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 Mississippi, you've come to the right page. Ordained ministers with Open Ministry have successfully performed thousands of legal marriages in Mississippi 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 Mississippi.
Step 1 - How to Become Ordained
How to become an Ordained Minister in Mississippi
Ordination is completely free and can be completed in less than a few hours. Thousands of ministers have registered to perform marriages in Mississippi 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 Mississippi
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk) in Mississippi. 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 Mississippi.
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 Mississippi
After you've contacted your marriage authority, you should visit our bookstore to purchase your official credentials and any required documentation (See Mississippi State Statutes for More Specific Requirements )
When registering in Mississippi 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 Mississippi to get a Complete Minister Package for Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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.
Mississippi
93-1-17 By whom marriages may be solemnized
Any minister of the gospel ordained according to the rules of his church or society, in good standing; any Rabbi or other spiritual leader of any other religious body authorized under the rules of such religious body to solemnize rites of matrimony and being in good standing; any judge of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, circuit court, chancery court or county court may solemnize the rites of matrimony between any persons anywhere within this state who shall produce a license granted as herein directed. Justice court judges and members of the boards of supervisors may likewise solemnize the rites of matrimony within their respective counties. Any marriages performed by a mayor of a municipality prior to March 14, 1994 are valid provided such marriages satisfy the requirements of Section 93-1-18.
Title 93: Domestic Relations - Chapter 1: Marriage
Sources: Codes, Hutchinson's 1848, ch. 34, art. 1 (1); 1857, ch. 40, art. 1; 1871, § 1755; 1880, § 1150; 1892, § 2862; 1906, § 3247; Hemingway's 1917, § 2554; 1930, § 2365; 1942, § 463; Laws, 1962, ch. 490; Laws, 1984, ch. 412; Laws, 1993, ch. 518, § 35; Laws, 1994, ch. 330, § 2, eff from and after passage (approved March 14, 1994).