How to get married in one day

[BBGG 59]

How to get married in one day

 

Introduction

 

Here I’m describing the process of getting married that we went through in Portland, Oregon in November 2019.

 

Our general goal was to get marriage certificate as soon as possible after entry to add it to the AOS application.

 

As our experience shows, you can get married in one day not only in Vegas. If you repeat our steps, the same thing may be possible in your city/state.

Just to remind, the process of getting married in the US is:

(1) Getting marriage license which is just a permission to marry
(2) Getting married
(3) Getting marriage certificate which is the actual proof of marriage and is basically just the same marriage license but signed by the marriage officiant during the ceremony
(4) Requesting certified copies of the marriage certificate from county office as you are not allowed to keep the original

Please see this my post for some other general thoughts and my research on “getting married in one day”

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/717113-timing-of-k1-entry-ssn-wedding-and-aos/?do=findComment&comment=9849296

Our timeline

(please see further posts in this thread on details)

 

Oct 30, 2019 (Wednesday) – Picking a county office
Oct 30, 2019 (Wednesday) – Finding a marriage officiant
Nov 16, 2019 (Sunday) – Arriving to the US
Nov 18, 2019 (Monday) – Getting the marriage license
Nov 18, 2019 (Monday) – Taking the marriage license to the judge
Nov 25, 2019 (Monday) – The wedding day
Nov 26, 2019 (Tuesday) – Delivering the license back to the county office and getting copies
Nov 27, 2019 (Wednesday) – Yet another mistake in the marriage certificate

[BBGG 59]

How to get married in one day (continuation)

 

Oct 30, 2019 (Wednesday) – Picking a county office

 

So, the very first thing we did - we picked the county office in Oregon that we would apply for marriage license at.

 

It was Multnomah County Office: https://multco.us/recording/marriage-licenses

 

They have good information on their website at the link above, and they also are quite responsive and helpful on the phone.

 

Oct 30, 2019 (Wednesday) – Finding a marriage officiant

 

Next step – we needed to find and book the marriage officiant that would perform the ceremony.

 

I know that licensed “officiants” can do that. For example, I learned later, the make-up artist that I hired for my wedding day was one. But at the time when we were planning marriage (a month in advance), we did not know any marriage officiants, so we went another way.

 

There was a list of judges that can perform the wedding ceremony right there on the Multnomah County Office website – the same link as above, search for “A State of Oregon judicial officer.  List of Judges 09_21_18 (148.4 KB)” or use this direct link while it’s actual: https://multco.us/file/75422/download

 

My fiancé started calling all the judges in the list, one by one. The few first judges’ offices he called would not pick up the phone, there would just be a pre-recorded request to leave a message for callback. My fiancé left voice messages to a few judges but never received a call back.

 

Finally, one of the judges’ assistants picked up the phone, and we were able to book the ceremony with them on Nov 25, 2019.

 

That was Judge Christopher Marshall, tel. 503.988.3274, email Christopher.J.Marshall@ojd.state.or.us

 

I highly recommend this judge as their communication is really good, and our ceremony went great.

 

We received clear instructions from the judge’s assistant:

•    We needed to bring the marriage license to their office (Room 230 in the Multnomah County Courthouse) sometime before Friday, November 22nd at 2pm (one workday before the marriage)
•    They needed the names of 2 people who will act as witnesses (my fiancé’s parents)
•    There was a fee of $117 that we could pay at that time, via cash, check, or credit card
•    On the day of the wedding, we would need to pay another $100 fee, and that could only be paid in cash
 

[BBGG 59]

How to get married in one day (continuation)

 

Nov 16, 2019 (Sunday) - Arriving in the US

 

If I landed on a workday and early enough, we could technically get married on the same day. But I landed late in the evening on Saturday, and I also wanted to apply for SSN first, while still unmarried, so we had to wait until Monday to apply for the marriage license.

 

 

Nov 18, 2019 (Monday) – Getting the marriage license

 

We came to Multnomah County Office (501 SE Hawthorne Blvd # 175, Portland, OR 97214) at lunch time.

