How to Get Ordained, Register and Perform Weddings By State
Get Ordained, Register and Perform a wedding or ceremony in South Carolina.
If you are planning to get ordained in South Carolina, need to find a minister in South Carolina or have been asked to perform a wedding ceremony in South Carolina, you've come to the right place.
As an ordained minister with Open Ministry, our ministers have successfully performed thousands of marriages in South Carolina 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 South Carolina and perform a wedding ceremony in South Carolina.
Step 1 - How to Become Ordained
How to Register to Officiate a Marriage in South Carolina
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk) in South Carolina. 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 South Carolina.
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 South Carolina
Next, you should contact the office of your local marriage authority (typically your county clerk) in South Carolina. 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 South Carolina.
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 South Carolina
After you've contacted your marriage authority, you should visit our bookstore to purchase your official credentials and any required documentation (See South Carolina State Statutes for More Specific Requirements )
When registering in South Carolina 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 South Carolina to get a Complete Minister Package for South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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.
South Carolina
20-1-20 Persons who may perform marriage ceremony
Only ministers of the Gospel, Jewish rabbis, officers authorized to administer oaths in this State, and the chief or spiritual leader of a Native American Indian entity recognized by the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs pursuant to Section 1-31-40 are authorized to administer a marriage ceremony in this State.
Title 20: Domestic Relations - Chapter 1: Marriage - Article 1: General Provisions
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 20-2; 1952 Code Section 20-2; 1942 Code Section 8565; 1932 Code Section 8565; Civ. C. '22 Section 5530; Civ. C. '12 Section 3751; 1911 (27) 131; 2008 Act No. 322, Section 1, eff June 16, 2008.