Loving Ceremonies
in Northern California
Member, American Association of Wedding Officiants
Web design by Wise Rabbit
Copyright © 2010 Rev. Monica Farrier. All rights reserved.
Getting a Marriage License
You may obtain a marriage license from any county in California. It will be valid for 90 days after being issued to you. Please note that you must have the marriage license with you on the day of your wedding and I am required to review it prior to your ceremony in order to be in compliance with the law. I usually recommend having your witnesses sign the license before the wedding, as couples are typically focused on photographs and the reception celebration immediately after the ceremony. I will take the signed license with me, make a copy of it, and mail the original into the County Clerk for recording. Please note that you will not automatically receive a certified copy of your marriage document but will need to request it from the County Clerk's office. Certified copies are $13 each. Detailed information about marriage licenses and certificates can be found on the website for Office of the (Santa Clara) Clerk-Recorder below:
Additional information can also be found on the California Department of Public Health website. See information on marriage licenses under "most popular links" in the upper left hand corner of the page:
Changing your Name
For information about how to change the name on your Social Security card, visit the website below. Search "marriage name change" for instructions and a Form SS-5, which you can download online.
Reserving a Local Park for your Wedding
The San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services oversees some of the area's most beautiful outdoor wedding venues. For information about reserving one of these locations for your wedding ceremony, call 408/277-2757 or visit their website at http://www.sjparks.org/weddinginfo.asp. For information on Santa Clara County Parks, visit http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/parks.