 

First, we went to the ticket machine, picked there “Marriage/Family” -> “I haven’t filled out application yet”.

 

The machine told us to go to the computers right there in the waiting area and fill out the marriage license application. The application required our names, dates and places of birth, occupation, addresses, also information about our parents – names, places and dates of birth. There in the application we could also specify any names we were planning to take after the marriage. Neither of us was going to change name at that time so we specified our current names.

 

Alternatively, we could fill out the application online at home (on the same Multnomah County Office site), come with a filled out application, and go straight to the county officer’s window. We would just need to pick another option at the machine – something like “I have already filled out the application”.

 

When we finished with the application in the waiting area, went back to the ticket machine, selected “I have already filled out the application”, and the machine generated a queue number for us.

 

We waited in the waiting area for 5 minutes or so, then we were called out and went to the counter.

 

At the counter, we told the officer we wanted to get married and we just filled out application right there at the computer in the waiting area. He found our application in his system and printed the marriage license for us.

 

We were asked to check the printed version for mistakes, we confirmed it was alright. Then we were asked to sign the marriage license.

 

The officer collected $60 in cash from us and gave us the following documents:
-    The original of the marriage license
-    “Commemorative” marriage "certificate" (just a nice paper, does not have legal force)
-    Form to request certified copies of the marriage certificate by mail
-    Notice to the marriage officiant on how to fill out the marriage license
-    Envelope for the officiant to send the license back to Multnomah County Office

 

Note that in most states (apart from Nevada, obviously) there is a few days' waiting period between the day when you obtain your marriage license and the day you can get married. But some states/counties officially offer to waive the few-day waiting period for an extra payment (i.e. in our county office it was just $5.00). Look for information on marriage licenses page on your county's site.

 

However, if you waive the 3-day waiting period, you may be obliged to really get married within those 3 days.

 

Anyway, for additional $5 we could get married on the same day we got the marriage license.

 

We did not need to waive the waiting period as we only booked the ceremony for November 25th.

[BBGG 59]

How to get married in one day (continuation)

 

Nov 18, 2019 (Monday) – Taking the marriage license to the judge

 

Right after leaving Multnomah County Office we drove straight to Multnomah County Courthouse (1021 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204) where we were going to be married and where our judge’s office was.

 

First of all, we went to the courthouse cashier and paid $117 by card for the marriage ceremony, we got a receipt on a letter-sized paper.

 

Then we found the judge’s office (room 230) and left the following documents with the judge’s assistant:
•    The original of the marriage license
•    All other documents that we got at the county office (see in the previous post)
•    Receipt for $117
•    A hand-written paper with names of the two witnesses (my fiancé’s parents who are US citizens)

 

Nov 25, 2019 (Monday) – The wedding day

 

As I mentioned above, it was our choice to wait for a week before getting married, that was related to my fiancé’s parents arriving on the Thanksgiving day and not earlier.

 

But technically we could book the ceremony with the judge on Nov 18, the day when we got the marriage license, and get married on the same day.

 

On Nov 25, we arrived at the courthouse 30 minutes before the ceremony to make sure that our entire group (5 people) passes the security on time.

 

After passing the security, we went to the judge's office, "checked in" with the judge's assistant and paid $100 in cash for the ceremony directly to the judge’s assistant.

 

When the time came, we were invited in the court room for the ceremony, we were allowed to take photos, videos, and even have a couple people on WhatsApp/Facebook calls (like my mom who wanted to watch the ceremony from Russia).

 

The judge said a small and very nice speech about the importance of our decision to get married, asked us if "we do", we said "we do". Then we and our witnesses were invited to sign the “commemorative” marriage certificate (but not the “real” marriage license) right there at the table. We were now married.

 

The judge then said the ceremony was over and that his assistant will hand-deliver the “real” signed marriage license (that therefore magically turned into the “marriage certificate”) to the county office. We asked if we could do it ourselves, he went back into his office (it's a separate room outside the courtroom), brought the original marriage license (again, now called “marriage certificate”) to us and said that we can totally do this ourselves. The judge also warned us that if we lost the document we would have to let them know immediately and they would be able to fix this.
 

