Los Angeles/California Marriage Certificate - current wait times?

[kittyanne 45]

Hi can i ask you about marriage license and wedding day? im confused if i can schedule our marriage license same date as our wedding.. or we should schedule our marriage license application first on different date? 

 

also... which one to choose with the application form for marriage license.. public, confidential or nondenominational? his parents will attend our wedding.. 

 

and.. on the marriage license application, https://marriage.saccounty.net/second_person.asp what should i put on "last name at birth"?

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,096]

18 hours ago, kittyanne said:

Hi can i ask you about marriage license and wedding day? im confused if i can schedule our marriage license same date as our wedding.. or we should schedule our marriage license application first on different date? 

 

also... which one to choose with the application form for marriage license.. public, confidential or nondenominational? his parents will attend our wedding.. 

 

and.. on the marriage license application, https://marriage.saccounty.net/second_person.asp what should i put on "last name at birth"?

California doesn't mandate any delay between getting a license and getting married; you can marry immediately after you get your marriage license.

 

Unless there's a really good reason not to, get a public license (it's cheaper, and as long as you'll have witnesses there, have no reason to keep your wedding out of the public record, and don't want to do a wedding without an officiant, it's fine; that's what almost everyone gets).

 

You don't schedule getting your marriage license (at least, not with the county clerk's office in California); you just go when they're open and get it. You only have to (in most counties) schedule a civil ceremony (though a few allow walk-ins). Since Sacramento County allows scheduling your civil ceremony online, you can probably just show up a bit early to get a marriage license.

 

And your last name at birth is what your last name was when you were born. Basically no matter how many times your surname / family name / last name has changed, they want the first one.

[kittyanne 45]

On 6/5/2019 at 8:28 AM, DaveAndAnastasia said:

California doesn't mandate any delay between getting a license and getting married; you can marry immediately after you get your marriage license.

 

Unless there's a really good reason not to, get a public license (it's cheaper, and as long as you'll have witnesses there, have no reason to keep your wedding out of the public record, and don't want to do a wedding without an officiant, it's fine; that's what almost everyone gets).

 

You don't schedule getting your marriage license (at least, not with the county clerk's office in California); you just go when they're open and get it. You only have to (in most counties) schedule a civil ceremony (though a few allow walk-ins). Since Sacramento County allows scheduling your civil ceremony online, you can probably just show up a bit early to get a marriage license.

 

And your last name at birth is what your last name was when you were born. Basically no matter how many times your surname / family name / last name has changed, they want the first one.

Can i edit my marriage license application? i think i put my first name on the "last name at birth" instead of my last name. omg. pls help

[TBoneTX 46,062]

5 hours ago, kittyanne said:

Can i edit my marriage license application?

If it's submitted, contact the county clerk or other agency that has it.

[Biffa 89]

Got married 7 weeks ago in Beverly Hills. Took 1 month to receive marriage cert in the mail. 

Edited June 24, 2019 by Biffa

[angelasmiles 5]

I've been following this thread. Super useful and good to know! 

 

I called Ventura County this morning, and they said that if the license is sent back to them by mail, it'll take 2-3 weeks to process. However, you can also go in-person and they can process it there, meaning you get it on the same day. I clarified with her to make sure that it's the marriage certificate and not the marriage license so I hope that the information I received today is correct. 

[Lana&Ivy 215]

We got married at the Santa Barbara courthouse.  It was just my fiance and myself and it was SO beautiful and special.  We made an appointment to get the license and get married at the same time (it's a 1 hour appointment) We filled out the license appplication online ahead of time.  I ALSO filled out the application for Marriage Certificate online, printed it, and brought it to the courthouse when we went to get married.  I submitted it then.  We received the marriage certificates I had ordered at our Los Angeles Home 3 weeks later.  I chose the express post option.  

[laylalex 7,300]

Bumping this for any recent reports. If a mod/organizer thinks a new thread is better, please let me know whether I should start a new one.

 

Our wedding is on October 24th in LA County and we want to get the AOS package filed ASAP (he doesn't need an EAD as he's here on a work visa, but we do want him in the queue). Just trying to get a sense of when we can get the certificate, which will probably take the longest of everything. The I-944 is a bit of a headache in terms of the financials (ours are a bit complex) but I have most of all the other stuff in order -- the marriage certificate is the biggest hurdle I think.

 

Getting married in another county is not an option for us (a very small number of family members are attending, and I do not want my parents who are both 65 to have to travel), so any recent experience would be really appreciated!