana can be a great experience.
If you have any comments or issues as a wedding officiant in Louisiana, or after you have been ordained, or would like to just asking for guidance on how to perform a wedding ceremony in Louisiana. We recommend that all new Louisiana wedding ministers who have issues or concerns about the ceremony read over our helpful guides.
Louisiana
202 Authority to perform marriage ceremony
A marriage ceremony may be performed by:
(1) A priest, minister, rabbi, clerk of the Religious Society of Friends, or any clergyman of any religious sect, who is authorized by the authorities of his religion to perform marriages, and who is registered to perform marriages;
(2) A state judge or justice of the peace.
Title 9: Civil Code-Ancillaries - Code Title IV: Husband and Wife - Chapter 1: Marriage General Principles - Part I. Officiants
Acts 1987, No. 886, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; Acts 1997, No. 73, §1.