Note that the judge and the county office do not care about the "commemorative" marriage certificate, you get it in your possession right after the ceremony, and it does not have any legal force. The "commemorative" marriage certificate clearly states that it is "commemorative". Don't confuse it with the "real" marriage certificate.

 

The "real" marriage certificate is the signed marriage license.

[BBGG 59]

How to get married in one day (continuation)

 

Nov 26, 2019 (Tuesday) – Delivering the license back to the county office and getting copies

 

Our wedding ceremony on Nov 25 was late, so the county office was already closed and we could not hand-deliver the signed marriage license (now "marriage certificate") back to the county office on the wedding day. If you plan your day better, you could do everything in one day.

 

So, on Nov 26 we hand-delivered the signed marriage license (now "marriage certificate") to the county office.

 

We requested 5 copies and paid $23.75 in cash for that (there was a fee for a card payment, but card was also possible). 

 

You may want to request that many copies as you will need to provide them with AOS application and at other places.

 

We asked if we could have it apostilled (that is needed to legalize marriage in my country of citizenship, Russia) and were told we would need to go to another city (Salem, OR) for that, and were given a brochure with explanation.

 

 

Additional information: Mistake in our marriage license

 

There was a mistake in our marriage license. There are two places where county officers should put their signatures. One – when the marriage license is issued, the second one – after the signed marriage license (now “marriage certificate”) is delivered back to the county office. Our county officer put his signature in the second field instead of the first one when issuing the license.

 

Our judge spotted this mistake, called the county office before the ceremony and asked if they could correct it. He was told to perform the marriage ceremony anyway, with the marriage license as it is (with mistake), and then when the signed marriage license ("marriage certificate") is delivered back to the county office this mistake would be easily corrected. 

 

When we brought the signed marriage license (now “marriage certificate”) back to the county office, the way they corrected the mistake was:
-    They crossed out the incorrect signature in field two
-    Made the first officer sign it where he should have when he issued the marriage lisense – in the field one
-    The new county officer that was accepting the marriage license (now “marriage certificate”) from us signed it in the correct place - field two, above the crossed out incorrect signature of the other "issuing" county officer

 

 

Nov 27, 2019 (Wednesday) – Yet another mistake in the marriage certificate

 

A couple days after the ceremony we realized there was a mistake in my fiancé’s mom’s middle name. This mistake was present in two places – in “Parent’s name” field and in “Witness name” as she was also our witness.

 

The way to correct the mistake is to go back to the county office, present documents (originals or certified copies) that prove her middle name.

 

In the “Parent’s name” field we had to specify her name at birth, so we had to prove it with a certified copy of her birth certificate.

 

In the “Witness name” field her last name was different from her last name at birth, it was the one she took after marriage, so to prove her entire name (including the misspelled middle name) in that field we had to provide the certified copy of her passport as it showed her full current "married" name.

 

Me and my husband had to be both present in the office to make these corrections as the county needed both our signatures on the papers.

 

They did not correct the original marriage license (now “marriage certificate”) just added a page to it with information on what is corrected to what. From now on, our marriage certificate will be a 2-page document.
 

Edited December 12, 2019 by BBGG

[BBGG 59]

How to get married in one day (conclusion)

 

So once again, if you want to get married in one day, you need to take these steps:

 

1.    Fill out the marriage license application online or in-person when you show up at the county office
2.    Get the marriage license at the county office
3.    Pay extra to waive the 3-day waiting period
4.    Get married
5.    Have your officiant hand the signed marriage license (now “marriage certificate”) after the ceremony to you so that you could hand-deliver it on the same day back to the county office. Some judges/officiants may not agree to do so, it’s better to check with them in advance if that is possible, i.e. when you are booking the ceremony on the phone.
6.    Hand-deliver the signed marriage license (now “marriage certificate”) back to the county office where you originally got it from
7.    Request a few certified copies from the county office right at that time

Total fees: $300.75 (our experience in Portland, OR)

 

$60 - for the marriage license, cash, at the county office (+$5 for waiving the waiting period, if needed)
$117 - for the marriage ceremony, card, at the county courthouse - at the cashier
$100 - for the marriage ceremony, cash, at the county courthouse - directly to the judge
$23.75 - for 5 marriage certificate copies, cash, at the county office
 

[ineedadisplayname 499]

This is nowhere near in ONE day.  More like in one week.....

