Important Instructions If I’m Officiating Your Wedding
You must get your marriage license before the ceremony and bring it with you to the wedding. No license equals no legal ceremony – just an expensive dress up party.
Please have someone — the director or any type-A person (like your friend who color-codes their calendar) ready to hand it to me when I arrive.
Pro tip: It’s much easier to handle the license before the ceremony starts. Otherwise, you risk scrambling around afterward when everyone is celebrating.
License Basics
- ✔️ You must have a Tennessee marriage license to be legally married in Tennessee.
- ✔️ You can get the license in any TN county and use it anywhere in the state.
- ✔️ The license is valid for 30 days — don’t get it too early!
- ✔️ More info here: Davidson County Marriage License Info (or check your local county clerk’s site).
What Happens With the License
- ✔️ Some counties provide a keepsake copy — if they do, I’ll sign and leave that with you.
- ✔️ Every county includes two main parts of the license I sign and return to the clerk’s office.
- ✔️ I typically handle mailing it in for you unless you request to do it yourself.
- ✔️ If you return it yourself, it must be returned within 3 business days.
Signatures and Certified Copy
- ✔️ You don’t sign the license on the wedding day — you sign it when you apply at the clerk’s office (they notarize it there).
- ✔️ No witness signature is required on the day of the wedding — only mine as the legal officiant.
- ✔️ Once recorded, some counties automatically mail your certified copy, others don’t.
- ✔️ Ask your clerk how to request the certified copy and what the turnaround time is. Some you have to request it or even pay a little extra – because bureaucracy loves a side hustle
Taking care of these details in advance keeps the ceremony stress-free and lets you focus on what matters most — you two getting married like rock stars.