 

[BBGG 59]

Hi @ineedadisplayname, thanks for the comment, you are right, I'm looking at my opening post now and I can see how this is confusing. Shame I cannot edit it anymore.

 

The idea is that we indeed got married in one week, but that is just because we decided to do so. You can do all the same things in one day in Portland.

 

If you read my posts in the thread you will see that I'm explaining how to remove the delays and get all the same things done in one day, it's absolutely doable and does not require too much effort.

Edited December 12, 2019 by BBGG

[BBGG 59]

By the way, one more detail.

 

When we found the mistake in the marriage certificate after the ceremony we thought we would need to delay filing for AOS until we correct it at the county office.

 

However, we spoke to our Green Card lawyer, and she said we can totally mail the copy of the certificate as it is (with mom's middle name mistake) and correct it after filing for AOS. Then just need to bring the corrected copy to the Green Card interview.

 

I guess, what's important for the AOS if the fact of marriage, and mom's/witness's middle name is not so important.

[ineedadisplayname 499]

5 minutes ago, BBGG said:

Hi @ineedadisplayname, thanks for the comment, you are right, I'm looking at my opening post now and I can see how this is confusing. Shame I cannot edit it anymore.

 

The idea is that we indeed got married in one week, but that is just because we decided to do so. You can do all the same things in one day in Portland.

 

If you read my posts in the thread you will see that I'm explaining how to remove the delays and get all the same things done in one day, it's absolutely doable and does not require too much effort.

I see. For us we needed to wait after we submitted the marridge license, they couldn't give copies and register at the same day.

[BBGG 59]

Good point. I can confirm that Multnomah County Office in Portland can do copies on the day of request, but if someone who is reading this thread is in a different city/state I would recommend calling all the involved parties (county office and the marriage officiant) and confirm in advance they can do everything in one day.

 

In the end, one may not be able to do everything on the same day in their city/state, but knowing all the above, they can try and minimize the delays.

Edited December 12, 2019 by BBGG

[debbiedoo 2,339]

There are many places in the US where you can get married the same day as your marriage license is issued. We got our license on dec 23 and married dec 24. because that was when we wanted to, but we could have married on the 23rd if we had wanted to. Took the marriage license back to the courthouse the next business day, and had the certificates in minutes. For us, it was $2/certified copy. We got like ... 15? didnt have to wait but a few minutes. That is all dependent on your particular area of residence. Every state and county, for that matter, may be different in how long it takes to get the certified copies and how much it costs.

 

It is not nearly as difficult as you seem to make it out to be. contact county vital records department and ask what the guidelines are. Find an officiant and witnesses (if you need them. in VA you do not). get married.

 

Some places have a waiting period. If so, there's nothing you can do, other than wait until the first day you can get married.

Edited December 12, 2019 by debbiedoo

[MarryMe987654 244]

I think it's possible to get married in Florida in one day too. Just take Florida pre-marital course online in the morning as it takes 4 hours, go to the courthouse to apply for license and just get married then right there and then. They will give the marriage certificate right after the wedding. 

 

https://www.stateofflorida.com/getting-married-in-florida/

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

My question is... is the person entering on a K1 visa with intent to marry on day of landing?

 

Because if to get marriage certificate as soon as possible after entry is the goal, I’d highly recommend making a point of k1 in the title, not just AOS, because we all know, intent to marry and entry on b2 is not permissible and should not be promoted as part of AOS process. 

 

Short of that, I’m not sure how, how to get married in one day has to do with immigration

Edited December 13, 2019 by Duke & Marie

[JFH 12,190]

Rules vary from state to state. WA has a three-day waiting period between license issue date and license validity date.